Hummingbird
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
You won’t find a more elegant bar in Liverpool than Hummingbird. This art deco-inspired cocktail bar is just around the corner from the impressive and somewhat dramatic Municipal Hotel in the heart of the city, and once you’ve been, you won’t need to go anywhere else.
It’s a laid-back, dimly-lit space, with one of the best late-night soundtracks of any bar in the North, all tasteful re-edits and mood-perfect tracks you won’t have heard before. If you’re a music-lover, crank up the Shazam.
The staff are straight out of a 1930s dive bar, in all the right ways. There’s not a cocktail they don’t know or an ear they won’t lend – if you’re looking for what’s really going on in Liverpool nightlife, these are the people to ask.
The cocktails come in at around the £10 mark, which is a steal considering the quality and range of ideas in each glass. The leather-bound menu is pleasingly compact, with just a handful of pages showcasing well-crafted drinks with titles like Coco Chanel (an elegant blend of vodka and grapefruit liqueur, mixed with a whole bunch of bright sharp fruit flavours) and Paloma El Fuego (tequila, mezcal, pink peppercorn, salt, lime – just think: Mexican).
As well as all the classics, including a bunch you don’t even know, the Hummingbird team ramp up standards such as the Pina Colada with unexpected but game-changing tweaks such as caramel and pink salt. Oh, and because it’s Liverpool, the listing has a little note saying “Please don’t sing”, while the tequila Margarita has “Not the pizza”. Very dry.
Hummingbird is a timeless space that takes the best bits of cocktail bar history, going back to the 1800s, and brings it bang up to date. The city’s best drinks in a beautiful space, with great staff and an even better soundtrack? To paraphrase one of Liverpool’s most famous sons: yes, this bird can sing.
