The Victoria, Birmingham

Cocktail of the Week - week one!

2012-02-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

Up this week is the lovely Lucy with her Sweet Home A' La Bourbon cocktail, combining Maker's Mark bourbon with amaretto, vanilla syrup and orgeat. Yum!

...and then ShortList

2012-02-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

No sooner had we gotten over the excitement of being featured in everyone's favourite freebie weekly women's magazine, we were then featured in it's sibling publication ShortList!

Showing off our lovely back bar, the Pints and Pistachio column mentioned the lovely Soul Food Project's grub and our lovely cocktails - including the Bombphire created by our general manager, Julian.

Cocktail of the Week is making a come-back!

2012-02-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

After the success of last year's Cocktail of the Week competition we thought it was about time we challenged each of our bartenders once again to come up with something deliciously unique. Once again we're relying on you, our lovely patrons, to tell us whose cocktail you prefer with the bartender whose cocktail sells the most in the week it's up for sale being crowned victorious. Each week we'll post a new cocktail and by the end of the competition announce the winner.

Last year's winner was the Cherry Bomb by Lisa Gimson, which now features on a very popular Sunday two-for-one cocktail menu. But the question for 2012 is who will win this year's...

Spotted us in Stylist?

2012-01-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

We were very please...and a little surprised, to find ourselves in Stylist Magazine's Cocktails and Cupcakes column this week. Thanks to everyone who spotted it and tweeted in to let us know!

New Year's Eve 2011

2011-12-20T04:12:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-20T04:09:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-01T04:53:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-10-09T02:23:00.000-07:00

Cocktail of the Week - Week five!

2011-10-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

Cocktail of the Week - Week four!

2011-09-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-09-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Cocktail of the Week - Week three!

2011-09-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

Cocktail of the Week - Week two!

2011-09-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

Cocktail of the Week - Week one!

2011-08-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Cocktail of the Week

2011-08-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-03-02T04:24:00.000-08:00

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.

NEW YEARS EVE

2010-11-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

The Victoria and Island Bar presents: NEW YEARS EVE!

★Two Venues
★Four Floors
★One Ticket

From Rock 'n' Roll to 80's classics and beyond!

★Island Bar:★
CLUB PRIMATIVE
Primitive music for Primative people. Playing 60s Garage, Rockabilly and Rock 'n' Roll. From the Sonics to the Trashmen, to Elvis and Eddie Cochran

THIS IS NORMAL
Our Friday night resident bringing you the finest in Indie, Electronica, Pop, Garage Rock and genre hopping party tunes from 70s to 00s

★The Victoria:★
THATCHED
80s/90s DJ Greg Bird (This Is Tomorrow/Tropical Hotdog) presents his ever popular clubnight playing tunes from 1979-1990. From Soft Cell to David Bowie, Talking Heads to Spandau Ballet!

HARD CHEESE
Saturday night residents at The Victoria take you on a journey of 50s Rock 'n' Roll, 60s Soul + Motown, 70s Funk + Cheesy Rock, 80s Pop + Hip Hop true Victoria genre mayhem mash-up!

Tickets are £8 until Christmas Eve and £10 after. 8pm - 3am Access to both venues, all four floors with just one ticket!
Tickets: https://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/buy_tickets/events/?id=10013771

Burger Safari

2010-11-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Victoria's Burger Safari.
From the 15th-20th November we will be serving exotic meats from around the world:

●Ostrich burger with tomato chutney●
Ostrich is a large flightless bird that is native to Africa. Ostrich meat tastes similar to lean beef and is low in fat and cholesterol, as well as high in calcium, protein and iron.

●Wild boar and apple burger with smoked cheddar and bacon●
The wild boar is the ancestor to the domestic pig. It is native to large parts of Euorpe, Asia and some parts of North Africa. The lean meat of wild boar can range in flavour from mild and delicate to gamey, depending on variety, season, diet, and age.

●Venison burger with red onion marmalade●
Venison is the culinary name for meat from Deer. It has a flavor reminiscent of beef but is richer and can have a gamey note.

●Bison burger with wholegrain mustard mayo and Monterey Jack cheese●
Bison meat is another name for buffalo meat. The animal is native to North America. Bison tastes like beef, but a little sweeter. There is less of a heavy feeling, with no game or wild taste.

●Kangaroo with grilled pineapple and a fried egg●
The kangaroo is a marsupial native to Australia. Its growing appeal stems from its well-flavoured, slightly gamey taste. Kangaroo meat contains very little saturated fat relative to other meats and is high in protein, zinc and iron.

All served with side of salad and chips.
£7.50 per meal

Birmingham Comedy Festival!

2010-09-20T03:09:00.000-07:00

Birmingham Comedy Festival runs from the 1st until the 10th of October.

Here at The Victoria we have several event planned to bring a smile and split some sides!

SUNDAY 3rd

HILARIOUS COMEDY

presents - THE BRUM PACK, KAREN BAYLEY + FRIENDS, 7:30pm, £3

MONDAY 4th

MEN WITH BANANAS - A double act with sell out Edinburgh Fringe shows and five star reviews under their belts, and after a year long hiatus they return to Birmingham for one night only with their peculiar brand of feel good hilarity and mayhem.

"Really good. Go see 'em" - Noel Fielding, 8pm, £5 (£4 conc.)

TUESDAY 5th

SOUND AND VISION PUB QUIZ - Comedy film and music quiz,

8pm, £1

The Winner Takes It All!

THURSDAY 7th

POPCORN COMEDY - Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Tim Key and BAFTA winner Will Andrews! + Hilarious videos Birmingham Comedy Festival Show, 7:30pm, £8

Also over at The Jekyll & Hyde there will be:

WEDNESDAY 6th

Retro Comedy Film Night:
Arsenic and Old Lace - A rare chance to see the classic 1944 comedy Arsenic and Old Lace, directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant. A honeymooning couple are forced to ditch their plans when the groom discovers that his spinster aunts are killing people in their nice little home, and burying the corpses in the cellar!

- FREE ENTRY | 7:45pm

THURSDAY 7th
Half A Dog Comedy Presents:
Rock 'n Relativity Holiday Conspiracy - An insight into the mind of a man whose life has become ruled by internet conspiracies, join him as he guides you through the world of the internet and the evidence that has proven to him that these conspiracies are true. - £5 | 7:30pm

Lunchtime Offers!

2010-06-30T08:59:00.001-07:00

We've just launched our new lunchtime menu with a choice of gourmet sandwiches, wraps and light bites. Served everyday from noon until 2:30pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. Choose any of these plus either a glass of house wine/ bottle of beer/ soft drink for just £4.

Also to celebrate we're offering 2for1 on all our gourmet sandwiches! Just bring the voucher below in with you for a yummy lunch!

Check out our new lunch menu here:

http://www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk

Happy eating!

The Vic x

If you can't download or print from this link then join our mailing list to receive further offers. This can be done on the front page of our website: http://www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk

Cider Festival - Which Cider Are You On?

2010-06-23T05:54:00.001-07:00

The Victoria is hosting a two week Cider Festival this Summer from the 12th-25th July.

We have a great range of modern and traditional Ciders and Perrys available throughout the fortnight including: Dunkertons, Thatchers, Addlestones, Brothers, Hogans, Kopparberg, Westons, Aspalls and also barrelled cider from Moles Black Rat & Gwynt y Ddraig

In honour of this the manager, Julian Rose-Gibbs has composed a piece on the changes in cider popularity over the last few decades:

Which Cider you on?

I remember a long time ago I saw cider as a vessel with which to propel my self (and most of my friends) towards inebriation. We would search out the Woodpecker or Strongbow (because those were the only ciders available all that time ago) buy it in 2 litre bottles and mix them with 2 litre bottles of lager making snakebite. Hideous I know but it did the trick.

I am glad to say that 20 years on cider has come a long way and now is the time to celebrate that fact.

Not only has the production of cider increased but countries importing it and the styles of cider have exploded recently. There are still traditional ciders and scrumpy in production but now our market has been infiltrated by the fruit cider and everybody is at it.

Our own producers tend to divide themselves into East verses West of the mid to South parts of the UK such as Aspall, Thatchers, Westons, Gaymers, Bulmers and Brothers the list is endless, not to mention the Swiss invasion of Koppaberg taking over our beer fridges with Rekorderlig hot on it’s heels. The latest one I noticed from further a field is Savanna from South Africa a dry cider to combat all the sweeter fruit varieties around.

Now it is not surprising that with so many people over the bar asking for “cider and black” that the producers eventually cottoned on and decided to add their own berry flavours-these range from your usual pear and apple to ciders with all manner of berries added and lime infusions, blush ciders and I noticed the word ‘premium’ and ‘reserve’ creeping on to cider bottles just like the spirit market did years ago. So far I am just glad no one has produced a blue cider, when that happens we’ve gone too far.

On that note the marketing of cider has become more sophisticated from tradition and heritage of the Magners campaign to the all out music offensive of Gaymers-they even brought the Twang to the Victoria a while back.

One thing is certain, with all the new flavours, styles, packaging and marketing – cider is going places fast and I intend to keep up, responsibly of course.

Julian Rose-Gibbs

The Victoria

The Victoria and The Jekyll & Hyde will be hosting their Summer Cider Festivals 12^th-25^th July.

Glastonbury From Your Sunday Lunch

2010-06-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just missed out on a ticket to Glastonbury? Fear not! We'll be showing it all day on our big screen downstairs. Far better than trudging through mud clutching a warm flat beer, right... right!?

✿ 2for1 cocktails all day
✿ Sunday Roasts (vegetarian too!) from 1pm-8pm
✿ Refreshing cool beers on tap served in a glass!

But if that's all too creature comforts you're welcome to turn up in your wellies!

Free Entry

The Vic x

Lamb's Spiced Rum Competition

2010-06-09T03:14:00.001-07:00

On Thursday the 10th June The Victoria will be hosting the Lamb's Spiced Rum bartender competition.

Starting at 3pm bartenders will be introduced to the rums and then create their own spiced concoctions! There will be first, second and third prizes awarded from the competition, made up of cash prizes - £250; £100 and £50.

The evening event is open to everyone! A free party starting at 7pm. Lamb will be bringing five cases of Lamb’s Spiced Rum and there will be complimentary drinks from 7-8pm!

The presentation of the prizes to the winners will take place at 9pm in the evening. With a professional photographer at both the competition and evening party.

Facebook Event

World Cup @ The Victoria

2010-05-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

We'll be showing all England Matches upstairs projected onto our 8ft screen and through our booming PA!

How Do I Get In?

75 tickets will be available for each England game 2 weeks before the game, 25 people will also be able to get in for free for each match without a ticket. People with tickets should get to the game 45 mins before kick-off so they can get a seat, grab some food and make use of the beer promotions. If people with tickets have not arrived with 30 mins to go then people without tickets will be allowed in in their place.

The tickets are available from the bar, only one ticket per person.

A free entry DJ night will then be laid on after the footy.

There will be food available before and after the match. The bar will be open throughout but so you don't have to leave your seat we'll also be offering bottled beer in an ice bucket deals!

Enjoy!

This Is Tomorrow

2010-05-04T02:57:00.001-07:00

This is Tomorrow have been running events at The Victoria ever since we opened. With an amazing array of gigs from artists such as:

FOALS, ESSER, HOT CLUB DE PARIS, NEW CASSETTES, CUT OFF YR HANDS, THE RIPPS, LOOK SEE PROOF, WAVE MACHINES, TUBELORD, CALORIES, DINOSAUR PILE UP, FLASHGUNS, JONQUIL, THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS, THE DRAYTONES, JOHNNY FOREIGNER, TIRED IRIE, MIDDLEMAN, THE RASCALS, ASSEMBLY NOW, 4 OR 5 MAGICIANS, SECONDSMILE, JAMES YUILL, SCARLET HARLOTS, THE LINES, ENVY AND OTHER SINS, UNTITLED MUSIC PROJECT, GRAVITY CRISIS, BOURGEOIS FOUR, SHADY BARD, GREAT ESKIMO HOAX, MAYDAY / TANTRUMS, WILLIAM, WINTERMUTE, MINNAAARS, THE SOLOMONS, RIVERS PRESLEY SET, BLACK MEKON, THE CHANGES, SUNSET CINEMA CLUB, 35 SECONDS, MY PSYCHOANALYST, SHAPES, JOSH WELLER & HONEYTRAP

And recently on Saturday 1st May TIMES NEW VIKING.

And I quote "Crowd Surfing, Moshing and all around craziness in The Vic this evening....Amazing night, thanks to everyone who come down!!!!!!!" (Matt Beck, This Is Tomorrow organiser). We'll post a review shortly of this, but needless to say it was one of the most exciting gigs to date at The Victoria with TAD ALLAGASH, YUCK and SAVANT supporting and only a few days away before Times New Viking play at A.T.P!

On the 5th Feb 2010 This Is Tomorrow put on the CALORIES + WILLIAM + YOUVES. Did you miss out? Worry not! For Blue Whale Studios were there recording the whole event. Check out the wonderful video showing off our new sound system:

You can see more videos of gigs at The Victoria here http://www.youtube.com/bluewhaletv

The argument for Real Ale

2010-05-04T02:25:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or are we getting sick of the same old thing in our nations pubs and bars. Everywhere we go we are offered the same fizzy, bland chemically treated beer. Is it any wonder some watering holes are disappearing due to our loss of interest, well, if you have not already discovered the world of real-ale, do not switch off. Allow me a column of your time.

If ale conjures up images of old portly men with beards wearing woolly pullovers then you need to take another look. Eager to shrug off the past cobwebs are microbreweries and brewpubs creating new and alternative ales using many different techniques, but it's not in this new wave alone that we find the reason for its recent success, no!

Consider this- real ale although part of our rich heritage continues to evolve without losing any dedication to quality. The production, storage and dispensing of real ale needs knowledge and care. Even in these dreary days of economic gloom real ale is the only growth beer market. Yes even with all the new ’colder than the last one’ lagers emerging, lager is in decline.

Another plus of real ale is the patriotic side to it. It is British and a lot of pubs today sell and eagerly promote local independent brewers sticking it to the large corporate every day. So you see there are many reasons to revisit real ale but I’ve saved the best till last..... it tastes good, remember flavour?

Yes you may still see old John, beard soaked in ale and belly sticking out from under last years woolly, because he is still around but now with almost 700 breweries and double the amount of women drinking ale (possibly due to it’s natural organic ingredients) there is always one for you. Still not convinced? Come down to our place and try one.

JULIAN (manager)

The Victoria has two real-ale festivals a year, the last one was April 8th-10^thwith 15 cask ales on tap.

Welcome to The Victoria Blog

2010-04-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome! We decided it was high time that we took to blogging. We've been tweeting and facebooking for a while now but we also get asked a lot of questions in the venue and from publications regarding drink knowledge and all the events we host.

So without further ado here is The Victoria's blog. You'll find cocktail recipes, drinks information, gig reviews/ information and no doubt a bit of what we fancy blogging about!

If you wish to reach us just email info@thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk or visit our website:

http://www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk

Where you can find our full gig listings

The Vic xxx