Alcademics

Hi! I'm in Glasgow for a trip with Bowmore and Auchentoshan. I arrived a night early to see what this town was all about. 

My first stop was Lebowski's. You would expect a bar named for the movie The Big Lebowski to be tacky and over the top, but this just wasn't the case here beyond the cocktail menu. The small bar offers up a fair amount of seating, all of which was taken on the night I came in, and a little bit of room to stand at the bar. I didn't see any posters of The Dude or bowling themed-anything. It could have been there, but if so it was subtle compared to the room.

The aforementioned cocktail menu includes a tribute to the movie. Lebowski's offers up a menu of 19 versions of the White Russian, The Dude's favorite drink. Most of them are slight spin-offs of the original with different vodkas or chocolate/coffee liqueurs, but some stood out. I had The Smokey, made with Ardbeg 10 year old (smoky) scotch whisky, espresso liqueur, and cream, garnished with nutmeg. It was not bad- and actually reminded me of the cocktail that won a Laphroaig cocktail contest in San Francisco, also with smoky scotch and chocolate.

(Smokey White Russian at Lebowski's in Glasgow)

There are many other cocktails on the menus with some classics like the Sazerac and Mint Julep, a cigar-infused Manhattan, and some tackily-named drinks including the Royal Pu**y, Smashed Virgin, and Pu**y Juice. Other than that, the place was surprisingly not tacky. There were a few more interesting drinks and a good neighborhood bar vibe that would inspire me to come back here if given the chance.