Bompas & Parr’s Alcoholic Architecture review

Celebrating both drinks and ancient London history together, Bompas & Parr’s Alcoholic Architecture features a walk-in cloud of breathable cocktails. But are you going to get drunk from it? Read on to find out.

Celebrating both drinks and ancient London history together, Bompas & Parr’s Alcoholic Architecture features a walk-in cloud of breathable cocktails. But are you going to get drunk from it? Read on to find out. AAcloudLOGO (credit Art Experiment Garage CCC 2013 Photo by Dennis Sinyakov)

Launched at the end of July and lasting six months, Alcoholic Architecture is the world’s first alcoholic weather system for your tongue where meteorology and mixology collide. Sitting on the site of an ancient monastery and next to the gothic Southwark Cathedral, Alcoholic Architecture was inspired by Borough Market’s history. The bar sources many ingredients for its drinks list from the market itself.

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Brace yourself: it’s pretty sticky in there. That’s why you’ll be asked to wear a protective suit to enter The Cloud, which is made of fine spirits and mixers at a ratio of 1:3 using powerful humidifiers to super-saturate the air. In the space, alcohol is supposed to enter your bloodstream through your lungs and eyeballs. With humidity at 140 per cent, there is so much alcohol in the air you can see less than a metre ahead of you!bompasandparr_0001_0313

For health and safety reasons you can only stay in the Cloud for 50 minutes, and once inside you can choose one of the many drinks from the menu, inspired by the monks’ health remedies. bompasandparr_0001_0058

But now the big question: are you actually going to get drunk from it? Well, let’s put it this way: I have very low blood pressure and my nickname at work is ‘Caro two-sips’. I’m very sensitive to the heat and I’m the world’s worst lightweight. It’s sticky and steamy down there, and the room is so small it feels pretty claustrophobic. So yes, I did feel my head spin right round just like when I have too much to drink. If it was the alcohol or that I’m a failure at being cool however – that I can’t tell. AAcloudLOGO(credit Ann Charlott Ommedal)

AAposter by Gustavo Torres

Tickets are available on www.bompasandparr.com. Hour time slots are priced at £10.00 off peak (All Mondays, all Tuesdays and Wednesdays; Thursdays and Fridays before 5pm) and £12.50 peak (Thursday post 5pm, Friday post 4pm and Saturday ending at 10pm). 

Pictures: Bompas & Parr

For the Italian version of this article, please check Italian Kingdom.

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