I spent last weekend in London catching up with old friends. It was the first time I'd been to a pub in a while. With Dry January now a memory, I have to confess that I chose to celebrate these mini-reunions with beer rather than lime and sodas.
As London is a city filled with great pubs and diverse lime and sodas, I wanted to mark this trip to the greatest city in the world with an old review of one of my favourite London pubs, the Lord John Russell.
I have a bit of an affinity with this pub. It’s a pub I had often passed making my way around the area as a student at nearby UCL Maybe I had a pint there once in that time, I can’t remember. It was just a place that was always there. However, a forgettable pint in a pub is not enough to build an affinity with a place.
My affection for the place actually comes from a few years after I had graduated whilst I was working in the area. It wasn’t the ‘work boozer’ - that was a place closer to the office called The Resting Hare (review coming soon) - but we did come to the Lord John Russell when we fancied a change. It was my preferred place of the two. It’s a proper pub.
I remember fondly having Christmas drinks there with some colleagues after we had all finished our last day in the office before the holiday shutdown. It was mostly the young ‘uns who made it out on that damp December night but the finance officer, affectionately known (mostly by myself) as Uncle Nev, came out with us too. He was probably a good twenty years older than all of us but fit in seamlessly, sampling all the ales on offer. He even let us have a drink on the company credit card. It was quite the night and I left with a smile on my face, ready to face the coming festivities.
I was a little less ready upon being woken up by my relatives at 3am to get into the car for the 6 hour car journey up North to visit family. I dread to think what Uncle Nev had to face that morning given he had two young children.
Now for a bit about the pub. John Russell, the first Earl Russell, was a British Prime Minister who served in the post on two occasions between 1846-52 (as a Whig) and then again between 1865-66 (as a Liberal). Apparently he wasn’t very successful, being the final ever Whig PM and nearly bringing the Liberal party to the political brink. On a more positive note, however, he was one of the principle leaders in fighting for the Reform Act of 1832, which brought in changes to the British electoral system by removing the so called ‘rotten boroughs’. A victory for democracy. After all the hard politicking, Lord John probably needed a refreshing drink to cool himself off. I wonder if lime and soda was his tipple of choice too.
I have no idea if the Lord John Russell the pub is named after this former British politician - pubhistory can’t help me out on that one - but what I did find out was that it’s been on Marchmont Street for quite some time: since the mid-19th century in fact. The first publican was himself also called John Russell, which gives us some idea as to how the pub got its name.
The only time I ever drank a lime and soda here was not at an after work booze up but on a hungover Sunday with some friends who were visiting the capital for the weekend. Whilst waiting for them to catch their trains, we decided to pop in for a drink. I could face neither a beer nor a bloody Mary so, naturally, I opted for the usual in such circumstances.
Appearance: It was a bit yellow. I don’t know whether the lime cordial was created out of limes that were slightly old - hence the yellowish colour - or even if lime cordial contains any trace of real lime, but this was slightly off putting. To give the drink its due it did look well mixed and the cordial seemed to run evenly all the way through. It was even garnished with a slice of lime, affording it bonus points.
Taste: It was a bit underwhelming. The soda water was a bit flat and the initial appearance of it being a well mixed drink was unfounded. I had to go up to the bar and request a straw to use as a mixer. Once mixed it was much better. There was a tang to the cordial. My non lime and soda drinking mates described the taste as ‘bold’ and ‘pleasantly surprising for a newbie’. I suppose these are compliments, although one of them did say it was ‘just fizzy lime juice’, which essentially boils lime and soda down to its purest essence.
Price: £2 for a pint. Maybe a bit steep for a pub that is usually quite good value, especially for the area but then again they do have rent to pay.
So maybe that pre-Sunday dinner drink in the Lord John didn’t leave me with that Christmas time smile. Then again I would probably put that down to the fact I was nursing a bad hangover on a cold Sunday afternoon rather than blame the quality of the drink. If you’re in Bloomsbury and looking for a perfectly serviceable glass of fizzy lime juice, this might be the place for you.
Wikipedia article on John Russell, the first Earl Russell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Russell,_1st_Earl_Russell
Now for a bit about the pub. John Russell, the first Earl Russell, was a British Prime Minister who served in the post on two occasions between 1846-52 (as a Whig) and then again between 1865-66 (as a Liberal). Apparently he wasn’t very successful, being the final ever Whig PM and nearly bringing the Liberal party to the political brink. On a more positive note, however, he was one of the principle leaders in fighting for the Reform Act of 1832, which brought in changes to the British electoral system by removing the so called ‘rotten boroughs’. A victory for democracy. After all the hard politicking, Lord John probably needed a refreshing drink to cool himself off. I wonder if lime and soda was his tipple of choice too.
I have no idea if the Lord John Russell the pub is named after this former British politician - pubhistory can’t help me out on that one - but what I did find out was that it’s been on Marchmont Street for quite some time: since the mid-19th century in fact. The first publican was himself also called John Russell, which gives us some idea as to how the pub got its name.
The only time I ever drank a lime and soda here was not at an after work booze up but on a hungover Sunday with some friends who were visiting the capital for the weekend. Whilst waiting for them to catch their trains, we decided to pop in for a drink. I could face neither a beer nor a bloody Mary so, naturally, I opted for the usual in such circumstances.
Appearance: It was a bit yellow. I don’t know whether the lime cordial was created out of limes that were slightly old - hence the yellowish colour - or even if lime cordial contains any trace of real lime, but this was slightly off putting. To give the drink its due it did look well mixed and the cordial seemed to run evenly all the way through. It was even garnished with a slice of lime, affording it bonus points.
Taste: It was a bit underwhelming. The soda water was a bit flat and the initial appearance of it being a well mixed drink was unfounded. I had to go up to the bar and request a straw to use as a mixer. Once mixed it was much better. There was a tang to the cordial. My non lime and soda drinking mates described the taste as ‘bold’ and ‘pleasantly surprising for a newbie’. I suppose these are compliments, although one of them did say it was ‘just fizzy lime juice’, which essentially boils lime and soda down to its purest essence.
Price: £2 for a pint. Maybe a bit steep for a pub that is usually quite good value, especially for the area but then again they do have rent to pay.
So maybe that pre-Sunday dinner drink in the Lord John didn’t leave me with that Christmas time smile. Then again I would probably put that down to the fact I was nursing a bad hangover on a cold Sunday afternoon rather than blame the quality of the drink. If you’re in Bloomsbury and looking for a perfectly serviceable glass of fizzy lime juice, this might be the place for you.
Wikipedia article on John Russell, the first Earl Russell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Russell,_1st_Earl_Russell
More information on the Great Reform Act of 1832:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/politics/g6/
Pub history entry of the Lord John Russell: https://pubshistory.com/LondonPubs/StPancras/LordJohnRussell.shtml
