#40 | La Pharmacie Anglaise, Brussels, Belgium
Last Visit: Summer 2022
It's been a long time since I wrote about my little trip to Brussels. I don't even really know why I'm only coming back to it now. Shortly afterward, the first, more serious work on LT began, and a few more trips followed in quick succession, which I then prioritized here on the page. One of the two remaining bars has even been completely overhauled and renovated under new ownership, the very modern, yet cozy, Ethylo, as it was called back then. So that report will be omitted due to its lack of usefulness.
But all the more, I wanted to bring out and recommend the last remaining bar I visited during that short stay. A bar that, according to the latest information from friends, has not changed at all in the two years and that doesn't surprise me at all (in a good way): La Pharmacie Anglaise or The English Pharmacy.
The bar is very centrally located, only 2–3 streets away from the museum district in a very nice location, on a bend in a steeply rising street in the middle of Brussels. Wonderfully open and inviting from a distance for the summer, and certainly very atmospheric in the fall/winter. Even after a long internet search, I couldn't find out when the bar actually opened. However, in this particular case, it is probably less important than the year in which the namesake was born: the beautiful Gothic Revival-style building was completed in 1898 and the (then actual) pharmacy began operating here back then.
When you enter, you ask yourself various questions: Is this the real, historical interior? Largely, of course, later modified for use. What the heck is that quite unique wooden chandelier? I'm 99% sure it's anything but historical and a tad too kitschy for me, to be honest.
And above all else: Is there a damn bear sitting on the counter, and is it a real one? A “yes” to the first part, an “I didn't dare ask” to the second.
You will be overwhelmed by the impressions, even if you have researched online beforehand. It all has that “special something” and as it really is historical (for the most part), it doesn't look as cheap as some modern attempts at historical imitation in other bars. At the same time you can tell that, in my opinion, a little too much kitsch has been used, which nudges the quite special vibe into a certain, slightly strange direction. That however doesn't really detract from the overall effect, and certainly even less so from the uniqueness. I particularly love the 2nd floor with its all-round gallery. It's far too rare to find this type of two open areas in bars above one another. Such is the case for example in Munich's legendary Schumann's with the Les Fleurs du Mal above it, which has an open view downwards. This always creates a wonderfully immersive atmosphere when it's busy.
Both downstairs and upstairs, the shelves are filled with spirits, historic drinking vessels and quaint curiosities. With some of them, like the bear, you would rather not even ask what is authentic and what is just there for the atmosphere. There are also a good 50 bottles of Hendrick's gin on a shelf in the gallery; the bar seems to have a very close cooperation and connection with the brand. This can also be seen from the fact that it always presents a G&T with Orbium, for example, very clearly as the premium version on the menu.
The clientele is relatively diverse, consisting of tourists on the one hand, as the bar certainly in mentioned many guides for the interior alone. On the other hand, there are also many barflies, it is also a chic spot for gallerists from the nearby stores, agency people and certainly also some diplomats or other people connected to the political center of Brussels in particular. You'll hear a lot of English here, rather than French, and in between there are women in wonderfully elegant short dresses and men in suits, which you (both) rarely see in most German bars. There is no strict dress code, but at the same time you shouldn't necessarily try to come in wearing a soccer shirt or long hiking socks and sandals.
The service is on the more traditional side, but at the same time most of the staff here are younger and there is a certain openness and relaxed attitude compared to chic restaurants, for example. So don't worry about special etiquette.
The menu (below are also excerpts from the current edition) is quite classic and simple, starting with the house rules, some of which are subtly passive-aggressive, e.g., very large red lettering stating that you can only pay by table with a bank card. Followed by signatures with the name of the team member who created it. An interesting choice that I only noticed recently in Le Lion (Hamburg) too and that I find somehow appealing. However, the following headlines are a little confusing, because on the one hand there are 2-3 “Special Editions”, which are simply a little higher in price (already at €19-30). Then there's “The Curiosity” with 1–2 drinks, although I don't always quite understand what's so special about them. There's a “Cocktail Of The Week”, a “Barrel Aged Old Fashioned” with constantly changing batches to ask for, a whole page of “Hendrick's Signature Serves”, a “Louis XIII Cognac Experience” for a whopping €300 with a “Surprise” (gold bars perhaps …?) and finally Virgin Cocktails. Let's take a deep breath after all of that. As you can see, there's a lot to discover, but it's also more small-scale than you would think, as sometimes only a single drink is promoted separately under each headline. But somehow it fits in with the curiosity cabinet character of the entire location.
The selection of spirits is not on the menu, although reasonably extensive by today's standards, but also not as full of old things or rarities as you might expect from the location. But that's not too much of a negative, as there's already plenty on offer. There are also 3–4 snacks, and I particularly liked the classic Croque Monsieur.
Batch Barrel Aged Old Fashioned
| Rhum Agricole Blend
| Rye
| Dubonnet
| Angostura Amaro Infused with Cassia Rind/Chinese Cinnamon
| Cocktail Bitters Blend
First, I had the then current batch of the Barrel Aged OF, which could hardly have been closer to my preferences in terms of the ingredients. The Agricole blend was Clément Canne Bleu on the one hand and the wonderful St. James 15yo for a little more age. The drink was bursting with exciting, multi-layered dry flavors, the barrel aging (the particular wood type I unfortunately no longer know) was probably intended more for simply rounding off the creation and that worked well. Not at all alcoholic, but full of spice, without ever becoming unpleasantly bitter, with notes of grapefruit zest, dry grasses, nuts, dried cherries from the Dubonnet and a long finish. Fantastically formulated.
Louis
| House Blend of Rum
| Cajun Spice Infused Bitter
| Amaro Borsci
| Pedro Ximenez
| Apple Wood Smoke
Another drink that could have been extracted from my soul purely in terms of the ingredients … As you can see in the photo, the smoking was done in a bottle. This means that the bottle was thoroughly filled with applewood smoke, the stirred drink was then poured in and swirled back and forth for a good 1–2 minutes before being poured into the glass. Then the remaining smoke was “poured” again over it from above. Since the actual drink beneath the smoke also has quite hearty and dry-spicy flavored, the smoke spreads very unhindered through the notes, and it is definitely on the smokier side when it comes to this category of drinks. For my co-writer John, it would probably be too much of that campfire vibe.
Overall, it almost seemed like a BBQ sauce, especially due to the Cajun spices infusion, but in a positive sense. Packed with flavors that could still work their way through the smoke, be it the herbal amaro, the sweet raisin from the sherry or the Cajun influence. The special note of applewood was also noticeably fruity in the nose and gave a nice accent to the drink instead of, e.g., classic hickory wood. At the same time, perhaps also due to the process being done in the bottle, the drink was only half-chilled. Because the glass wasn't cold either, it reached almost room temperature so quickly that I wasn't sure whether this was maybe even intentional. However, it didn't actually harm the drink, as it was also a fantastic room temperature drink thanks to the sweet notes that were well-balanced with the spice. Something you find in a lot of Scaffas (the term for a special type of room temperature cocktail).
You can see from the photos of both the interior and the drinks: The Pharmacie Anglaise is really an experience in many respects. Not everything is up-to-date, be it the menu design, some kitschy elements in the interior or some of the drink presentations and thick-walled, massive glasses. Nevertheless, my drinks and those of my friends were always well-balanced and full of flavor. Especially those of the more classic, stirred variety, which I would always recommend here due to the matching setting alone. The use of ingredients that are no longer so commonly found and underrated these days, such as a Dubonnet or special Amaros and Sherries, are also great and worth preserving. In my opinion, this bar belongs on every bar tour list in the Belgian capital.
/rds
Example pages of the current menu (click for original size):
