Merkabar can be found located inside the My Brighton Hotel on the ground floor, ready and waiting for hotel residents and passers-by alike. This cocktail bar is an old-time resident of Brighton, having been there for a number of years, but for some reason we’ve never visited until now. Fortunately we decided to visit this time around, and I’m glad we did.
The décor inside Merkaba is chic and modern, with feature points including fish tanks which are set within the walls. The bar itself offers a sophisticated environment where it’s easy to while away the hours, they also have DJ’s performing on certain nights of the week.
For my first choice at Merkaba, I chose the Mockingbird, which saw vodka shaken with violet bitters, elderflower and dry vermouth with a spritz of lemon oil. This was an aromatic and pleasing cocktail which ended up leaving me wanting more. My partner chose the Cucumber Gin Martini, which was a blend of elderflower and gin, shaken with muddled cucumber and fresh mint leaves; an extremely refreshing cocktail which hit all the right notes.
“We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Merkaba and our only regret is that we didn’t visit sooner”
Up next, I chose the classic Espresso Martini, which saw cacao bean infused vodka and Italian coffee liqueur shaken with fresh espresso syrup. My partner chose the Kentucky Bramble which saw bourbon, elderflower syrup, fresh lemon and blackberry liqueur over crushed ice. The cocktails at Merkaba are wonderfully crafted and absolutely beautifully presented, each one being an experience in its own right.
Finally, I chose to sample a Pornstar Martini, which was a blend of vanilla vodka, pureed passion fruit and cloudy apple juice, served with a shot of prosecco as a chaser. This fruity blend was quite sweet on the palate, with the prosecco offering a drier finish that balanced it perfectly. My partner chose the Aztec Old Fashioned which saw Patron Silver tequila combined with dark chocolate and ajilo chile served with agave over ice with a homemade chile chocolate bark.
We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Merkaba and our only regret is that we didn’t visit sooner, as we had a wonderful experience and enjoyed some excellent cocktail creations. This is a great bar at which to start your evening in Brighton. The service was prompt and the bar staff certainly know what they’re doing. It comes highly recommended by us.