There’s something about summer drinks that really lends itself to the art of mixology. These balmy evenings and sunny afternoons are just so much more civilised with a classic cocktail in hand. Of course for the more adventurous among us there are plenty of creative concoctions out there too (pig’s blood vodka Bloody Mary anyone?). Whether you’re after an Old Fashioned or would rather something home-brewed in a jam jar, we’ve rounded up the best restaurants in the capital in which to sip a refreshing cocktail…
Cocktails: £7.50-12.50
“Absurdly juicy” steaks and “first-class cocktails” underpin huge acclaim for Huw Gott & Will Beckett’s “casual and laid-back” temples to meat; even fans admit prices are “eye-watering”, though, and ratings are beginning to fall some way behind those of its main rival, Goodman. The bar at Hawksmoor’s Spitalfields branch is particularly celebrated for its mixology – there’s a cocktail for every time of day and (if 1821 doctors are to be believed) for every ailment too.
Cocktails: £8.50-10
Matt Whiley (one of the founders of the Worship Street Whistling Shop) brings his talents to the Town Hall Hotel; the bar does drinks for Lee Westcott’s The Typing Room restaurant, also in the building. Try some of their East End-inspired drinks, made with spirits distilled in-house, like the D Groner: salt beef beigel (from Brick Lane), cognac, bitters and mustard leaf. Bar snacks from Typing Rooms are available. Also look out for Mr Whiley’s concoctions at Brad McDonald’s soon-to-open Shotgun in Soho.
The Blind Pig, Social Eating House W1
Cocktails: £8.50-9.50
Located on the 1st floor of Social Eating House, the Blind Pig has a vintage twist with antique mirrored ceilings and reclaimed wooden chairs. The bar serves a signature drinks menu created by mixologist Gareth Evans including the Thermonuclear daiquiri and Dill or no Dill. We like the sound of the Dill or no Dill, personally – Tanqueray gin, smashed cucumber, elderflower syrup, lemon juice, fresh dill, smoked salt. Tapas bar favourites like padrón peppers and jamón Ibérico feature, but there’s also a tasty mac ‘n’ cheese.
Cocktails: £9.50-10.50
Hidden away in the little square behind The Zetter Hotel is the Zetter Townhouse which vaunts a classy cocktail lounge – brought to us in collaboration between the hotel, chef Bruno Loubet and mixologist Tony Conigliaro. There’s quite an array of house cocktails. Our favourites are: The Flintlock (Beefeater 24 gin, gunpowder tea tincture, sugar, dandelion & burdock bitters & Fernet Branca) and Levante (Beefeater gin, saffron cordial, Amontillado sherry & paprika tincture).
Cocktails: £10.50-14.50
Situated in the station’s original ticket hall, this bar and restaurant at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is a great place to grab a drink and bite to eat before hopping on the Eurostar. There’s a huge cocktail list at Booking Office including punches, classics and absinthe-based concoctions, but if you’d rather not board your train three sheets to the wind there’s also a selection of low-alcohol long drinks.
The Artesian at The Langham W1
Cocktails: £17
This glamorous hotel bar (attached to Roux at the Landau) has won a clutch of awards for its cocktails which are made with some highfalutin frozen water. Apparently their special ice is produced using the very latest technology, which they say creates ‘purer, colder’ ice ‘with a higher density, making it last longer and your cocktails cooler’. We recommend their Bloody Mary – it’s like a meal in itself with celery, cornichons and pickled onions mixed in.
Cocktails: £17-21
If you feel like getting dressed up and sipping cocktails in glamorous surroundings, this is the place to do it. The drinks list fuses tradition and innovation using exclusive vintages and limited edition champagnes, spirits and liqueurs. The Connaught’s Gin Collins, we are told, is a thing of beauty.
Cocktails: £7.50-9.50
“Yummy ceviche as the name suggest” and other “tangy, tasty and well-executed” dishes – not to mention “excellent Pisco sours” – “help extend one’s sense of what Peruvian food can be”, at this “vibrant” and “distinctive” Soho rendezvous. If you haven’t yet been swept up in London’s love of Pisco yet, then Ceviche is a great place to fall head over heels for this Peruvian drink. Sit at the bar and enjoy a few small plates while quaffing a Pisco Sour (Pisco Quebranta, lime, sugar syrup, egg white and Peruvian Chuncho bitters).
Cocktails: £7-10
“Forget Nobu – this is much better!”; “Zuma’s little sisters” offer “light-hearted and creative” Japanese-fusion dishes that “explode on the palate”, and “terrific” cocktails too. The counterpart of upmarket sushi spot Roka, this subterranean bar serves Japanese-influenced cocktails alongside the full restaurant menu. As the name would suggest many of its concoctions are made with Shochu (a vodka-like infused spirit popular in Japan), however there are also a few classics on the list.
Cocktails: £16
Or why not have a ‘refreshing libation’ in a backstreet botanical garden? Taking the life and times of Phileas Fogg as its inspiration, Mr Fogg’s serves up thoroughly British cocktails alongside its afternoon tea. Try the Anna Maria Russell, named after the inventor of afternoon tea, the Duchess of Bedford (Tatratea liqueur with sloe gin and lemon bitters topped with Ruinart champagne). Counterpart Mr Fogg’s Tavern coming soon to Covent Garden.
Cocktails: £8.50-9.75
It’s the “magical” rooftop dining area which excites reporters on Sir Terence Conran’s “cool-looking” Shoreditch venture (which also has a spacious basement restaurant); portions can be “small”, though, and service is on the “sketchy” side. The rooftop cocktail lists includes plenty of the old favourites as well as pitchers to share at £25 each. Their Sloe Gin Fizz (Plymouth sloe gin, Tanqueray gin, rosemary, lemon juice, soda water) is a great refresher on a hot day.
Cocktails: £8-9.50
From an ex-Gore Hotel duo, a new brasserie near Fulham Broadway which downstairs vaunts a gin bar, 510 Below, with an extensive cocktail list.
Cocktails £7.50-8.50
“Burgers to die for, lethal cocktails, fantastic decor… what more could you want?” – this “buzzy” (“extremely noisy”) Hoxton Square outlet of the ‘Meat’ franchise is, say fans, “incredibly cheap for the quality”. There’s also a variety of ‘hard shakes’ to go with those dirty burgers and their ‘Sherberts’ have garnered quite a reputation. We like the Tequila Rosemary (Ocho tequila, sherbert, fresh rosemary, lemon juice and soda).
Cocktails: £9-19
Fitzrovia speakeasy-style cocktail den opens a second location in Fulham with all-day restaurant; ex Light House (SW19) chef Michael Mannion heads up the kitchen. Get into the swing of the 20s theme with a Flappers’ Favourite (Yellow Chartreuse, raspberry, honey and fizz).
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