Island Bars rise to the top of my bucket list as pubs change ways​​​​​​​ - Steve Cardownie

This gave me pause for thought. The pubs I used to frequent when I was a youth bore little resemblance to the hostelries that populate the streets of Edinburgh today.

For instance, they opened at eleven in the morning, closed at half past two, reopened at five and then closed again at ten at night. I used to work part time in a pub in Gorgie and witnessed firsthand the mad rush to the bar at ten to ten as last orders were called. I had never seen Zimmers move so fast.

I grew up in Leith but moved to another part of the city when I turned fifteen, so I was only made aware of the kind of service that pubs provided through talking to my father. The Spotted Dog, the Caledonian Bar, Hutchisons and the Vine were his venues of choice, with only the Vine still operating.

The food on offer was confined to crisps (cheese and onion or plain,) salted peanuts, and a wee jar of mussels or a pickled egg- if you were lucky. No, in those days pubs were made for drinking and if you wanted something to eat there was always a “greasy spoon” or the chippy.

The variety of drinks also differed from today’s offerings. “Sex on the Beach” was a different thing entirely and nobody had heard of a “Pina Colada.” No, the only exotic mixtures on offer were a “Black and Tan,” a “Happy Day” or a “Snake Bite.”

I was discussing the bar scene in Edinburgh with a few friends recently when the subject of “Island Bars” (bars you can walk right around such as The Baillie in Stockbridge)- not for me a 28 year, 31,000 mile “foot trek” around the world- a visit to each and every “Island Bar” before “ I pop my clogs” is taking pride of place on my bucket list!