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 great bars, all serving delicious and memorable cocktails.
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.
I'm always up for a challenge though, and London Cocktail Week was the perfect opportunity. 😎
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 an £8 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.
I feel like it's a great way to support local businesses and the hospital industry at large, try some new drinks at spots you maybe have been meaning to try, and even learn a few things.
I wish more cities had a cocktail week!
Old Fashioned riffs at Viajante87 (left) and Swift Borough (right)
Great Cocktail Bars in London
Viajante87
My favorite place for something different
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!
Swift Borough
My favorite place for happy hour
Bar Swift has three locations, and two bars in each spot. So, there's a lot going on! Generally, 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.
You can't go wrong with either option, especially since all the bartenders are going to give you a little show with their famous ice-cracking.
I was lucky enough to get a private tour as part of London Cocktail Week, 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. 😎
Dram
My favorite place for meeting friends
Dram is primarily a whisky bar, but the kind your non-whisky-drinking friends will enjoy, too. They start the day as a coffee bar, and then transition into a cocktail 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.
Home
My favorite place for last call
Home isn't going to make it on any "top bars" list but sometimes you just need a casual spot to start or end a night. And this is when Home is the perfect fit!
The cocktails won't blow your mind, but you'll have a great time while you sip them at the bar or propped up along the back wall. The atmosphere is just fun. You're almost guaranteed to end up chatting with your neighbors, playing Jenga on the bar, and/or helping the bartender crowd surf to the bathroom. 👀
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!