Staying in Soho, we got to try a bunch of new cocktail bars that we hadn’t visited before in London. One of these was Rhum Tavern, located just off Oxford and Regent Streets. Rum/Rhum/Ron is a focus with many rare and interesting bottles on display throughout the venue (do not steal!) and the decor decidedly nautical with pirate touches.
The cocktail menu is varied and does include non-rum cocktails including a few classics such as a Paloma and Espresso Martini. Seeing that this is a rum bar, I asked the server if they could make the world’s best rum cocktail, but they told me that they don’t have orgeat and the owner specifically doesn’t want to do tiki drinks.
So, I ended up doing the rum old fashioned with Worthy Park Estate rum from Jamaica, super tasty. I also killed the last little bit of a bottle of Port Mourant 10 year from Guyana, and had we not been drinking already that day I likely would have explored more of the variety of rums that Rhum Tavern offers. Mrs Mai Tai’s drink came in a little glass held by an octopus. There are limited food options here, but we had a pretty good charcuterie and cheese tray.
I understand the desire for some venues to not be associated with “tiki”, though a pirate bar doesn’t seem like a substantially more sophisticated genre if you’re asking me. Nonetheless, we did enjoy our visit and the ambiance of Rhum Tavern and would return again for the good cocktails and great rum selection of over 300 rums.
