Cocktails and chemistry at new basement bar

Bubblegum vodka certainly wasn't prescribed in the early days at the old Parke-Davis and Co pharmaceutical company building on York Street, behind the QVB.

But a new basement bar, named Parke Davis, sprung up last week paying homage to the building's heritage. Bar consultant Julian Serna has created a quirky, fun cocktail list in a space with Chesterfields, old light fittings and - when they arrive from the US - lots of pharmaceutical bottles and equipment.

An offshoot of the bar upstairs, a spokesman for the venue says they changed names to The Cuban Place from La Bodeguita del Medio because "we were paying $50,000 a year to use the name and people couldn't pronounce it. In the end it became known as 'the Cuban place' anyway''.