First Look: New Glasgow bar transforms from traditional pub to Victorian-inspired speakeasy after dark
A new Glasgow pub and cocktail bar has opened beside Glasgow Green, transforming the former Whistler on the Green into a venue inspired by the city's Victorian past.
McLennan's opened at 5 Greendyke Street on Bonfire Night (Thursday 5 November), marking the occasion with a spectacular light projection onto the historic McLennan Arch and nearby People's Palace.
The venue takes its name from Bailie James McLennan, a Glasgow businessman and philanthropist who died in 1899 and whose name has been associated with the landmark for more than a century.
His handwritten signature has been recreated as the new bar's logo, which was projected onto the arch by Glasgow-based specialists Double Take Projections.
McLennan's is now open daily from 9am until midnight, with food served until 6pm and the cocktail bar operating in the evening.
Gerardo JaconelliMcLennan's is the ninth venue from Glasgow hospitality group Merchant Pubs & Bars, which opened anderson's pub + institute in July.
The new bar has an unusual concept, operating as a traditional neighbourhood pub during the day before transforming into a cocktail-focused speakeasy after dark.
From 9am until 6pm, McLennan's offers a relaxed pub atmosphere, with daylight pouring through the windows and Radio Clyde playing in the background.
The daytime menu includes coffee and panettone for breakfast, followed by toasties, soup and chips. Dogs are also welcome.
From 6pm to midnight the curtains close and it becomes a speakeasy cocktail bar.
Gerardo JaconelliThe venue benefits from an old licence that allows it to serve alcohol with food from 9am, seven days a week.
At 6pm, the curtains close, the kitchen shuts and the atmosphere changes.
The evening bar takes inspiration from the darker side of Victorian Glasgow, particularly the Saltmarket and its reputation as a notorious district of drinking dens, narrow closes and criminal activity.
The cocktail menu, entitled A Miscellany of Outrageous Drinks by James McLennan, draws on stories from the area's past.
Among the creations is The Dynamitards, named after rebels who targeted Glasgow in 1883. It combines Altos Plata tequila, peach liqueur, sriracha caramel, lime and spice.
Another cocktail, The Sober Hangman, is inspired by a nineteenth-century law intended to prevent executioners from carrying out their duties while drunk.
The night menu is designed like a 19th-century chapbook, with each cocktail telling a story from the Victorian Saltmarket
Gerardo JaconelliOther drinks combine Highland Park 12 whisky with plum sake, berries and Pedro Ximénez, while another features Absolut vodka, passionfruit and yuzu, topped with Veuve Clicquot Rosé champagne.
Every cocktail is also available in a non-alcoholic version.
Ewan Angus, Group Bars Manager at Merchant Pubs & Bars, said: "It's been so exciting to create McLennan's from the ground up. I loved researching James McLennan and the old Saltmarket. There are so many incredible stories, and every drink on the menu has one behind it.
"Seeing his name lit up on the Arch last night, right outside our front door, was the perfect way to begin. I can't wait to share all our new creations with Glasgow. Pick your poison. Or don't."
As fireworks went up across Glasgow, the venue's handwritten logo was projected onto the McLennan Arch, on Glasgow Green, the landmark that has carried McLennan's name for more than a century. The projection was also created on the People's Palace.
Gerardo JaconelliThe interior and concept have been developed by creative agency Big Think and architects StuCo Design, who previously worked together on anderson's pub + institute.
Merchant Pubs & Bars also operates venues including BAaD, Blackfriars of Bell Street, Nonna Said, The Drake, Rascal and 99 Hutcheson Street.
McLennan's is now open daily from 9am until midnight, with food served until 6pm and the cocktail bar operating in the evening.
More information is available at mclennansglasgow.co.uk.