Review: Dusk

Dusk is well known in York for being a chill place with great drinks offers. I tried it out to see just how good the offers were and if it was somewhere we should add to our list of places that offer drinks strong enough to prepare your body and soul for the sticky depths of Salvation on a student night.

My first reaction to the place was how nicely it was decorated. It's intimate and cosy with fairy lights, wooden tables and as an embellishment for each table. In the same vein as trying Fiesta Latina, I've tried to sample places that aren't chain brands and are independent with their own distinctive flair.

Barack Obama is a tasty guy

We chose a table in the smaller back room which was empty. The artwork dotting the walls were unique sketches of tattooed men and women that helped to accentuate the uniqueness of the place. We grabbed a menu from the bar to check out the cocktails and found that for the two for one offer the two cocktails had to be the same. So we paired up and tried to diplomatically decide which cocktail we would both have – which is actually kind of hard when the cocktails are given celebrities’ names and witty descriptions that give no indication at all of what is actually in the drink. So we debated and finally took a chance with Barack Obama, because he’s a cool guy, and from watching the bartender pour our drinks (sans the expertise of Fiesta Latina’s entertaining bartender) I found that it was a mix of rum, amaretto, orange juice and grenadine. It sounds nice in theory but when it is served in a thimble sized glass with just a splash of mixer it was so strong it took a couple of sips to adjust myself to the internal burn. Also, it was served without ice which I thought was strange for a cocktail. The other two of us got a cocktail with whiskey, rum, coke and Guinness, which doesn’t even sound nice in theory, but actually it was quite tasty and served with plenty of mixer. Other great deals were £2.50 glasses of wine or bottles of beer – tempting.

It's like Guinness for weaklings

The low lighting was cosy and relaxing with chill music playing. This would be perfect on a night out when your lipstick is already smeared and your hair’s a mess after walking in the wind – so the darker the better, really. This would also be great for romantic date nights too. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and explained the ingredients to any cocktail we asked about but it was kind of annoying having to ask every time. One guy took the time to ask if we wanted him to take a picture and patiently waited while we had to sort our phones out.

However, taste aside, two cocktails made with branded alcohol for £4.95 is a pretty amazing deal especially in York aka rip off central. During a normal night being able to practically shot a cocktail would be quite handy in getting to the stage of mortalness but for casual drinks it was just too strong and too confusing. However the welcoming and lovely staff just about made up for it.

7/10

Jess x