THE SWINGERS
CELEBRATE EDINBURGH
Want to live it up? Helen Pidd paints you a pitcher.
I Suitably scrubt‘ied up. start With some early evening rlrrnkettes — pmsecco cocktails and beilrnrs slurped up at the bar at Centotre t 103 George Street) perhaps. er Scotland's greatest Caiphirinas at Borough (/2 8f) Catrsewaystde). If you're after a wow with that booze. head up the escalators lll Harvey Nicks to the Forth Floor 1'30 7341 St Andrew Square) for a superlative Martin). or to Oloroso ((53 Castle Street) for a truly great 08$. Want somewhere a little rov‘rtlrer’? try a tequila in the gaudy basement of Garibaldi’s t97a Hanover Street). or a pitcher of the aptly titled Fab cocktail at Bar Kohl George IV Bridge).
You're lit a party mood, so duret restaurants are off limits. Try blue. above the Traverse (10 Cambridge Street). Browns t 131—133 George Street) or downstairs at Viva Mexico ("ll Cockburn Street) — worth ll for the party-sized tugs of Sangria alone. Fed and watered. yOu'll need a warm-up for the evening's main attraction. Try the brand new Street (2 Picardy Place). Planet Out on Greenside Place or the Wash up on the Mound.
YOur feet wrll be itching to hrt the dancelIOOr by now. so (,lrag your glammed—up. party-happy ass to the always fabulous Vegas at Ego tPrcardy Place. monthly Saturdays) or Taste at the Liquid Room every Sunday. Fancy a flutter instead? The Stanley Casino tbb York Place. 0131 624212)) is super central and open Sunday to Friday Qprn—bam, and Saturday 2pm—4am.
For the finale. only mere mortals head back to the flat. Classier types w0uId check into the Glass House Hotel (2 Greenside Place. 0131 525 8200‘). raid the minibar and pile onto the futuristic neon balcony to celebrate sunrise.
FIVE GREAT COCKTAIL BARS Borough ‘ t..:~-'.'..‘:.51ilt'. t l"‘l ..'.l' Hurricane \ '1' Parr..- :strwt, it"): Roganoi x :~- N: Grams.-
Saint Jude’s 54.9.“ :§'.~---: ._ ma. .-
Salty Dog i" " “Fix :x :.
30 THE LIST '74 \' *. j
Disco inferno
after DARK
80 dance music is dead? Pish, says Johnny Regan. it's the only way to truly celebrate Glasgow’s nightlife.
x the Hll-l‘L‘Ik‘illL‘tl phraxe goex. the people
ol‘ (ilaxgou \\ork hard and pla_\ hard.
and rexellerx that lill the harx e\er} \xeekentl ha\e a \oraeioux appetite l'or \er} late night/earl} morning eelehration.
.\lan_\ late night eluhherx kiek oll~ the e\ening \\lllt a trip to one ol‘ the t‘ityx pre-eluh eating holex to line the xtomaeh: It") The Arches Cafe Bar (253 .-\t'g}ll Street). Moskito (le0 Bath
Street) or Ad Lib t25 37 Queen Street). 'l‘\\o ol.
the xmartext pre—eluh \enuex in the eit_\ are Bar 10 t Ii) .\litehell lane) and itx eloxe neighhour Soba tll .\litehell Lane). Both ol' thexe regularl} inx'ite the eream ol‘ the xeene'x xpinning talent to warm up the eluhhing eroxxtl. |)rop tlomt to either ol’ thexe \enuex on a l-‘ritla_\ or Saturtla} hel‘ore eluhhing. antl )ttlll‘ night ix euetl up nieel}. Similarly Firebird tl33l .\rg_\ll Street) ix the ltl\ e ol~ pre-eluh aetix it) in the \Vext lintl. \xhile Bar Bloc t I I7 Bath Street) ix a big l'a\ourite. Bloe ix regularl) granted a late lieenee. allo\\ ing it to operate ax a eluh rather than a pub. and nightx like the legentlar} lileetrohi\ lta\e xeen it tranxlormetl l‘rom a ei\ ilixetl alter-nork tlrink xpot into a eratlle ol‘ utter prolligae}.
.'\lltl xo to the eluhx proper. 'l'he Soundhaus tll_\tlepark Street) tlominatex the late night eluhhing lantlxeape. 'l'he \enue hoxtx partiex that go on until the in the morning e\er} xingle \xeekentl. lt‘x a xpaee imhuetl \\it|) the organie. xuln erxi\ e xpiritx ol‘ punk and acid hottxe. antl
Soundhaus
one in \xhieh _\ou \xill tlixeoxer tlehauelier} tle\oteex iii an_\ xe\uality eolour. xi/e. xltape and drug prelet'enee. llll\ ix the true eluhhing untlergrountl. \xith niglttx like the xuhlime ('ltakra antl gig/eluh l’uxion Shoogakuhe.
()eeup}ing a xpaee xome\\liere nearer to the mainxtream ix the Arches tZSR .v\rg_\ll Street). \\hieh irregularl} hoxtx nightx that go on llltlll the magieal 5am. 'lltexe xexxionx ma_\ xeare oil the motleratex. hut eome the end ot the night. the plaee ix xtill packed to the. urn. .-\rehex. \\itl) people. lake xonie tithe to e\plore itx tlark t‘eeexxex at about ~latt) antl _\ou \\lll he reuartletl with the xigltt ol~ mitltlle agetl men \xilh their topx ol'l. \ihing ol'l' inuxie that olten xountlx like _\our lloo\ er heing turned on and on.
\o leature on late night eluhhing in the eit} \\(lllltl he eomplete \\ itltout mention ol that tiioxt xltatl_\. peripheral xpaee: the Unit tlzglinton Street). 'lltix ix the al'terreluh eltih. the \enue that eaterx tor the people \xho tlon‘t \\attl the night to end. and it ix quite a xpeetaele \kllL‘lt in lull x\\ing. l‘xuall} huxtetl h} the poliee at about xi\ or xe\en in the morning. thix impromptu ‘eluh \\th onee \ ixitetl h} amhient popxter \loh}. \\ll() \\ax xo inxpiretl h} the atmoxphere that lie haxetl mueh ol~ ltix tatltttittetlh erap) laxt alhtrrn on liix L‘\[)L‘l’leltec\ ltL‘l'e. 'liltt\ l\ it lttel. .-\ttotl)et‘ laet t\ that. it _\ou \iin all ol' the eluhx mentionetl here on a regular haxix. _\ou prohahl} aren't in lull titne etttplo} ment.