#BloggersBelowZero // Ice Bar London

I've wanted to visit an ice bar for ever. (In fact, when we went to Florida in 2014, we were planning to pop into the one on International Drive but since Matt was under 21, we had to stay in the hotel and babysit him. Jeez, Matt!) When Lauren of LDN Meet Up emailed to let us know that she was hosting an event at Ice Bar London, the only permanent ice bar in London, I was super excited. 
We started the evening in the downstairs bar (which is thankfully at room temperature) chatting to fellow bloggers. I was surprised by just how many of us there were! In order to make sure we chatted to everybody, we were each given a slip of paper which had a clue about a fellow blogger. Mine was "Find somebody who is an actress" and, although I did discover that one of the staff members was an actress, I didn't find out who the blogger was. It was lovely to see some bloggers who I haven't caught up with in a while, but I also got to meet loads of new people who were all fantastic (I had a great chat with Nicola about attractive men!)
Having never been to an ice bar before, I wasn't really sure what to expect. It took my breath away! Every year, the ice in the bar- specially harvested from Sweden- is replaced and at this point, it's given a different theme. I was very glad to discover that the current theme is Ice Bar Rocks. Everywhere I looked were skull-shaped ice sculptures and iconic images carved into the walls. This theme was continued with the rock classics that were played throughout.
As the temperature is -5 degrees celsius, we were provided with thermal capes before entry, which included fur-lined hoods. Even though gloves are attached to the capes, we were advised to feel the ice first as it "doesn't feel the way you'd expect". That's absolutely true! It feels almost like acrylic and, on the initial touch, it doesn't feel cold at all (that changes after a second or two!). This ice is also crystal clear so you can see right through it, which is amazing. While there, I noticed that there was a vague brain-like etching inside this skull and took a photo. It was only when I checked the photos back later that I could see it properly and spotted the "rock" inside. Such a great detail!
Entry includes one ice cocktail, each named after a rock masterpiece, and served in a glass made entirely from ice. I chose November Rain because a) it's one of my favourite songs ever and b) it sounded amazing. Gin, apple, lemon and blueberry? Yes please! It was absolutely delicious! I fully expected the glass to be difficult- and cold- to drink from but it was surprisingly easy! Despite looking like a shot glass, it holds as much cocktail as you would expect from, say, a martini glass. 
I'm really pleased to say that my experience at Ice Bar London more than lived up to my expectations- and wasn't anywhere near as cold as I was anticipating! A huge thank you to Lauren and everybody involved at Ice Bar London. I'll be heading back for sure!
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