There are two Swizzle Inns in Bermuda: One on the South Shore, and one just opposite the Crystal and Fantasy Caves. The latter, the Swizzle Inn, Bailey's Bay, was established in 1932 and claims to be both the oldest pub in Bermuda and home to the country's famous rum swizzle cocktail.
The Swizzle Inn, Bailey's Bay is like a cross between an English pub and U.S. dive bar, with enthusiastically graffitied walls, a barrage of old and new business cards stuck to the rafters, a bevy of those cliched signs about paying in advance if you're drinking to forget, and a menu of traditional pub grub with a Bermudian twist. The coolest thing is the haphazard pile of visitors' books, which date back as far as the early '40s!
The food is decent but the rum swizzle was disappointing—thin and sharp, as if they could only find one fruit juice to add. While we were there, the clientele was a nice mix of tourists and friendly locals, who pointed out the visitors' books and encouraged us to read them. However, you get the impression the pub could turn into a raging tourist trap during high season, especially when the cruise ships are around.
That said, it's a stone's throw from the Crystal and Fantasy Caves, and you're going to be thirsty after all that climbing. Worth stopping by.
