Bougie cocktail joints are all the rage right now.
Mason at Tuckey Street has recently reopened their doors to the public, and Craving Cork has the official lowdown.
Located on Tuckey Street (as the name would suggest) just passed the fountain on Grand Parade, Mason is finally back and better than ever. The swanky cocktail bar has undergone a facelift both inside and out, with a sleek new exterior paint-job, new logo and signage, and probably one of the most Insta-worthy interiors in the city.
Outside Mason:
Mason has been busy working on semi-permanent outdoor seating, just in time for those hot summer boozy days in the sun. The bar currently has a bunch of cosy benches on the street under a canopy of parasols and string lights, and they’re currently working on expanding this before the summer hits.
They’ve added striking neon orange windows, updated their logo, and have gotten a fresh paint job, so the exterior really just pops. With Ziggy’s, The Oval, Speedo’s, Hillbilly’s and the upcoming convention centre all within metres, we’re expecting this street to be a city centre hotspot.
Inside Mason:
Inside, Mason has been transformed into a neon-botanical haven. Fairy lights, neon signs, fireplace videos and draping ivy flood the interior, and give us serious cosy-meets-industrial vibes. Comfortable booths and nooks line the perimeter, perfect for group nights out, with plenty of open-plan seating in the centre (PS: you’re going to want to rub your hand across the overlapping brick walls!)
Food & Drinks:
Pizzas are trending right now, incase you didn’t know, and the pizzas at Mason are no exception. The bar has a fairly decent-size pizza menu with a selection of pizzas starting at €8. We went with the ‘Carne’ pizza, which comes with san marzano tomato, basil, toons bridge fior di latte, spicy pepperoni, Italian smoked scamorza, ‘nduja, black pudding, and grana padano (and we added on some garlic-drenched dough balls for good measure!)
The tomato-based pizzas are all baked to order in-house inside a wood-fired oven, and they can be made gluten and dairy-free upon request. They also have a selection of mouth-watering dips – we highly recommend getting the sriracha mayo!
And now for the good stuff.
The cocktails are what makes Mason truly stand out from the crowd. The bar currently has 14 high-end cocktails to choose from for a reasonable €12 each, served in ornate glasses and mugs. The mixologists at Mason use top-shelf liquor for their cocktails, and you really can taste the difference. Fan favourites include:
Up To 90 – Pineapple rum, dark rum, passionfruit liqueur, amaretto, peach schnapps, peach puree, orange juice
Mermaids Orgasm – Coconut rum, banana liqueur, amaretto, raspberry liqueur, peach schnapps, cranberry juice, pineapple juice
Yer Wan – Pink gin, watermelon puree, wild rose vermouth, rhubarb tonic
They also have decent virgin cocktail menu, but the cherry on top for us was the extensive shot menu. They have over 10 classic and unique shots to choose from, with the likes of ‘B52’, ‘Chocolate Cake’ and ‘Jam Donut’ for €5.50 each.
The Rooftop Lounge:
You’ll find this on the 3rd floor, and we promise you won’t be disappointed.
Nestled amongst the trees overlooking Bishop Lucy Park is the rooftop venue; a cocktail lounge by day and a party venue by night, this vibey rooftop is going to be absolutely hopping this summer.
Just like Mason, this venue has a bunch of booths along the perimeter with additional tables and seating in the centre. The rooftop has total of two bars, and because this is Ireland, it also has a retractable roof should there be a sudden downpour.
You can get the Mason experience for yourself at Tuckey Street, and be sure to follow them on Instagram for more updates.