A new dog-friendly gin bar has opened in Keswick’s Packhorse Court.
It is being run inside Gifts by the Lake by Ed Riley, Jo Clarke and her 18-year-old son Dominic.
The business started serving customers on Saturday and has had a busy first few days.
It has been named Bert and Ernie’s Bar after the owners’ six-month-old King Charles spaniels whose pictures adorn the bar.
“We get a lot of dogs to the place and we thought it would be a little thing for them,” said Ed, who used to work in hotels around Liverpool and the Wirral before moving to Keswick in May 2021. “It’s two thirds a gift shop and one third a bar.
“We had an office that was doing nothing, so we re-decorated it to create the bar and it looks really homely.”
The bar stocks gins, vodkas and whiskies from the Lakes Distillery and serves beers from the Hawkshead and Windermere Breweries including Collywobble, Swan Blonde and Fell Walker. It also has Kendal Mintcake liqueur, Kin Toffee vodka from Newby Bridge and Bedrock Gin.
“We have got a wine bar next door to us and a bit further down we have got a beer shop, but there is nobody in the court yet doing gins and vodkas,” said Ed. “The first couple of days business was good and we will certainly pick up during the summer.”
The bar has tables and chairs outside to accommodate 12 customers. It is open from 10am to 8pm during the week and until 6pm at the weekend, although that is set to change.
