Where to Drink: London, UK 🇬🇧
You can find a good cocktail in any city of a certain size, but there are only a dozen or so that are truly great cocktail cities—meaning they have lots of bars providing great hospitality and serving delicious, memorable drinks.
London is definitely one of those cities, and to such a scale that it would be impossible for even locals to hit every single spot in town, much less a visitor who's only in town for a week or two.
That's exactly my kind of challenge, though, and London Cocktail Week is always the perfect opportunity to update my pinned bars. 😎
What is cocktail week?
London Cocktail Week is an annual event that actually spans two weeks every October. Anyone can buy a wristband for £20, which entitles you to a £9 signature cocktail at any of the participating bars around town.
Considering that cocktails seem to go for £15-25 these days, and there are +200 bars participating, it's a great deal! And the festival itself is a nonprofit, so 100% of the proceeds from both the wristbands and cocktails stay with the bar.
They host a number of workshops and tastings as part of the festival, too. Most of them are open to anyone, but there are a handful of knowledge shares that are only open to industry folks.
It's a great impetus to try new spots while supporting local businesses and the hospital industry at large.
Great Cocktail Bars in London
This was my second year going all out for cocktail week, and my fifth time visiting the city in general. I've managed to put a decent dent in all my pinned bars, but I haven't been everywhere.
So, take it with a grain of salt! And leave your own recs for my next trip plz. 😎
Dram (left) and Side Hustle (right) are exact opposites, but a quick walk from each other!
Central London
My favorite bars in the Soho and Mayfair area
Dram
Dram is primarily a whisky bar, but the kind your non-whisky-drinking friends will enjoy, too. They start the day as a cafe, and then transition into a bar that packs a lot into a small space, including a terrace, pool hall, and cocktail vending machine. Their slogan is "serious drinks, fun bar" and that's exactly on point.
Most bars advertising the hundreds of whiskeys they have in stock would be a little stuffy or intimidating, but everything about Dram is chill and welcoming. And yet, it's clear that a lot of thought went into every detail about this place.
Side Hustle
It takes a lot for me to fall for a hotel bar, but the flavorful cocktails and top-notch hospitality on offer at Side Hustle make it an easy choice.
Their menu is broken up into margarita riffs, signature cocktails featuring agave spirits, and some interesting beer/shot combos. However, the bartenders are just as happy to serve you your favorite classic cocktail without any fuss.
That being said: I do highly recommend exploring their margarita menu. Their riffs are so interesting and well-executed that it's almost insulting that they have to share a category with the sugary pitchers served at chain restaurants.
Bonus: The Connaught
I have yet to make it to here myself but I hear it's a must-stop for any martini fan.
Luxuriously appointed and boasting a whole martini cart stocked with vintage spirits, you're not just ordering a drink. You're getting an experience.
South London
Bars south of the river
Swift Borough
Bar Swift has three locations, and two bars in each spot. So, there's a lot going on! But their Bourugh Market location is my favorite.
There's a light and airy ground-floor bar that is perfect for a casual happy hour, and then a basement speakeasy with a big whisky menu and more refined vibe that usually requires a reservation.
I was lucky enough to get a private tour as part of a London Cocktail Week last year, and the crew at Sift Borough invited me to hang out upstairs with my laptop to get a little work done after. And, with their famous Irish Coffee in hand, nothing really feels like work. 😎
Lyaness
A hotel bar only technically, Lyaness is part of a bar group that's industry-famous for its creativity, hospitality, and long list of awards.
While I generally prefer a smaller, more intimate bar environment, Lyaness really is worth a visit. Their cocktail menus change often and are high-concept without bogging you down in the details. Going through it feels like as much of a fun little treat as enjoying the drinks themselves.
Three very different cocktails - all found in east London
East London
Shoreditch and Hackney are great spots for a little (or not so little) bar crawl
Cocktail Trading Co.
"Neighborhood bar serving great cocktails," is unofficially my favorite category of bar and Cocktail Trading Co is just that.
The space is casual without being divey, and the drinks are very Instagrammable while still being delicious. (A surprisingly rare combo!)
I was able to attend a knowledge exchange session with one of the owners during cocktail week and he explained that, because they're a high volume bar with limited space, most of their drinks are batched before they open. Serving them in creative ways helps maintain some showmanship. The result is that every drink feels like a fun little treat.
A Bar with Shapes for a Name
I'm going to be honest: I thought this bar was going to be pretentious as hell and so I hadn't prioritized it on recent visits. But I'm so glad I finally gave it a shot!
Technically named 🔶🟥🔵 (but called "the bar with shapes for a name") and self-described as a "Bauhaus inspired cocktail bar," it's so much more fun than everything about those details implies.
The bartenders were friendly nerds, eager to chat or leave us be. The drinks were simply presented, but delicious. And it's one of the few spots in town with a late-night license so it's open until 4am. Making it a required last-stop on any Halston/Hackney bar crawl imo!
Three Sheets Halston
A long-standing classic in the neighborhood, Three Sheets is known for pioneering the use of batched cocktails. The technique is basically a requirement at high-volume cocktail bars these days, but it was anything but normal when they first opened. And years later, they're still known for their simple, high quality drinks.
The menu is broken into three categories (one sheet, two sheets, and so on) roughly based on how alcohol-forward it is. Their chai-infused riff on an Irish Coffee was one I liked so much that I went back for it again a week later.
West London
My favorite bar in London calls Knotting Hill home
Viajante87
Saving my favorite for last!
Viajante87 is a plush basement bar in Knotting Hill that specializes in Latin American drinks and spirits more broadly, versus just the more-popular agave spirits. The cocktails are great, the backbar is extensive, and the service is friendly and hospitable.
You can easily kill a few hours exploring their rabbit hole of a menu, which is broken into three categories—comfortable, curious, and courageous.
The first section has all the expected staples (spicy margaritas, pisco sours, and other crushable classics), and then gets more adventurous as you progress. Maybe most memorable is the house-made "pechuga" that they use in a fruity sour alongside rum and guava. I'm still thinking about it weeks later!
Looking for more recs?
I've included my annotated Google Map below.
This has all the deets for the bars above, plus a few dozen more. And a handful of things to eat and do between drinks!