He's worked in some of the best bars in the world and now Cameron Ellis wants to make his own unique Carlisle bar one of the best.

Yellowjacket is a place of decadence where drinks are made to perfection in front of your eyes.

Ice is carved and cocktails are made using the freshest ingredients.

Forget syrups, purees and artificial colours - the drinks at Yellowjacket have none of those.

Cameron opened the bar, on Warwick Road, before Christmas with the aim of becoming one of the best.

He has spent time working at The Dead Rabbit in New York, winner of The World's Best Bar.

He said: "A bar like mine is the norm in bigger cities but it's very different for Carlisle."

The beautifully decorated bar is filled with ornate furniture and lighting, chosen by Cameron's mum Gill.

Cameron said: "It's a nice place to come to sit and relax. We play funky beats and acid jazz music. We have a range of tables for different sized groups."

Customers are asked to book ahead to avoid missing out on a table.

"We're changing some of the tables round so we can accommodate different sized groups and make the most of the space available," said Cameron.

He is keen to stress that the bar is not for members only.

He said: "It's a massive misconception that we are a members only bar - we're not.

"A lot of people walk past the window and think we're an antique shop."

One of the more unusual drinks on the menu is a cocktail called White Elephant.

"It's made using elephant gin - sales of the gin help protect elephants - white port, Madagascan vanilla, homemade lemon sherbet, smoked thyme and egg white. It's quite special."

The drinks menu is changed every six months with a new menu coming in May.

Cameron said: "I am going to Paris in March to work on my new menu and I'd like to go back and work in some of the bars classed as the world's best.
Cameron Ellis

"There's one in Athens in Greece which is the seventh best bar in the world.

"But for now my aim is to make Yellowjacket one of the top bars in the UK, Europe and Internationally."

Cameron will soon take part in a competition to find the world's best cocktail.

His bar, which is open Thursday to Sunday evenings, also stocks a range of beers, award winning wines, fortified wines, aperitifs and digestifs in its back bar.