No visit to Stockholm is complete without a visit to the Original Absolute Ice Bar. Located in the Nordic Sea Hotel next door to the T Centralen, the Ice Bar as the name suggests, is made entirely out of ice! No, the toilets are located outside the bar, before you start to wonder! The modest admittance charge gives you a 45 minute experience (any longer than that and bits of your body will start to freeze), and your first drink is included! Due to the bars controlled temperature of -5, special suits straight out of Flash Gordon have to be worn. The space age looking poncho & gloves not only have the ability to make you grin with embarrassment the whole time your in there but they do a good job of keeping you warm. As you finger through the extensive cocktail list, it becomes apparent that the bar is being sponsored by Absolute Vodka. All the drinks on the list contain some combination or other of their fruity flavoured vodkas and to be quite honest, they are absolutely yummy! They're served in an thick glass made of ice, which I must point out can be easily dropped with the cumbersome gloves your wearing. Drink now safely in hand your officially ready to study your surroundings, which in reality is no larger than your average living room. The walls are decorated in all sorts of wonderful carvings and shapes, which incidentally are updated regularly by skilled ice craftsman to keep them fresh and interesting. You can sit on one of the ice chairs if your brave enough and watch the rest of the occupants negotiate their lips around their slippery, cold glass while trying to remain cool in the process. More often than not the bar staff find themselves sweeping up the broken glasses and their contents, before offering a costly refill. The glass leaves a nice tingling sensation on your lips as the cold cocktail slips down your throat and then it gets to work, warming you from the inside. You now begin to realise that your participating in quite a unique experience but enjoy it while it last because it's not long before your 45min are up and you notice the outline of the next eager customers pressing their impatient faces through the window. Just smile and raise your glass to them, as you sip the last remaining drops of alcohol from your now melting glass. Don't let anything spoil this memorable moment, as the euphoric sensation of hypothermia begins to set in.Yes, its well worth a visit just for the entertainment value alone. You can then thaw off in one of the many excellent bars & clubs you'll find in this beautiful city that I've come to love.
For trip ideas to Stockholm & the Ice Bar, checkout Activities In Sweden.
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