SINCE it opened in Steine Street last October cocktail bar The Plotting Parlour has become something of a word-of-mouth hit.

Tucked away from St James’s Street’s party avenue and only a stone’s throw from the sea, the former Aquarium has been transformed into an intimate bar, serving coffee and cake in the afternoon before the signature cocktails take over.

“I wanted some classics on the list,” says bar manager Luke Loddo, who moved to run The Plotting Parlour from Bohemia in Meeting House Lane.

“The others are either from cocktail competitions I’ve entered, such as The Busby Sling or The Hemingway Daiquiri, or small twists on cocktails I knew, but didn’t have a bar before to play with.”

The emphasis is on quality – for example Loddo’s delicious Honey And Mint Julep is made with Wild Turkey Honey Whisky, which he spotted while on a trip to the US, and is a much smoother drink than the current crop of honey whiskies available.

The menu also has a selection of beers, ciders, spirits and a choice of six white wines, six red wines and two roses, as well as sparkling wines including the Bloomsbury Ridgeview.

Loddo is supported by a team of top mixologists recruited from various bars he has worked in. Although their drink creation is second-to-none the emphasis is about making people feel comfortable.

“We take our drinks seriously, but we don’t take much else seriously,” says Loddo.

“We want The Plotting Parlour to be somewhere people can come and relax, not have all that pretentiousness which comes with cocktails and can put people off.

“I want people to come in and buy a drink they wouldn’t otherwise have tried. I have put a note at the bottom of each menu so people are aware that we can mix their favourite cocktails – nine times out of ten we can fulfil an off-menu order.”

His focus is on consistency, ensuring all the drinks that come from the bar are to the same specification, no matter who makes them.

The vintage-themed space, with its red velvet chairs, is very intimate. The handful of tables fill up quickly at weekends. The venue is available to hire for parties during weekdays, but Loddo says it is decided very much on a case-by-case basis.

“Being tucked away means we feel like part of something that people wouldn’t otherwise have found,” he says. “When we’re quiet I do sometimes wish we were on a main street, but it’s about finding the balance!”

During the week the atmosphere is very laidback, with jazz and swing music on the stereo, while more of a party atmosphere takes over at weekends, with more upbeat electroswing providing the soundtrack.

The building itself reeks of history – with rumours that it started out as a brothel. Some of that history has been felt by Loddo’s staff.

“One of our bartenders says he often hears voices calling his name in the building,” says Loddo. “Apparently it happened a lot in the past – we may be a haunted bar!”

• essential info

Open Sun to Thurs 3pm to midnight, Fri and Sat 3pm to 1am. Visit http://www.facebook.com/theplottingparlour. The Plotting Parlour Steine Street, Brighton, 01273 621238.

Sample drink Menu

• The Busby Sling – Beefeater, grapefruit, cherry liqueur, grenadine, lemon and soda £7.50

• Ginger And Chilli Margarita – El Jimador tequila, Kings Ginger liqueur and lime with salt and chilli rum £7.50

• Mai Tai – Appleton V/X and 12-year rums, triple sec, Orgeat syrup, sugar and lime £8.50

• Red Orchid – Stolichnaya vodka, raspberry liqueur, raspberry vinegar, apple and rosemary £7.50

• The Harlen – Buffalo Trace bourbon, velvet felernum, peach and Angostura Bitters £8

• Espresso Martini – Stolichnaya vodka, Kahlua coffee liqueur and espresso £7.50

• The Hemingway Daiquiri – Ron Abuelo rum, Maraschino cherry liqueur, grapefruit, lime and grenadine £7

• Honey And Mint Julep – Wild Turkey Honey Whisky, mint, lime, Angostura Bitters and ginger beer £7.50 n Coffee and cake £5