Seeing as the Christmas market has been in Broadmead for a month now, you should all be feeling fairly festive!
There are plenty of other events to celebrate in style this month, plus lots of new places to visit…
News
Happy 10th birthday to The Milk Thistle, who have launched a new cocktail menu, taking drinkers on a journey through a fictional nineteenth century Bristol, and all of its weird and wonderful characters. Sister venue Hyde & Co. has also just released a new menu for winter, so why not do the double?
Psychopomp & Circumstance distilleries have launched The Circ Club, a brand-new membership (£25 per year) that will allow members a guaranteed opportunity to purchase all pre-releases, including Circumstance’s highly anticipated inaugural whisky release in 2022. Other benefits include, exclusive special offers, members discounts for tours and tastings and access to club member sales throughout the year.
Exciting news to start 2022 – Belly Laughs is back in January! Tickets are now on sale for a range of comedy gigs in bars, restaurants, cafes and pop-ups venues across the city, with more to be announced soon. Have a browse now.
‘Tis the season to spread the joy and that, so here are a few good local causes I’d suggest supporting where you can over the coming months, whether it be with a one-off donation/purchase, volunteering your time. The StreetSmart campaign is still running in December too so you can also support by dining out!
- Bristol Local Food Fund – help fight food insecurity in Bristol by donating to their crowdfunder
- Bristol Food Union – buy one donate one with their food hampers and boxes
- Fareshare Southwest – donate to the FoodStock 2021 challenge
- Caring in Bristol – supporting people experiencing or at the risk of homelessness. Look for the Tap for Bristol points across the city or donate online
- Trussell Trust – supporting food banks across the city, donate online
- 91 Ways – attend their supperclubs or donate online to support community food projects
I’ve not seen that many places mention that they’re opening on Christmas Day for lunch other than Klosterhaus and Hotel du Vin but will add any others in that I spot!
A few places are hosting some festive markets on the first weekend of this month, perfect for some last minute gift shopping (or treats for yourself). Venues hosting markets include Wiper & True tap room in St Werburghs (3rd – 5th), Bristol Distilling Co. in Bedminster (Sat 4th) and The Rising Sun, Pensford (Sat 4th).
View more Christmas markets in Bristol or get more gift ideas in my Bristol Foodie Gift Guide.
Left Handed Giant have launched a special 12 Beers of Christmas in collaboration with several other breweries including Verdant, Track, Wylam and Cloudwater with more info coming very soon…
NYE
Still not sure what to do for New Year’s Eve? Here are a few suggestions…
- Midnight in Bristol at LHG Brewpub, £15
- NYE at Four Wise Monkeys, £40
- Scrumpy Pumpy NYE at The Cider Box, £5
- Studio 54 at Bambalan, from £15
- The Great Gatsby Mansion Soiree at Ashton Court, from £35
- Roaring 20’s party at The Square Club, from £88
- A Night on the Orient Express at The Milk Thistle, £35
- New Year’s Eve at Rack’s, from £98
Booze and feasts
Some dates for your diary…
- Sat 4th – Winter beer fest at Victoria BS8
- Tue 7th – She Drinks Beer at The Good Measure
- Wed 8th – Odd Circumstance, cocktails at The Bristol Loaf, £40
- Thu 9th – Wiper & True winter tap takeover at The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer
- Fri 10th – Wild Winter Feast at Mivart Studios, £44.50
Classes, tours & tastings
Learn something new this month…
- Rum tasting at To The Moon – Sat 4th, £25
- Cocktail masterclass at The Alma Tavern – Mon 6th, £10
- Make Christmas treats for edible gifts at Cooking It – Tue 7th, £65
- December wine tastings at Cave Bristol – Tue 7th + Tue 14th, £35
- Festive gift making at Coexist Community Kitchen – Tue 7th, £35
- Avery’s December virtual wine tasting – Wed 8th, £60 (inc. 4 bottles of wine)
- Poetry and Wine Night at KASK – Wed 8th, £30
- Cider & Cheese at the Cider Box: Winter Edition – Fri 10th, £19.99
- Left Handed Giant brewery tour & tasting – Sat 11th, £15
- Ultimate Dumpling Masterclass – Sun 12th, £80
- The Whisky Fight Club 2021 at The Clockwork Rose – Mon 13th, £20
- Sri Lankan cookery class – Wed 15th, £35
- History of Rum Tasting at Nadu – various dates, £25
New places
Some newly-opened places for you to visit this month include a range of snazzy cocktail bars in the city centre, from spooky speakeasy The Raven opening on Clare Street in the Old City (in what used to be Noche Negra), to Scarlet Lantern (formerly Red Light) and Stock Exchange Cocktail Club, plus a new branch of UK chain Dirty Martini on Corn Street.
Basement Beer have also opened a small bar on Stokes Croft, The Saigon Kitchen is serving Vietnamese dishes in Clifton, Jack the Falafel is a new vegan cafe on Glouceter Road, and Yafo is bringing a range of Mediterranean and Tel Avivian delights to North St.
We could also see a new bar opening soon in the former Timbuk2…
And a last minute addition – Namak Indian is coming soon to St Werburghs from the same founding director behind Rock Salt, in what was The Cauldron. The restaurant is expected to open in February.
That’s it for this month, remember to tell me what you eat or book tickets to over on Twitter, or you can see what I’m eating on Instagram. You can also follow A Life Less Organised on Facebook for more food news throughout the month.
Cheers!
If you liked this, you might also like…
A Life Less Organised 