99 Bar & Kitchen says:

99 is an eclectic mix of comfy sofas, wooden carved furniture, candlelit tables, random art (a stag, some coy carp, Victorian style portraits and old fashioned adverts upstairs) and don’t forget the 7 stepped back-bar with wide range of spirits.With an upstairs area and tucked away corners, 99’s a great place to chill with friends or kick start a great night out by reserving an area free of charge for a night. With DJs Thursday, Friday & Saturday and great acoustic music on a Tuesday – there’s something for everyone.

Food is simple, hearty, American style – burgers, hot dogs etc. Great to line the stomach.

99’s cocktail menu changes seasonally meaning things are kept fresh. Home-made ingredients and infusions (hazelnut cognac & pumpkin bourbon this winter, rhubarb gin and homemade shrubs last summer) also keep you interested.

Friendly, homely and fun is what 99 goes for!

Social and Cocktail says:

Hidden away on the Back Wynd of Aberdeen is one of the city’s best kept secrets. Full to the brim with quality spirits, sterling service and forward-thinking drinking, 99 Bar is the place to go for a welcome libation at the end of the day. Walking in through the foyer, first impressions are good, with the décor pleasant (slightly gothic even), and the music well pitched and upbeat. The clientèle are a mixed bunch; drinks on the bar range from Moretti to Martini and almost everything in-between.

A quick peruse of the menu reveals a medium sized fayre, with 20 seasonal drinks advertised and a broad spectrum of fresh, homemade ingredients.Infusions, jams, sirop, and bitters are all made in house and feature widely across the menu.The club also uses a local, up-and-coming range of bitters from “The Devil’s Club”, with flavourings such as Beef Jerky, Irn Bru and Chilli.

Kicking off our night in the Ninety-Nine, we finally decided to settle on a “Fo’Shizzle My Swizzle”. The drink was assembled using Bombay Sapphire Gin, Yellow Chartreuse (somewhat of a house favourite), Grapefruit Juice, Lemon Juice, Sirop Gomme, Angostura Bitters and Grapefruit bitters. Balanced in taste, with the almost anise-like taste of the Chartreuse mixing well with the gin’s botanics, topped with a subtle sharpness from the citrus components. An excellent drink to try if you’ve never had Chartreuse before, as sometimes the highly complex flavourings can be off-putting to even the most discerning of drinkers.

The next drink on the bar was the “Kraken Manhattan”, featuring the club Falernum. Composed using both Bacardi and Kraken Rums, the house Falernum, and a cherry infused Dubonnet. The rich spices in the Kraken Rum perfectly blend with the Dubonnet & Falernum, with hints of cinnamon and ginger drifting across the tongue. The house Falernum is very well balanced with almonds, ginger and lime coming to the forefront of the concoction. An interesting drink, perhaps one for someone with an adventurous palate willing to explore the flavours in this somewhat brash, yet pleasant tipple.

We drew our visit to a close, settling on a “Last of the Summer Wine”. The drink, when read from the menu, was enigmatic. Mixing White Zinfandel Rose Wine, Finlandia Vodka, the House Sirop de Grenadine, and the House ‘British Summer Time’ Shrub was either going to be the stuff of legend, or the result of a student drinking game. Luckily for us, the former proved to be the correct hypothesis, as the drink culminated in an excitingly fruity taste, with the Shrub giving a souring edge to what could have been an overly sweet drink. The vodka gave the drink a slight kick, hammering home the fact that although we’d only had three drinks, they were well made, well structured, and starting to take their toll.

By the time we left the venue, we were hooked on Ninety-Nine. It’s obvious that the proprietors have put a lot of effort into making the bar as attentive as possible (even lighting incense sticks in the lavatories to give them a more pleasant aroma).  The staff were attentive, well versed, knowledgeable and excellent to talk to. We will certainly be returning,

Rob @barobsta