A NEW wizard-inspired immersive experience and cocktail bar will open its doors to visitors today.
The Cauldron in Clarence Gardens, Brighton, will showcase a walk-in molecular cocktail bar with an immersive “potion-making” cocktail experience, including working magic wands.
People will be given a wizarding robe before crafting their drinks in cauldrons, using wands to unlock cabinets and interact with intricate props and objects around the venue.
Founded by entrepreneurs Matthew Cortland and David Duckworth five years ago with a Kickstarter campaign to launch a technology-powered wizard pub and inn, the concept has been expanded to Edinburgh, Dublin, New York City and Philadelphia.
Matthew described the venue as a “gateway to the magical world” and said: “Our mission is to make magic real for people with science, technology and design.”
The venue also features non-alcoholic experiences for families, so everyone has a chance to enjoy some of the magic the bar has to offer.
Matthew said: “Magic is for everyone - it’s inclusive of everyone who loves fantasy, and that’s something really important to me personally.”
He also said that visitors don’t necessarily have to be huge sorcery fans to enjoy what The Cauldron has to offer.
“Even if you don’t like wizards or fantasy, you don’t need to - we just want to create a feeling of fun,” Matthew said.
Alongside the cocktail-making experience is a walk-in, alchemy-style bar, serving a range of signature cocktails which feature a range of different effects, such as fire, ice, smoke and colour change.
The bar’s unique cocktails include The Wizard of Menlo Park, a ginger cocktail that shoots plumes of smoke into the air, Ode to Mullica, a bourbon and maple cocktail served in a smoking bell jar, and The Blob, an aloe and tequila cocktail with an expanding head - reminiscent of the 1950s American sci-fi horror film of the same name.
The beer garden will also offer ten lines of beer, including Guinness, cider, larger and IPAs.
Matthew said that Brighton was a “strong fit” for what The Cauldron has to offer to visitors, residents and students alike.
He said: “Brighton has a reputation of being a destination that fits with our ethos of inclusivity, quirkiness and fun.”
The venue has plans in the coming months, especially for Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day, alongside upcoming drag nights and other events.
In celebration of today’s grand opening, the venue is also selling a limited number of “everlasting wands” for customers to display their honorary wizard names on plaques in the space for ever.
Bookings are available on their website, with walk-in customers also welcome.
Visitors to the bar are also encouraged to bring some of their favourite books from childhood to donate to a book collection, which will then be given to struggling readers.
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