Inspired by the hit TV show Breaking Bad, ABQ London/ Paris is the place to be when it comes to mixing chemicals and cocktails!

As London begins to re-open, we headed down to the world’s first molecular cocktail bar, located at Hackney Funhouse; keeping busy by cooking up our own cocktails for the night!

And if you’re now wondering where Hackney Funhouse is, it sits within Bohemia Place just opposite Hackney Central station; a hidden gem we now call it! It’s got a tropical look on the outside and a Breaking Bad RV on the inside… and yes, the RV literally sits inside the bar!!

Anyway, we went to experience the immersive cocktail making event we’ve heard so much about and upon arrival, we were greeted by the lovely ABQ team who sat us down for a nice cold water before the cocktail making kicked-off (a much needed cold water on a really hot day!). But it wasn’t long before we were escorted to the RV which extends to The Lab for the immersive experience…

At first, we were directed to our table where yellow aprons and a complimentary ‘let’s cook’ mask were waiting for us to wear and then we were brought a welcome drink in a flask before things really got started! We have to add, the flask was one of those that you used to use in your science lessons so not only did it bring back some nostalgic memories, it really got us into the experimenting mood!

The team introduced themselves, briefed us on the important list of what not to do (y’know, cause we were playing with *real* chemicals with flammable alcohol after all) and then the cocktail fun began!

We had the choice of picking any two cocktails on the menu to make, and although it was a tough decision (there were SO many we wanted to try!), we opted for ‘Dry Walter’ as our first choice – purely because it was named after Walter White and we felt like we were about to break some bad. And then for our second option, we went for the ‘Wendy Martini’ as we were feeling somewhat fruity on the hot summer’s day that it was…

Once decided, after a very long debate on what to pick, we were given the ingredients to start cooking up ‘Dry Walter’ and guess what… even with very clear instructions… we still ended up pouring our first liquids into the wrong beaker! We blame our excitement for our first failed attempt, but the team were so kind about our failure; they didn’t hesitate to bring us our second lot of ’Dry Walter’ ingredients so we could try again from the beginning. Before we started from scratch for the second time, we asked the professionals for advice and it was thanks to them we successfully made our first cocktail!

Without giving away the steps on how to cook the ‘Dry Walter’ cocktail (because it’s actually really fun figuring it all out as you along), we will mention that it included some injecting of liquids, smokey mixes, and a few proud Instagram-worthy boomerangs!

Following our cocktail-making success (in the end!), we had the time to enjoy our first self-made drink before we got started on our ‘Wendy Martini’.

Now… we thought we had it all worked out after getting the hang of cooking up our first cocktail but little did we know there was a second fail coming for us!! Although not as bad as our first hiccup, when we made our ‘Wendy Martini’, we got a little bit too confident and made a bit of a mess right near the end! So, once we’d mixed our spirits with passion fruit, we had to finish off the martini with some foam on top… let’s just say, we got pretty excited after shaking the foam-filled canister so when we were ready to pour, we pressed a bit too hard and it was like a mini volcano erupted in our martini glass! Nevertheless, the martini still turned out great!

As the saying goes, “time flies when you’re having fun” and boy did it fly when we were there! We got so into the cocktail making and watching the groups around us figure out how to make their choices of cocktails that we didn’t know where the evening went! A lot of the other tables opted for the “420” cocktail because the name kinda sells itself AND you drink it from a ‘pot’ which is really cool! It was actually really funny too… watching adults work out how to make a cocktail… not knowing what a beaker was, getting excited by all-things bubbles, dry ice, smoke and what not!

At £36pp, the experience is most definitely worth the money… Included in the price is your welcome drink, plus the 2 molecular cocktails of your choice! And then if you want to, you can grab some additional drinks from the bar or even dig into the signature sourdough pizza while you’re there! It’s also fairly spacious, so if you’re thinking to go in a group (maybe your first reunion with your friends post-lockdown), we definitely give ABQ London a shout!

If you’re not in London though, ABQ has a slightly smaller location in Paris offering the same experience. The Paris team will welcome you in a VR! This venue is perfect for a group if you want a bit more privacy for your party! The venue will give you the opportunity to organise a perfect night out with your friends. Imitate, cosy, in a cool area of Paris, you will absolutely love it. The VR is located Porte de la Villette and the price is 33€ per person. (This will include a welcome cocktail and 2 cocktails of your choice).

Unfortunately due to the Pandemic, the yellow combination is no longer available. You will instead wear an apron! But don’t worry you will still look super cool!

But whether it’s a weekday night or a weekend get together, at the molecular cocktail bar, you’ll most definitely have a night of fun with your breaking bad (and good) friends!