Cold Town House

Edinburgh’s Robertson Memorial Mission Church has come a long way since its days of temperance.

Founded in 1884 and in the shadows of the historic castle, it was once a hub of religious activity. But in 2019, the building next to the Granny Green steps in the Grassmarket was transformed into four tier Cold Town House bar following a £4m investment.

And this summer it’s the place to be seen after Scotland’s world champion curling team joined forces with the country’s only Scotch malt whisky cream liqueur Magnum, to unveil two terraces with views, cocktails and food to die for.

With room for 60 punters in the rooftop terrace and 48 in the main Grassmarket, the bar has a quirky look with colourful sun loungers, parasols and festoon lighting and renovated ski gondolas and chairs to make the experience that extra bit special.

And it works, especially when you enjoy one of the fabulous Magnum based cocktails which have been adapted for the summer.

The beauties are the Banana Colada made from Magnum, Malibu, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, coconut milk and coconut syrup, Choc N’ Chip featuring Magnum, Mozart dark chocolate, Crème de Menthe, milk and vanilla syrup and Strawberries ‘N’ Cream, which is a delightful Magnum, Bacardi Spiced, Crème de Fraise, cream and vanilla syrup. All are priced at £10 and complemented by a shooter board including a fruity Peaches N’ Cream, Banana Split, Strawberry Shortcake and Chocolate Mudslide, as well as a Magnum Baby Guinness. You can choose 10 shots for £32 or £3.50 a shot.

The secret to Magnum is its kept in a unique, stainless steel flask, which is designed to be reusable and recyclable. It also keeps the liqueur chilled at the optimum temperature, which means it can also be enjoyed as a straight serve outdoors without the need for ice.

The innovative drinks brand is now the only cream liqueur exclusively crafted and bottled in Scotland using single malt Scotch whisky from Speyside.

Promoted by the curlers of Team Mouat led by Bruce Mouat and made up of Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan Jnr, like the sports stars, the liqueur is world class.

And punters can also enjoy some great pub food to go with the delightful drinks. Grazing specialities of frickles (crispy fried pickles served with blue cheese dip, £7.50) are joined by haggis loaded fries (£9.50), hot chicken wings (£9) and Cajun corn ribs (£7.50).

Main dishes include fish and chips served in Cold Town battered haddock, skin on fries, mushy peas, lemon wedges and tartare sauce (£16.95), grass fed meatball subs with tomato sugo and cheddar cheese (£14), steak and peppercorn hanging grills with skin on fries and house salad and a selection of wood fired pizzas ranging from £11.50 to £15.

Desserts range from churros with cinnamon sugar and salted caramel sauce (£7) to a bonfire sharing kebab of triple chocolate brownie, honeycomb, marshmallow, strawberries, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce (£14).

With attentive staff, the bar has a really nice feel to it and the warmth of the service, and the weather (hopefully!) would have impressed even the strictest follower of temperance!

The Details

Cold Town House, 4 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU, Scotland.

Tel: +44 (0)131 357 2865

Website: www.coldtownhouse.co.uk

Email: blether@coldtownhouse.co.uk

Situated in the heart of the Grassmarket, it’s in the vibe of Edinburgh’s social scene with the castle in the shadows. Open Monday to Friday from 11:00am to 1:00am. Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 1:00am.

Type of Pub: Modern Scottish Pub

Price Band: Medium

Insider Tip: The Choc N’ Chip cocktail is simply divine.

Reviewer’s rating: 8/10

Author Bio:

Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.

Photographs courtesy of Magnum Scotch Whisky Cream Liqueur