It depends where you are. In Scotland it's hard to find a pub without a good whisky selection and in any UK city a pub will be able to make a wide range of cocktails. Having said that, some play loud music and some don't.
A pub may have the ingredients to make a wide range of cocktails, but most of them won't have staff who actually know how to do so well. If you're lucky someone will have had some training in making cocktails and be able to make something passable. If you're unlucky they'll grab the bottle of premix from under the bar.
Cocktail bars are a distinct thing, and have staff who actually know what they're doing, unfortunately they usually have exactly the same problems described in this article of being uncomfortably loud.
