Inside Southsea bar Drift’s ‘opulent’ lockdown transformation
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Drift bar, which opened in Palmerston Road in 2002, had been undertaking minor refurbishments before the national lockdown – but took advantage of being closed for four months to install a new entrance, flooring, and a bird-cage centrepiece.
A spokesman from the bar said: ‘This renovation has breathed new life into the bar – it’s much more opulent.
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Hide Ad‘Before it was a kind of rough and ready surfer shack – now its like something you would find as a members club in Soho.
‘We have a huge centrepiece of a bird cage covered in foliage.
‘The work was so extensive, we found newspapers in the walls from when the building was first built – some of them go back to 1880.’
A new range of soft drinks, including CBD-infused water, will be served alongside a revamped cocktail menu prepared by the bar's new mixologists.
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Hide AdThe bar has also taken on six new members of staff, including bar staff to accommodate table service required by the government’s social distancing guidelines.
The owners hope the new kitchen, which includes a wood-fired oven, will emulate the success of the bar’s sister venue – Drift Hayling Island – and its focus on dining, with the Southsea branch to open its food offering on August 22.
The spokesman added: ‘The bar is no longer just about the booze.
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‘The restaurant focus at Hayling Island has really taken off.’
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Hide AdDrift in Southsea is open 4pm to 2.30am Monday to Wednesday, 4pm to 3am on Thursdays, 12pm to 3am Fridays and Saturdays, and 12pm to 1.30am on Sundays.
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