If you’re a fan of the ocean and adventurous cocktails, here’s something to add to your bucket list. Enjoy a gin and tonic cocktail underwater! Lucky people in Madrid got to do just that thanks to the recent underwater pop-up bar, Hendrick’s Pubmarine. Party-goers got their dose of vitamin sea thanks to a bar set up at the bottom of an aquarium full of sharks, rays, and other fish. Some mermaids even swam by and the bartender wore one of those old timey copper diving suits to really set the scene.
It’s a clever (and beautiful) publicity stunt, but this pulling of this functional underwater bar also took some real ingenuity. The scuba helmets allowed guests to breathe and drink underwater, something most recreational divers have never attempted. The cocktails come inside pressurized, watertight containers so they didn’t mix in with the surrounding water. While it may not look like the height of so-fish-tication, the revelers clearly enjoyed their unconventional cocktail party at the Pubmarine located 30 feet under the water. They all look as happy as a clam!
The shell-abration, which we learned about from DesignTAXI, kicked off Hendrick’s newest limited edition gin, Neptunia. The distillers got their inspiration from the nearby Scottish coast and even included “coastal botanicals” in the mix, according to the brand. The bar itself was made of sustainable materials. It looks like something right out of Atlantis, weathered from years in the ocean. Some proceeds from the gin go to Project Seagrass, a charity that works to protect seagrass beds around the world. So that gets an extra seal of approval.
Not all of us can go to parties and get ship-faced at our local aquarium. But if you enjoy a drink on special occasions, keep an eye out for other opportunities to come face to face with sharks while sipping on a gin and tonic.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
