London's Best Cocktail Bars E-Book

Susan Cohen

• Herausgeber: IMM Lifestyle Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 111

Beschreibung

London has some of the best cocktail bars in the world, from the luxurious and trendy to the quirky and classy. London's Best Cocktail Spots is the hippest, most up-to-date guide to London's diverse and stylish cocktail scene. It offers lively descriptive reviews of 48 top venues across the city, from smart hotels and rooftop bars to craft cocktail hotspots, over-the-top concept bars and celebrity-spotting destinations. Each revealing entry includes a concise description, contact and reservation details, nearby tube stops, whether food is served, opening hours and lavish color photos. Locations are pinpointed on easy-to-read maps. This indispensable nightlife guide even includes recipes for the best signature cocktails in town, plus an introduction to the art of cocktail making and the history of cocktails.

Leseprobe

The Most Popular Hotspots

SUSAN COHEN

Published 2019—IMM Lifestyle Books

http://foxchapelpublishing.co.uk

IMM Lifestyle Books are distributed in the UK by Grantham Book Service, Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ.

In North America, IMM Lifestyle Books are distributed by Fox Chapel Publishing, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

© 2019 by Susan Cohen and IMM Lifestyle Books

Produced under license.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Fox Chapel Publishing.

Print ISBN 978-1-5048-0105-8eISBN: 978-1-6076-5661-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Cohen, Susan, 1946- author.

Title: London’s best cocktail bars / Susan Cohen.

Description: Mount Joy : IMM Lifestyle Books, 2019. | Includes index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2018059514 (print) | LCCN 2018060834 (ebook) | ISBN 9781607656616 (ebook) | ISBN 9781504801058 (hardback)

Subjects: LCSH: Bars (Drinking establishments)—England—London—Guidebooks.

Classification: LCC TX950.59.G7 (ebook) | LCC TX950.59.G7 .C64 2019 (print) | DDC 647.95421—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018059514

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

This book has been published with the intent to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter within. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author and publisher expressly disclaim any responsibility for any errors, omissions, or adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein.

Introduction

Exactly where and how the cocktail started is somewhat of a mystery; there are plenty of myths and legends around. Some say the name came from the practice of docking a horse’s tail to show it was not a purebred. So, if you drank a cocktail, you were thought to be trying to elevate your social standing. Or maybe it comes from ‘cock tailings’, where the ‘cock’ was the tap of a barrel and the ‘tails’ were the dregs collected inside it. Regardless of whether either of these stories is true, there is a popular belief that the American cocktail is more than 200 years old, and that the martini, which author E. B. White called ‘the elixir of quietude’, has most definitely been around for more than 150 years. In fact, some of the best-known cocktails—the martini, the daiquiri, and the Manhattan—appeared between the 1860s and 1920, the year that Prohibition was introduced in America. For the next thirteen years, bootlegged alcohol and illegal drinking went underground into speakeasies, and as a result, bartenders became more inventive.

‘Shaken, not stirred’. —James Bond

‘Happiness is...finding two olives in your martini when you’re hungry’. —Johnny Carson

Meanwhile, as transatlantic travel became more popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, cocktails reached our shores here in the UK. In response, many American bars opened up in London, with inspired bartenders serving these mixed or ‘American’ style drinks. Amongst the great names was The Savoy, who employed the first famous, and first female, bartender in 1903. Ada ‘Coley’ Coleman, whose signature cocktail was the Hanky Panky, took London by storm, and was followed by the inspirational Harry Craddock. He left America during Prohibition and in 1930 compiled The Savoy Cocktail Book, famously proclaiming cocktails to be ‘the finest appetisers known’. His classic creations include the Corpse Reviver No. 2, one of the family of cocktails which are claimed to cure a hangover, and the Sherry Flip, made up simply of an egg yolk and sherry. Yet another classic cocktail bible, The Official Mixer’s Manual, written by Patrick Gavin Duffy in 1934, included recipes for the improbable sounding Monkey Gland and Bosom Caresser.

When it comes to the cocktail party, British author Alec Waugh claimed responsibility for inventing this social gathering in 1925. He explained how he was looking for something to do between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, and so he invited some friends to join him for drinks at his London home. But the English were devoted to tea, and he was disappointed when only one person turned up. Undeterred, he tried again in the autumn of 1925, and this time was economical with the truth, asking thirty people to tea at 5.00pm. They eagerly expected a cup of Earl Grey, but their hopes faded when, much to their amazement, Waugh produced his surprise in the form of ‘a beaker of Daiquiris’. So, it seems, the cocktail party was born, and when Waugh returned from his next book tour, he found a nation where cocktails had replaced tea after 5.00pm.

‘I never go jogging, it makes me spill my martini’. —George Burns

Today, mixologists create exciting cocktails using the finest, and often unusual, natural ingredients sourced from near and far, and produce mixes which make the most of seasonal plants, herbs, and spices. Trends in cocktails are associated with different eras and can transport you to a different decade, from the 19th century through the Prohibition era and the Second World War to the Swinging Sixties. Hollywood films are loaded with cocktails—from the 1930s’ The Thin Man: Murder over Cocktails, through Marilyn Monroe’s Manhattan in Some Like It Hot, to Barbra Streisand’s 1968 green crème de menthe frappe in Funny Girl, to the Dude’s White Russian in the 1998 film The Big Lebowski.

The bars in this guide are a selection of the best that London has to offer, from legendary sophisticated venues, to American bars, to themed spots and tiny speakeasies. There are places for a pre-theatre drink, places to unwind after a hard day at work, and places where you can spend time relaxing in quiet or not-so-quiet surroundings, depending on your mood. Some of the locations offer cocktail masterclasses so you can hone your skills and become a master of mixology. Others specialise in gin, vodka, or whisky-based cocktails, whilst champagne cocktails have many a follower, too. The bartenders in these establishments are devoted to their craft, and though they are always innovative, creating drinks to tickle the fancy, they still mix those eternal classics—for there are some cocktails that cannot and will not ever go out of fashion. The martini is a perfect example: the ingredients are simple, but it is hard to beat. From James Bond’s widely recognized instruction that it be ‘shaken not stirred’, to Ernest Hemingway’s declaration in A Farewell to Arms, ‘I’ve never tasted anything so cool and clean. They made me feel civilized’, this gin-based drink has been, and will continue to be, a star in the cocktail bible.

So, hit the streets of London with this book as your guide, and choose the bar that best suits your mood or takes your fancy; you won’t be disappointed, and you’ll definitely want to try as many of these unique, fun, and trendy places as you can.

Contents

12th Knot, Sea Containers London

69 Colebrooke Row

American Bar, The Beaumont

American Bar, The Savoy

• RECIPE: Hanky Panky

American Bar, The Stafford

Aquavit London

• RECIPE: Chanterelle

Artesian, The Langham

Aviator Bar, Hush

• RECIPE: Romani Rose (Bulgaria)

Balthazar

Bar Américain, Brasserie Zédel

• RECIPE: Old Fashioned

Beaufort Bar, The Savoy

Belowzero Ice Bar

The Blind Pig

Blind Spot, St Martins Lane

• RECIPE: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Blue Bar, The Berkeley

Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings

Brumus Bar, Haymarket Hotel

Cahoots

Callooh Callay

Claridge’s Bar, Claridge’s

Connaught Bar, The Connaught

Donovan Bar, Brown’s Hotel

Experimental Cocktail Club

The Fumoir, Claridge’s

The Glade, sketch

Green Bar, Hotel Café Royal

Ham Yard Bar, Ham Yard Hotel

Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Bar

Ladies & Gentlemen

Little Bat

The Lobby Bar, One Aldwych

• RECIPE: Fairy Garden Infusion

London Cocktail Club (Liverpool Street)

Long Bar, Sanderson

The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town

Mr Fogg’s Residence

The Nickel Bar, The Ned

• RECIPE: The Nedgroni

Nightjar

Oriole

OXO Tower Bar

Radio Rooftop Bar, ME London

Reverend JW Simpson

The Rivoli Bar, The Ritz

• RECIPE: Ritz 110

Scarfes Bar, Rosewood London

Sexy Fish

Swift

Whistling Shop

Credits

About the Author

Where applicable, venues are listed with the name of the hotel in which they are located given.

Map of cocktail venues

12TH KNOT

Sea Containers London

Whizz up in the lift (elevator) to the 12th floor of the South Bank’s Sea Containers London, and you are in the right place for 12th Knot, the hotel’s rooftop bar, which affords guests striking views across the River Thames and London’s skyline. It is stylish, light, and airy during the day, with a real outdoor/indoor garden feel about it. Lush plants, plush mauve banquettes, comfy armchairs and lounge spaces, glittering chandeliers, and a very shiny gold bar all add to the luxe feel. As wonderful as it is during the day, the place truly comes alive once it gets to sunset and later, and has a more bling feel about it.

The carefully curated cocktails are British and American inspired, aimed at blending the best of the two cultures, with a transatlantic mix of tastes and flavours. You can, of course, ask one of the team to mix your favourite. Depending on when you visit, you might find Thanks a Tot, a gift for anyone with a love of the sea. This mix of three rums, with the addition of cinnamon and pimento, hopped peach drops, citrus, and caraway, is rich and full of flavour, and both sour and aromatic. From across the Atlantic, there’s Coquetier, which comes with a warning to sip slowly. This is for you if you like your spirits dark, for it’s a complex and strong drink, made of cognac, the spicy, fruity French liqueur Suze Saveur d’Autrefois, the Italian bitter liqueur Cynar, Bulleit Rye whiskey, Heering cherry liqueur, claret, Peychaud’s, and orange bitters. A small bar food menu has good poké bowls to share. You can’t miss the buzz and vibe here, especially from 7.00pm on Wednesday nights when Skyline sessions feature live music, or from Thursday to Sunday when the DJs are in action.

ADDRESS: Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PD

TEL: [phone]

EMAIL:[email protected]

WEB:www.seacontainerslondon.com/food-drink/12th-knot

OPENING HOURS: Tuesday and Wednesday 5.00pm–1.00am, Thursday to Saturday 5.00pm–1.30am. Outdoor terrace open 5.00pm–10.00pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.

BOOKINGS: Via the website; walk-ins are first come, first served. Check the website calendar for closures due to private events.

DRESS CODE: Smart casual; no sportswear, trainers/sneakers, or flip-flops

AGE RESTRICTION: 21+

NEAREST UNDERGROUND STATIONS: Waterloo, Blackfriars

PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY: Tate Modern, River Thames, Shakespeare’s Globe, Borough Market, National Theatre, OXO Tower

69 COLEBROOKE ROW

Look out for the lantern above the door of this tiny speakeasy-style bar on the corner of a backstreet in Islington. 69 Colebrooke Row, also known as The Bar with No Name, is a wow of a place, and you really need to make a reservation, or prepare to be disappointed. Inside it’s 1950s Italian café style, relaxed and cosy, and the staff are smartly dressed in the 69 Colebrooke Row jacket with distinctive logo, white shirt, black tie, trousers, and shoes. The menu is the creation of cocktail supremo Tony Conigliaro and his pioneering team at the research and development laboratory at The Drink Factory. The original, seasonally changing cocktails are created using secret ingredients that, in careful combination, result in drinks that challenge the senses in equal measure without being gimmicky. 69’s Death in Venice cocktail recipe makes a particularly refreshing tipple, simply prepared with Campari, Prosecco, and homemade grapefruit bitters. For a real treat, or even a challenge, don’t miss the bar’s own innovative version of the ultimate 19th-century hangover cure, the Prairie Oyster, which you must drink all at once! It’s a wonder of modern invention how the traditional raw egg yolk has been replaced by a ‘tomato’ yolk, and instead of Worcestershire sauce, there’s horseradish vodka and Oloroso sherry, shallots, pepper sauce, celery salt, and oyster leaf. If you prefer, classic and non-alcoholic cocktails are available on request. The place is always animated, but on the nights that the in-house pianist is there, it positively vibrates to the beat. A tiny neighbourhood bar with a big heart.

ADDRESS: 69 Colebrooke Row, Islington, London N1 8AA

TEL: [phone]

EMAIL:[email protected]

WEB:www.69colebrookerow.com

OPENING HOURS: Sunday to Wednesday 5.00pm–midnight, Thursday 5.00pm–1.00am, Friday and Saturday 5.00pm–2.00am

BOOKINGS: Available for parties of 1–8 guests, for one hour; visit www.exploretock.com/69colebrookerow. You can ask for a longer time slot. Walk-ins welcome.

AGE RESTRICTION: 18+

EVENTS/LIVE MUSIC: For the Sunday night programme, check www.69colebrookerow.com/events. The in-house pianist plays on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 8.00pm–11.00pm.

MASTERCLASSES: Check the website for Saturday and Sunday afternoon dates and details: www.69colebrookerow.com/masterclasses/#masterclass-details

NEAREST UNDERGROUND STATIONS: Angel, Highbury & Islington

PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY: Exmouth Market, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Victoria Miro Gallery, Gagosian Gallery, Clockmakers’ Museum, Postal Museum, London Canal Museum

AMERICAN BAR

The Beaumont

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