So cool it doesn’t even have a sign outside, Maven is Leeds’ newest cocktail bar created by South African-born Claudio Antonino (ex-Harvey Nichols), who wanted to offer the city something
different. So he transformed a dodgy old boozer on Call Lane into a discreet and stylish take on a pre-prohibition lounge with navy-blue walls, a polished wood floor, leather banquettes and wooden
tables and chairs. The bar holds centre stage, stacked to the ceiling with exotic bottles and mixes including 47 brands of gin. Cool young men in braces are the speakeasy-style mixologists for a
regularly changing list of seductive cocktails – anything from reggae punch to the elegant ‘elder lady’ (a mix of gin and elderflower served in vintage teacups). Also look out for monthly quizzes
at this sophisticated drinking den.