For many people, January is a time of giving things up. You can give up animal products: Veganuary. You can give up resting: Run Every Day January. These days, I’ve heard you can even give up bodily grooming practices: JanuHairy. It all seems to be about starting a fresh and there are no shortage of fads or new routines going around at this time of year. Often accompanied by incessant over analysis of their merits/dangers on radio phone ins or TV chat shows.
We’ve all heard of it. Many of us may have have tried and failed it. Sick of hangovers from Christmas drinking, we decide to take a whole month off the booze. Can’t be that hard, right? Well, according to a healthy living article I read on the internet - we all know the type - the ‘new year, new me’ thing is put to bed by the 20th of January, after which we all go back to stuffing our overfed, over watered faces with everything in sight as we sit on the sofa in front of the TV touching our freshly trimmed private parts.
However, if we are all doomed to fail at our resolutions by the third week of the first month of the year then surely we must currently be in some sort of golden period. Failure is coming but all in good time. For now there is still hope. Everything still feels possible. This really is your year. So, rather than dwell on the inevitable, why don’t we bask in the glory of these more innocent times instead and enjoy our new found lifestyle choices while they last.
However, if we are all doomed to fail at our resolutions by the third week of the first month of the year then surely we must currently be in some sort of golden period. Failure is coming but all in good time. For now there is still hope. Everything still feels possible. This really is your year. So, rather than dwell on the inevitable, why don’t we bask in the glory of these more innocent times instead and enjoy our new found lifestyle choices while they last.
I myself will be doing Dry January this year. Will I succeed? Unlikely but while I’m trying, I’ll certainly be ordering a lot more lime and sodas and reviewing them here. All that’s left for you to do, dear Reader, is to sit back, relax and let thoughts of refreshing, green bubbles carry you through the dark nights. Happy New year.
Date: September 2018
The year starts with an old review (Christmas was heavy for me too) but it does come with a picture to compensate.
First records of a pub in the Bankside area bearing the name Founder’s Arms date back to 1839, meaning that there has been a pub here for about 181 years. It’s original address was 8 Holland Street but this was changed to 56 Hopton Street sometime between 1934 and 1938. The name apparently comes from the Glass Works or Foundry (in my short time researching this I learned that an operator of a foundry is called a ‘founder’) that were once in the area. More information on the pub, including a very good article on the history of the immediate area in general, are referenced below.
I have probably walked past this pub a good few hundred times on my strolls along the South bank of the river over the years. Situated in the picturesque environs of Bankside, in the shadow of the Tate Modern overlooking the River Thames and in full view of St Paul’s Cathedral, it’s somewhere I’ve always just dismissed as a place likely to be an overpriced tourist trap (which I feel justified in saying considering its own website states that it’s close to the ‘Harry Potter bridge’or the Millennium Bridge to you and me). As well as that, it always seems to be very busy, especially in good weather, so I had just assumed it would be pointless trying to drink there.
Like all good things coming, however, all I had to do was wait my turn. Nearly nine years in fact, for a Monday evening. An unusual last minute change of plans for the normal friendship group hangout session meant we met early in the week. This being the case, we were lucky enough to snag a table outside the pub on what was pleasant September evening. It being a Monday, a big one was never on the cards, which left only one choice of beverage for this millennial party fiend. In fact, I think everyone had a lime and soda. As the tourists sipped pints and ate overpriced fish and chips around us, we watched the sun go down over our glasses of the green stuff and discussed our lives.
Although willing to refresh themselves with an L&S, my friends are somewhat less keen on offering their opinions on it. Yet so rare is the occurrence that all of us are drinking a glass of the good stuff at the same time, that I couldn’t miss the opportunity for some triangulation of thought on the quality being served up at what is one of London’s best rated Thames pubs (https://londonist.com/2013/11/the-best-pubs-on-the-river-thames). What follows is a combination of all our opinions on this lime and soda. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the unwilling participants for their help.
My friend did the ordering and duly informed me that she was offered a choice of fresh lime or lime cordial. For those not familiar with my thoughts on this I would encourage you to read this blog entry from January 2019 at the Grocer in Spitalfields Market. Briefly, the obvious answer is that they should both be included. Coexisting in perfect harmony in the pint glass, each complementing the other. If only the world could have the same relationship with itself as fresh lime quarters have with lime cordial in soda water. Seemingly taken aback by the choice, my friend opted for lime cordial only. Given the shock of being asked questions to which the answer is obvious, they are forgiven.
Appearance: As per the picture, the drinks came in pint glasses. The sign of a proper pub. The ratio was good and the liquid was tantalising light green. Sat on the wooden table outside the establishment, it made for a picture perfect early week refresher. The lack of a straw (points for environmental friendliness) meant that I had to mix it with my finger. A tactic which, although I do not enjoy employing, is nonetheless often necessary as more and more places opt to do away with plastic accoutrements. The things we sacrifice for the planet.
Taste: Once mixed, the drink tasted good. The ratio certainly held up and there was a consistency between the amount of cordial to soda all the way to the bottom of the glass. The cordial itself was solid. It tasted like what I understand lime to taste like. Something that is to be expected when ordering a lime flavoured drink. It was also missing the chemical aftertaste often present in these artificially flavoured mixers, which is a bonus. Chewing on an ice cube or two, as the conversation progressed, I reflected on how, when you taste a good quality lime and soda, it really is a marvellous thing. One which would inspire even a regular drinker to try hard to stay teetotal as Dry January progresses.
Price: The major negative about this drink was the price. Given the location of the Founder’s Arms it’s unsurprising to report that, at £2.45 per pint, this is not a place you could call your lime and soda local. Unless of course you were well off enough to live in one of the new Bankside developments. You do pay for location in London though and this is a nice one, especially on a night like this one was.
This was really solid. It was a nice environment, the drink was refreshing and it made for a pleasant subplot to the evening. Worth checking out if the mood is right.
Sources:
A London Inheritance piece on the pub: https://alondoninheritance.com/tag/founders-arms/
Pub history link: https://pubshistory.com/LondonPubs/SouthwarkChristchurch/FoundersArms.shtml
Londonist article: https://londonist.com/pubs/pubs/founders-arms
Date: September 2018
The year starts with an old review (Christmas was heavy for me too) but it does come with a picture to compensate.
First records of a pub in the Bankside area bearing the name Founder’s Arms date back to 1839, meaning that there has been a pub here for about 181 years. It’s original address was 8 Holland Street but this was changed to 56 Hopton Street sometime between 1934 and 1938. The name apparently comes from the Glass Works or Foundry (in my short time researching this I learned that an operator of a foundry is called a ‘founder’) that were once in the area. More information on the pub, including a very good article on the history of the immediate area in general, are referenced below. I have probably walked past this pub a good few hundred times on my strolls along the South bank of the river over the years. Situated in the picturesque environs of Bankside, in the shadow of the Tate Modern overlooking the River Thames and in full view of St Paul’s Cathedral, it’s somewhere I’ve always just dismissed as a place likely to be an overpriced tourist trap (which I feel justified in saying considering its own website states that it’s close to the ‘Harry Potter bridge’or the Millennium Bridge to you and me). As well as that, it always seems to be very busy, especially in good weather, so I had just assumed it would be pointless trying to drink there.
Like all good things coming, however, all I had to do was wait my turn. Nearly nine years in fact, for a Monday evening. An unusual last minute change of plans for the normal friendship group hangout session meant we met early in the week. This being the case, we were lucky enough to snag a table outside the pub on what was pleasant September evening. It being a Monday, a big one was never on the cards, which left only one choice of beverage for this millennial party fiend. In fact, I think everyone had a lime and soda. As the tourists sipped pints and ate overpriced fish and chips around us, we watched the sun go down over our glasses of the green stuff and discussed our lives.
Although willing to refresh themselves with an L&S, my friends are somewhat less keen on offering their opinions on it. Yet so rare is the occurrence that all of us are drinking a glass of the good stuff at the same time, that I couldn’t miss the opportunity for some triangulation of thought on the quality being served up at what is one of London’s best rated Thames pubs (https://londonist.com/2013/11/the-best-pubs-on-the-river-thames). What follows is a combination of all our opinions on this lime and soda. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the unwilling participants for their help.
My friend did the ordering and duly informed me that she was offered a choice of fresh lime or lime cordial. For those not familiar with my thoughts on this I would encourage you to read this blog entry from January 2019 at the Grocer in Spitalfields Market. Briefly, the obvious answer is that they should both be included. Coexisting in perfect harmony in the pint glass, each complementing the other. If only the world could have the same relationship with itself as fresh lime quarters have with lime cordial in soda water. Seemingly taken aback by the choice, my friend opted for lime cordial only. Given the shock of being asked questions to which the answer is obvious, they are forgiven.
Appearance: As per the picture, the drinks came in pint glasses. The sign of a proper pub. The ratio was good and the liquid was tantalising light green. Sat on the wooden table outside the establishment, it made for a picture perfect early week refresher. The lack of a straw (points for environmental friendliness) meant that I had to mix it with my finger. A tactic which, although I do not enjoy employing, is nonetheless often necessary as more and more places opt to do away with plastic accoutrements. The things we sacrifice for the planet.
Taste: Once mixed, the drink tasted good. The ratio certainly held up and there was a consistency between the amount of cordial to soda all the way to the bottom of the glass. The cordial itself was solid. It tasted like what I understand lime to taste like. Something that is to be expected when ordering a lime flavoured drink. It was also missing the chemical aftertaste often present in these artificially flavoured mixers, which is a bonus. Chewing on an ice cube or two, as the conversation progressed, I reflected on how, when you taste a good quality lime and soda, it really is a marvellous thing. One which would inspire even a regular drinker to try hard to stay teetotal as Dry January progresses.
Price: The major negative about this drink was the price. Given the location of the Founder’s Arms it’s unsurprising to report that, at £2.45 per pint, this is not a place you could call your lime and soda local. Unless of course you were well off enough to live in one of the new Bankside developments. You do pay for location in London though and this is a nice one, especially on a night like this one was.
This was really solid. It was a nice environment, the drink was refreshing and it made for a pleasant subplot to the evening. Worth checking out if the mood is right.
Sources:
A London Inheritance piece on the pub: https://alondoninheritance.com/tag/founders-arms/
Pub history link: https://pubshistory.com/LondonPubs/SouthwarkChristchurch/FoundersArms.shtml
Londonist article: https://londonist.com/pubs/pubs/founders-arms
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