I’ve been told that absinthe was the drink of choice for famous writers Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allen Poe. Well I can only imagine there was less selection available for them back then. I had my first glass of absinthe last week in some place in Liverpool, an experience akin to put your taste buds in a blender made of aniseed. The self-confessed “Absinthe Bar” is actually called Some Place and it certainly doesn’t make itself the easiest venue to locate. I have been to Some Place before but remained unaware of its specialty, the green nectar that is absinthe, until my most recent visit. I’ve actually been there twice, once before it was renovated for some live music and once after the renovation when I fell asleep at the bar. There, that should give you an idea of the state I was in, and the state that you’ll need to be in to first stumble upon this place.
The bar is located on Seel St and if you’ve ever been along that road then you’ve probably walked right past it completely unaware. The entrance is a low key, unadvertised door in a wall next to the Zanzibar music club. Some Place is almost mythical; you won’t find it unless you know where to look or you’re drunk enough to not care where you are. A dimly lit entrance beckons you into your first obstacle, the bouncer. I asked “is this some place?” and felt the ridiculousness of the question as it fled from me. “Yes” he replied. Of course, I thought, every place is some place. We exchanged looks and I walked in before the situation got any weirder.
While this wasn’t about to be my first impression of the bar it was certainly going to be my first sober, mostly conscious impression so I made an attempt to take in as much in as possible. The candles were the first sensation. Dimly lit and warm, Some Place has a cosy, old sort of feeling. Looking like someone’s put a bar inside a pirate ship, it’s not the biggest of places but that’s made up for with the atmosphere that is created. In an attempt to stick to the theme I pointed at the cocktail menu, which was written on slate and hung up on the wall, and ordered an absinthe. A glass of the spirit, a sugar cube dissolved into it by water, almost ceremoniously. To taste the Absinthe for yourself head down to Some Place; Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4AZ.
Joe Jackson
