New Year's Eve 2011

The Victoria and Island are teaming up once again for a New Year's Eve extravaganza!
For the price of one ticket you'll get access to both venues. That means four floors of delicious music with some of our favourite DJs playing rock 'n' roll to 80s and 90s classic and beyond!

At The Victoria
TROPICAL HOTDOG: The good folk of SUNSET CINEMA CLUB will be doing a live set as well as resurrecting their most awesome club night for an extra special NYE. Expect some of the best 80s and 90s music that you've come to know and love from nights at the Vic like THATCHED and WHOOMP. Pure awesome.

TAKIN CARE OF BUSINESS: They've been with us from the beginning and are well loved by the Birmingham masses so we are most pleased they've agreed to join us for NYE. T-Bird and Carlton will be playing their usual blend of soul, rock 'n roll, hip hop, disco and funk - with a dash of party tunes to season!

At Island Bar

DJ HENRY EVANS: Responsible for some of the most awesome parties at Island recently, expect party tunes from every slice of the musical pizza; 60s, soul, funk, hip hop, indie, 90s dance and current hits. An eclectic mix of the highest order.

EDUCATION IN SOUND: Tiki Friday favourites Education in Sound will be bringing psychedelia, northern soul, blues and garage rock to the Tiki Bar.

*TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW at the early bird price of £8 if you buy them in the venue. Tickets bought after Christmas or online via TicketSellers cost £10*.

Happy holidays!

Boxing Day at the Vic

If the aftermath of Christmas gets too much join us at The Victoria for a fabulous Boxing Day where there's no sight of dry turkey and annoying relatives…just gorgeous drinks and great tunes.

After several successful nights throughout the year, FUNK FUSION are back upstairs for one last outing before the calendars change. Enjoy a night of disco, soul, funk, hip-hop breaks and block party breaks.

Downstairs sees the start of a new night I Heart 80s & 90s from the guys that bring you ever popular Sweat. A night of 80s and 90s indie, alternative and electronic music for all those that thought they hated the 80s. Expect to hear: Soft Cell, New Order, Depeche Mode, Japan, Saint Etienne, Beck, Joy Division, Human League, Adam Ant, Visage, Altered Images, Space, Yazoo, Erasure, Blondie, The Smiths, The Fall, PSB, The Cure, Roxy Music, Damned, The Cult, Talking Heads, Nik Kershaw, Echo & the Bunnymen, Siouxsie & The Banshees....and whatever else takes yours and our fancy.

Christmas might be over by the 26th Dec, but we'll still be in the giving mood so it's free entry to both from 9pm!

Winter Pimms

Season’s Greetings, yes it is here again already.

This month we at The Victoria thought we would bring you something slightly different to the usual hot drink offering of mulled wine, Irish coffees or hot chocolate - Winter Pimms.

Some of you may know Pimms for its summer cocktail with mint, citrus and strawberries using Pimms No1 which is the gin based Pimms developed in the 1840s. After the first Pimms came scotch that lent its name to No. 2 cup, while No. 3 used brandy, No. 4 rum, No. 5 rye whiskey and No. 6 vodka. Of these sequels, the vodka cup and brandy (now called Winter) are the only ones still in production.

Winter Pimms
Serves 8-10 guests

1 bottle of Winter Pimms
1 litre apple juice
1 bottle (550ml) cider of your choice
4 shots of brandy – optional for those colder nights
4 shots of orange liqueur
8 cloves
Peel of 1 grapefruit
2 sticks of cinnamon
Brown sugar to your taste

Warm slowly and gently, tasting as you go to make sure the sugar has dissolved and that you have the right balance. You can always play with the recipe to suit your own tastes as whisky, rum and other spirits make great additions also.

Remember to strain out the cloves when serving.

Serve in a mug or glass with a handle as it should be served at tea temperature and garnish with a slice of grapefruit and apple.

Enjoy, responsibly of course.

Cocktail of the Week - Week six!

Cocktail of the Week - Week five!

Cocktail of the Week - Week four!

Name: Lisa

Age: 23
Service time: 6 Months
Profile: I’ve been working in the industry for five years, but it wasn’t until I started at the wonderful Victoria that I began to develop my skills in cocktail making. With my new found knowledge I have produced my first EVER cocktail for you all to try. ENJOY! X

Bombay Sapphire: Is a very special gin because of its botanical ingredients, which are collected from the four corners of the globe and infuse a notable flavour in the gin. Has a smooth and layered quality which surpasses other gins.

Specs: 35ml Bombay, 15ml Vanilla schnapps, 15ml Cherry Marnier, 1 muddled cherry

Style Birmingham cocktail - The Serotina!

Cocktail of the Week - Week three!

Cocktail of the Week - Week two!

Cocktail of the Week - Week one!

Cocktail of the Week

We like to think our bartenders know a thing or two about cocktails. So we've challenged ten of them to develop a masterpiece and we'll add one new cocktail to the menu for one week only for the next ten weeks to see whose is the best.

Starting on 29th August and running through to the early days in November, we'll showcase the finest creations our bartenders have to offer with tequila, vodka, rum, whiskey and gin cocktails all getting a look in during the up and coming ten weeks. It'll be up to you, our esteemed customers, to vote for your favourite with your wallets - that is, the cocktail that sells the most in the week it's on offer will take first place and we'll award that bartender with something nice.

Each Monday we'll let you know what the cocktail for that week is, a little bit about who made it and what they've put in the drink. So check back every Monday to find out what's new...

Where are you going tonight?

Where are you going tonight? The answer I would guess depends on many factors, whether or not it is the weekend, what you like to drink, do you need to eat or are you celebrating. The list is endless but surely there is something in our city to suit your needs – or is there?

What will be the next big thing to re-invigorate our drinking culture? And how long will it be before we see the end of bland beige and brown replicas of everything that has gone before?

It is unclear where the future lies but first let us tackle the existing problem of lack of originality. Now, large chain venues have always done great work in providing a cheaper drinks and food offering for the mass market. However, these venues are suffering. This could be because their clientele base has less expendable income or, as I suspect, they are bored of the generic. On the opposite end of the scale we have many smaller independent venues that have opened over the last six months promising originality but in fact creating poorer copies of ideas seen in other cities. Thankfully some smaller venues have brought great ideas to the city and prospered, thanks to thorough research, consultancy, recruitment and training, for originality will not carry you alone.

One particular bee in my bonnet surrounds token menus, be it food or cocktails; for example surely you cannot put cos lettuce, croutons, parmesan and dressing together and call it a Caesar salad if it does not contain either lardons or anchovies or both – and as for the Cosmopolitan containing only vodka, cranberry and a squeeze of lime do not get me started. I digress.

We need venues for all different occasions and different incomes mixed with variety, but more importantly we need evolution such as the regeneration of the canals and the Bullring. Now if we can bring the dining and drinking culture up to par then we could truly be called the Second City.

Here is an original cocktail for you.

All in good Thyme Cocktail created by Ed Shawcross - The Victoria

40ml Chivas Regal Whisky

15ml White cacao

10ml Butterscotch schnapps

15ml lemon juice

1 Thyme sprig

3 dashes orange bitters

Shake and strain

Rocks Glass

Garnish with a Thyme sprig next to straw - enjoy, responsibly of course.

This article, by Julian Rose-Gibbs, GM at The Victoria, was originally published in the March edition of Brumnotes magazine.