Cocktail Afternoon Tea at Revolution Newcastle with Red Letter Days

Are you looking for an afternoon tea with a difference? Cocktail afternoon tea at Revolution Newcastle could be perfect for you.

The afternoon tea was a gift for the purposes of this review. I retain editorial control and opinions are my own.

Mother’s Day is approaching. Have you thought about what to get your mum yet? With a Red Letter Days experience, you can give a unique gift that she is sure to enjoy.

If you read my blog regularly you will know I am on a mission to find the best afternoon teas in and around Newcastle. We recently went to try out the cocktail afternoon tea at Revolution Newcastle. This experience is one of the experiences that Red Letter Days offer.

What is a Red Letter Day experience?

A red letter day is a term for any day of special significance. It is apt that is is also the name of a company who specialises in giving experience day vouchers as gifts. Choose an experience that your mum will love and they will receive a voucher in the post.

The vouchers come in a special red envelope with full details of the experience and booking information. This really makes the gift feel special.

The vouchers are valid for ten months and the recipient can book the experience at a time that suits them. If they don’t love the gift Red Letter Days allows them to swap one experience for another.

What sort of experiences do Red Letter Days offer?

Red Letter days offer all sorts of experiences, your imagination is the limit. Fancy going up in a hot air balloon, driving a fast car or a pampering spa break. These and many other options are available on the Red Letter Days website.

The experiences are UK wide so you should have no problem booking one near you.

Read more: Staying at Beamish Hall Hotel with Red Letter Days

Red Letter Days have a wide range of different afternoon tea options in different areas. We could have chosen afternoon tea at the Vermont hotel which is a lovely treat for your mum. As we had already tried that we choose a tipsy afternoon tea at Revolution, Newcastle. This experience costs £40 for two.

Read more: Afternoon tea at the Vermont Hotel

Booking our cocktail afternoon tea

Booking our tipsy afternoon tea at Revolution was easy. All the booking information is on the Red Letter Days voucher. We sent an email with the date and time and our voucher code. Confirmation that the time slot was available came back and all we had to do was turn up.

Cocktail afternoon tea at Revolution Newcastle

The Red Letter Days cocktail afternoon tea at Revolution is available at over 40 locations across the UK. These include London, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh as well as Newcastle. The afternoon tea comes with a cocktail from Revolution Bars comprehensive cocktail menu.

As my mum does not live nearby I took my son along to try out the experience.

Inside Revolution Newcastle

We have been to Revolution Newcastle before to try their “Soul on Sunday” Sunday lunch. A live band was playing while we were eating which was a relaxing experience.

Revolution Newcastle has a luxurious ambience inside. The Grade II listed building was originally meant to be a hotel but became home to Barclays bank instead. The original features still remain. The 30ft ceilings, marble pillars and mahogany features make the surroundings unique.

On arrival at Revolution we showed our Red Letter Days voucher. We then sat at our reserved table. The seating was in a booth area with a good view of the bar. The seating was in a booth area with a good view of the bar

Service was friendly and quick. The only thing that took a while was choosing a cocktail from the extensive menu available.

Read more: Afternoon tea at the Royal Station Hotel

Our afternoon tea

After solving the difficult cocktail decision our afternoon tea was brought to our table. The serving platter resembles a bird cage which was a quirky touch. The stand containing colourful cakes, scones and open sandwiches, looks good in the stylish building.

Traditional afternoon tea should include a selection of dainty sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and preserves and a selection of cakes and pastries. Looking at the serving platter everything looked perfect. Pretty china plates set the delicacies off.

Normally afternoon tea comes with a pot of tea but for the tipsy afternoon tea a cocktail takes its place. I would have quite liked tea as well but that is the traditionalist in me.

The cocktails

So what cocktails did we choose? I went for a classic long island iced tea. The mix of vodka, Cointreau, gin, rum and tequila with coke is refreshing and makes the perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea.

My son’s choice was a taste of summer in a glass, the strawberry spritz. This bright pink drink is a mix of vodka, a strawberry flavour shot, aperol and lemon with lemonade and apple juice. My son said it was delicious.

The sandwiches

Afternoon tea starts with sandwiches which should be small and dainty, providing a promise of sweet things to come. These were open sandwiches which were more interesting than normal.

Two of the sandwiches were more traditional with fillings of coronation chicken and prawn marie-rose.

The coronation chicken was delicious with the right amount of seasoning. This was a big hit with my son, who said I should make this sandwich filling more often.

Prawn marie-rose is a favourite of mine . The prawns complement the dark rye bread and I could easily have eaten more of these.

The other two sandwiches were more unique. First was a mix of pastrami, gherkins and mustard. This is an unusual combination which made me think of a Scandinavian Smørrebrød. It is the sort of sandwich you either love or hate. I liked it but my son was not as keen.

The final topping was a mix of avocado, parsley and cress. The avocado was both mashed and chopped which made for an interesting texture. It was quite nice but would have benefited from a little black pepper or lemon juice to add more interest.

Overall the choice of sandwiches is pleasing although a little unusual.

The scones

What is an afternoon tea without scones? With lashings of cream and jam they provide the anticipation for the sweet cakes to come.

We had two fruit scones with cream and jam in separate containers. The scones were a good size and had a lovely texture and flavour. The amount of jam and cream was more than adequate, we had some left over. The strawberry jam was not too sweet and had the right amount of fruitiness. A little bit of butter would have been a good addition to the plate.

The cakes

The star of any afternoon tea is the cake layer. These days many afternoon teas have an emphasis on elaborate dessert style creations. At Revolution the cake tier was pretty but not elaborate.

One the plate sat chocolate brownies, macaroons, strawberry jelly and vanilla cheesecake.

Vanilla cheesecake is always a favourite. This was thick and creamy, although the slice was slightly small.

There was a choice of two different flavour macaroons. I let my son choose and he took the raspberry leaving me with the chocolate. It was a crispy and delicious bite with a delicate creamy chocolate filling.

The brownies did not disappoint. The flavour was rich and chocolatey. The crispy caramel piece on the top adds some crunch which sets off the chocolate flavour.

When it came to the jellies we found that we did not have a spoon to eat them with. We got a spoon when we asked for one. Unfortunately it was a dessert spoon which was too big for the glass container. We did manage to eat our jelly by using the wrong end of the spoon.

After solving the puzzle of how to eat the jelly we enjoyed the tangy strawberry flavour.

What we thought of afternoon tea at Revolution, Newcastle

If you are looking to give your mum a special gift for Mother’s day then a cocktail afternoon tea at Revolution Newcastle is a perfect treat. The interior of the building is gorgeous and will make your mum feel special.

The afternoon tea itself is well presented and tastes nice. Whilst I did have a few minor niggles, including the lack of a spoon, we did enjoy the food.

The staff are attentive and quick to serve you and the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly. We would be more than happy to visit again.

Where is Revolution Newcastle

Revolution Newcastle is on Collingwood Street.

Barclays Bank Chambers Collingwood Street,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 1JF,
England
+44 191 261 8901

There is some parking on the street with parking meters. Collingwood Street is easily accessible from Central Station if you are travelling by metro or bus.

Have you ever been to Revolution Newcastle? What did you think? Let me know below.

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