Inconspicuously tucked away at the end of Caroline Street in Cardiff’s city centre is one of its night-life gems. For the last 6 years, Lab 22 has been pushing boundaries and changing the way people think about cocktails. The team seem to have one goal in mind for their guests: that everybody who enters the venue leaves with something, be it a new favourite drink or some great memories.
The menu is highly innovative, offering cool, quirky, good-looking cocktails to satisfy the needs of all drinkers. Want something instagrammable? Try the Botany, a steaming floral gin and prosecco concoction. Fancy something a little stronger? Get your hands on the Alchemist’s Garden, a boozy twist on the classic Chrysanthemum, elegantly delivered in a chamber of smoke. Or maybe you have a sweet tooth? Cloning Unicorns is gold, glittery, and garnished with candyfloss. If you’re more of a classic cocktail drinker, the team are more than happy to oblige. They can make whatever you like any day of the week, but Mondays are something special. ‘Moonshine Mondays’ offers a classic-only 1920s themed menu, accompanied by a live jazz band.
Lab 22 also presents many tantalising package options. Guests can enjoy the popular ‘course taster experience’, in which one of the bartenders will prepare either 3 or 5 original cocktails with a small food pairing. Also on the agenda are cocktail masterclasses, in which guests learn the basics of cocktail making (and are then put to the test behind the bar!), and guided tastings of whiskey, gin or rum.
If all this wasn’t enough, Lab 22 are also pioneering sustainability wherever they can. All the straws are biodegradable, single-use napkins have been replaced with re-usable wooden coasters, and discarded citrus from juicing and garnishes are repurposed into cordials, scented garnish sprays, and even home-made liqueurs. The attraction in this bar is not just its warm hospitality and delicious, photo-friendly libations, but in doing so in an economically friendly way as well. Whether you’re a Cardiff local or just visiting, Lab 22 is a must.
