Dr. Legba’s Emporium of Cocktails & Curiosities

Hidden beneath The Royal Hotel, Dr. Legba’s Emporium of Cocktails & Curiosities is a decadent speakeasy bar with a fabulous cocktail menu. Reached via a private narrow stairway from the High Street to basement level, this stylish, intimate bar offers a range of absinthes as well as absinthe infused cocktails and other cocktails.

Dr Legba’s conjures up the atmosphere of an elegant, yet secretive, bar where consumption of the illicit “Green Fairy” can continue unfettered and beyond the watchful eye of the authorities. Surrounded by highly polished green venetian plaster work on the walls and gold on the ceiling, the sparkling natural oak bar top is adorned by a traditional absinthe fountain imported from Switzerland, historic home of this highly desirable beverage.

On view, behind the bartender, is a complex system of copper pipes bringing cold fresh water to drip gently into the glasses of absinthe, diluting the spirit and creating the drink’s typical cloudy appearance.