The Coronation Tap is such an institution that Bristol University has its own club dedicated to this historic Clifton pub only a few hundred yards from the Suspension Bridge. It is a rite of passage for students to get Corried, a peculiar term which translated means enjoying one or two of the pub’s famous Exhibition ciders. You can even get a badge to prove it.
In a canny marketing ploy, the Exhibition ciders are served only in half pints, ostensibly due to being too strong to be served in pints. They are always lined up behind the bar, and are always its most popular drink.
Because of its popularity, the one-room pub can get extremely busy, sometimes uncomfortably so, especially on a Friday and Saturday night. So if you want a quiet drink, it’s probably best to avoid at those times.
What is now the Coronation Tap was originally a farmhouse and one of the first buildings in Clifton, once a separate settlement to Bristol. It has been a pub since the mid-eighteenth century and used to incorporated a general store.
It’s not just about the cider here, and in recent years the pub has been making quite a name for itself on the live music scene, featuring gigs from the likes of Bristol favourites Beth Rowley and Moscow Drug Club as well as acts from further afield.
For the last three years, the Cori has been a finalist in The Publican’s UK Music Pub of the Year, and last year was named the South West’s Best Live Music Pub in the Great British Pub Awards.
This weekend sees cider and music combined for the annual CoriFest, with marquees erected in Portland Street, a barbecue, hogroast and even a Spitfire fly-past.
The Coronation Tap, 8 Sion Place, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4AX. 0117 973 9617.
A wonderful pub, well worth a visit.