Kuckoo, Fox Street, Preston

Anybody who follows my weekly ramblings will have guessed I am a man of simple pleasures.
Real ale, traditional pubs and a bit of atmosphere and/or big screen football just about covers my spectrum of taste.
Fortunately across Preston and Lancashire I have discovered many opportunities to indulge this passion.
“Old before your time” some say of me, while others chime in with unfounded accusations of a “belligerent refusal to try anything new”.
But on a Friday evenings, as I nestle down in a corner close to an open fire with a nice pint of real ale, I can’t help smiling at the naivety of these delusional fools.
But, of late, these moments of epiphany have been followed by an irritating nagging sensation, of there being something I should have done.
Something you have happily ignored but remains, loitering at the back of your mind, like an overdue visit to a distant relation you don’t really like.
So, with a heavy heart I abandoned hopes of real ale and tap rooms, and headed into Preston; destination somewhere ‘different’.
I headed along Church Street and quickly turned back, cursing myself for such folly.
I was ready to give it all up and head home, content at least that I had tried, when I remembered Kuckoo, on Fox Street.
I knew it was new, trendy and had no real ale. It sounded perfect so I gave it a go.
Inside, a virtue has been made of darkness or at least a premium put on lighting with sweeps of red seating, to create some sort of gothic boudoir fusion.
The bar predominantly serves cocktails and, looking at the menu, I tried not to work out how many pints I could have had in the Blue Bell (four) for the price of one cocktail.
But, watching the barman perform a ritual of twisting, turning, throwing and shaking as he prepared my drink, it was clear cocktails are serious business here.
I intended to stay for one drink before retreating back to one of my safety zones but I kept on hitting a stumbling block; the music.
Throughout the evening the bar consistently played great indie and rock tunes which cannot help but brighten up an evening.
Before I knew it, several more perfectly prepared cocktails had slipped down and the most of the evening had gone.
At its height the bar was packed solid, but unlike some places in the city centre, the atmosphere always remained relaxed and friendly.
I left after midnight happy at having enjoyed a really good night out but simultaneously grumpy as those chiming voices came flooding into my head.
“Told you so”,  they said.