The best London cocktail bars from Mayfair to Shoreditch

Travel | 4 Jul 2018

The 12 London cocktail bars quenching our thirst

In a city at the top of its bar game, where to quench your thirst can be a million-dollar question. From intimate nooks to flamboyant and fun drinking dens, we raise a glass to London’s most stylish cocktail bars across the capital from Mayfair to Shoreditch. Even the most well-travelled barfly will want to while away a happy hour, or four, at these glamorous bars where the drinks are as sublime as the surroundings.

Dandelyan bar at the Mondrian London hotel, UK

Dandelyan

Established by the much-celebrated bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana – winner of World’s Best Bartender 2015 – Dandelyan does not betray its illustrious foundations. Based on the ground floor of the Mondrian London at Sea Containers hotel, the bar is an accessible and fun corner of the glamorous hotel on London’s South Bank, with an inventive drinks menu divided into three sections: Mint, Grape and Hops; Modern Life of Plants. Elaborate and creative concoctions like the Koji Hardshake (Dewar’s 12yo, lemon, koji and cream sugar, liquorice bitters) are served to a soundtrack of late 1970s and early 80s rock, funk and disco in a mid-century modern inspired-space designed by Tom Dixon and characterised by the use of bold green, accented with a marble bar, brass detailing and parquet flooring.

Mondrian London, 20 Upper Ground, T 020 3747 1063, www.dandelyanbar.com

Sager + Wilde

Billed by owners Michael and Charlotte as a place for experiencing wine by ‘learning, tasting and slurping’, Sager & Wilde leads the wave of a new generation of wine bars where drinkers can try up to 30 varieties by the glass in a relaxed environment. Setting up shop in an Edwardian pub on Hackney Road, the owners, who previously worked on vineyards in California and South America, scoured London’s antique markets for unusual decorative one-offs, including 1920s German station lights and lamps form a Japanese tanker. It’s unusual to celebrate the craft and flavour of wine in such an industrial setting, but it works very well indeed. A menu of charcuterie, cheeseboards and nibbles, round things off nicely, while a small selection of toasties made with British artisanal cheeses are the bar snack you never knew you needed.

193 Hackney Road, T 020 8127 7330, www.sagerandwilde.com

The bar at The Coral Room in Bloomsbury, London, UK

The Coral Room

With Martin Brudnizki behind its design, Bloomsbury’s Coral Room was never going to be an understated, minimalist affair. Transporting the aesthetic of a grand, exquisite country house to the city, the salon combines its namesake hue with bespoke Murano chandeliers, a long marble bar, double-height proportions and comfy armchairs draped in maximalist patterned fabrics. Despite the boldness of each component, it all comes together seamlessly and offers guests much to mull over while sipping one of the bar’s creative drinks, which include Big Smoke – an exciting mixture of orange chili syrup, Ancho Reyes, chipotle tincture and ginger ale. It’s all based on a 1932 Sir Edward Lutyens-designed building that is now the Bloomsbury Hotel, a riot of colour and fun, and an ideal refuge from the city for those seeking sanctuary but not modesty.

16-22 Great Russell Street, T 020 7347 1221, www.thecoralroom.co.uk

Untitled

Tony Conigliaro has been the name to check on the London cocktail scene since he opened 69 Colebrooke Row, a pioneering bar in Islington. He now masterminds a slew of bars including Soho institution Bar Termini, best-known for its great coffee and even greater negronis. One of his latest openings, in Hackney, is more polished than the others, almost gallery-like in its minimalism, with just one central polished concrete counter that encourages guests to mingle. The restaurant space overlooking the bar is warmer and has a Japanese izakaya feel to both the design – a collaboration between Conigliaro, Sofia Lympari from Studioprototype and Benny Robinson of Machine17 – and food, the menu was developed by chef Rob Roy Cameron. Expect a fusion of contemporary cooking techniques with authentic Japanese flavours in dishes that are designed to be shared and work perfectly with the cocktails, including Snow, a mind-boggling blend of distilled chalk, clay, flint and enoki mushroom. There is also now an al fresco space outside called the Moon Garden which accommodates around 40 people.

538 Kingsland Road, T 07841 022 924, www.untitled-bar.com

The Green Room bar at Curtain Hotel, London, UK

Green Room at Curtain Hotel

Launched to celebrate the first-year anniversary of London’s Curtain Hotel and members’ club, Green Room is a bar inspired by its location in the city’s east end. Inside, designer Ellie Horwell has layered industrial concrete surfaces with a playful background of bright peacock tones revealed through velvet furnishings and curtains, and hanging indoor greenery. Against walls emblazoned with graffiti murals by artist Xenz, the bar sends out potent tipples, that take their cues from the area’s best-loved places, using products from local purveyors like East London Liquor Company Rum, Land Chocolate, London Tumeric Honey and E5 Bakery. As such, expect drinks like MaBelle, with floral notes inspired by the rose garden in Victoria Park; and Rough Trade, a vibrant brew with a Bangladeshi twist that nods to Brick Lane.

45 Curtain Road, T 020 3146 4545 www.thecurtain.com

The 1930s-inspired Fumoir bar, London, UK

The Fumoir

Quietly rolling since 1929, The Fumoir presents one of Claridge’s many discreet pockets. Tucked away behind a glass door, this former smoking lounge takes on a spirit all of its own with a dark and heady Thirties-inspired interior that is the sultry sibling to the brighter sparkling Claridge’s Bar. Design by Thierry Despont sees mirrored walls, Lalique panelled lighting and a black marble horseshoe bar brush side-by-side with a deep aubergine palette and red velvet seating. Open all day, the bar presents an indulgent menu of caviar and fruits de la mer for, while come sundown the stimulating décor should be matched with an equally spirituous cocktail – the East India Cobbler’s combination of Plymouth Navy, Lapsang Souchong and honeyed pomegranate molasses, is a good place to start. And you’ll often catch the hotel’s artist-in-residence fashion illustrator David Downton here, sipping a drink post-portrait commission.

Claridge’s, Brook Street, T 020 7629 8860, www.claridges.co.uk

The Library Bar at The Ned hotel, London, UK

The Library Bar

With a list of champagnes that is longer than the number of guests it can accommodate, you know you’re in for a treat at The Library Bar. The 17th bar to open at The Ned, the 18-seat space – located next to Cecconi’s – provides some much-needed intimacy, among the hummming venues spread throughout the ground floor of the former Midland Bank building. Inside, a 1930s vibe is revealed through parquet flooring, restored antique furniture, a walled cabinet of retro cocktail books and a leather-clad bar backed by a brass rack inspired by the arched windows of Lutyens’ architecture. Ensconce yourself in a deep velvet club chair and start with a bespoke blend from the martini trolley, followed by a cocktail from the vintage collection concocted with rare spirits and vermouths. Light bites, which include caviar, Wagyu beef tartare and truffle pizettas, further highlight this little pocket of exclusivity at The Ned.

27 Poultry, T 020 3828 2000, www.thened.com

Oriole

The second bar from the team behind the award-winning Hoxton cocktail bar NightJar, Oriole in Smithfields is an explorer’s paradise. With an interior filled with three-faced masks from the Congo and bronze sculpture from the Amazon, it’s no surprise that the concept of Oriole is built on the theme of adventure. Not just limited to the décor, this brilliantly executed approach is also woven into the highly-acclaimed bar’s menu, which is spilt into three sections: Old World (Europe and Africa), New World (The Americas) and The Orient (Asia, Pacific and Sub-Continent). The result is a selection of concoctions that run the gamut of the Japanese-inspired Yonezawa, a plummy and tangy, sake- and rum-based mixture, to the Garden of England, which flies the flag with a vegetal yet potent combination of gin, Piquillo wine and vegetable passata. It’s all served in a space that combines the glamour of an old-school nightclub with international cultural touchpoints for an adventurous spirit that sets the stage for a programme of live swing, jazz and blues.

East Poultry Avenue, Smithfield Markets, T 020 3457 8099, www.oriolebar.com

Beaufort Bar at the Savoy

London bars don’t come more legendary than the Beaufort Bar at the Savoy, although it has stiff competition in the form of the famous American Bar, this one is the more glamorous option. Conceived as an ode to the fabulous tales and extraordinary guests that have built the story of this famed hotel since it opened in 1889. An art deco-inspired décor is a fitting tribute to the hotel’s wonder years – the roaring 1920s – and dramatically fuses gold accents with opulent black velvet furnishings and low lighting for a sexy atmosphere that lives up to the pre-Depression price tags. A trio of gold leaf gilded alcoves are the best spots from which to enjoy the space, formerly the hotel’s cabaret stage, accompanied by a glass from the bar’s expansive vintage and non-vintage champagne selection, or one of the rare and vintage cocktails, served in era-specific glassware.

Strand, T 020 7836 4343, www.fairmont.com/Savoy

Fitz's Bar at The Principal Hotel, London, UK

Fitz’s Bar

Quite aptly, Russell Sage Studio has made a mark on Russell Square. Fitz’s Bar, one of many outstanding outlets in Fitzrovia’s The Principal Hotel, is a two-room cocktail bar that is an ode of the past of this storied corner of the capital, which has played host to literary luminaries over the years. Named for Charles Fitzroy Doll, the hotel’s original architect, the bar maintains a number of authentic details, including original stained-glass windows, alongside plush velvet seaters, parquet flooring, panelled walls and work by Milanese contemporary artist 2501. A flamboyant menu, coloured with illustrations by jazz-age artist John Held Jr, is mainly the work of Head of Bars, Sean Fennelly hailing from Milk & Honey, and Head Bartender Carey Hanlon, the woman behind the bar’s signature Sweet Manhattan.

The Principal Hotel, 1-8 Russell Square, T 020 7520 1807, www.fitzs.co.uk

The Punch Room bar at the London Edition hotel, London, UK

Punch Room

Bringing the vision of London’s 19th-century private clubs back to life, Punch Room is an intimate space made for quiet conversation. Oak-panelled walls, an open fireplace and leather armchairs lend weight to the space, which specialises in punch bowl concoctions – around 30 specialty punches at last count. Despite being based in Fitzrovia’s uber chic (and popular) London Edition hotel, the bar operates a reservation only policy, which only augments its studied throwback to the gentlemens’ clubs of yore. Start with the signature, gin-infused Edition house punch before moving on to Scandal Water. This is a new concept that allows guests to sample five pairings of tea, light bites and alcoholic tea-based tipples, in homage to the 19th-century tea drinking traditions of the city’s upper class who cleverly recognised the winning combination of tea and gossip.

10 Berners Street, T 020 7908 7949, www.editionhotels.com/london

Chiltern Firehouse

Probably one of the biggest — and most anticipated — openings in London in the past decade, Chiltern Firehouse quickly established itself as one of the capital’s hotspots when it opened back in 2014. Not surprising, given that the hotel is the work of André Balazs (of Chateau Marmont fame) and is based in a beautiful 1889 Grade II-listed former fire station in well-heeled Marylebone. Inside, chic yet homely interiors lined with marble and mirrors, low lighting and woven-canvas ceilings frame a ground floor restaurant and bar led by Nuno Mendes, which, four years later, are still the places to see and be seen. At the bar, moreish snacks and fun cocktails, like the Popeye, a combination of tequila, vermouth and lemon oils, do come with a hefty price tag, but you’re here for the view.

1 Chiltern Street, T 020 7073 7676, www.chilternfirehouse.com

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The 12 London cocktail bars quenching our thirst

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