Spring Openings: New Bars in LondonBy Alicia Grimshaw
The days are getting longer, the evenings lighter, and, if like us, you can’t wait to shut your laptop and head out to the nearest cocktail bar, we’ve got you covered. Bar openings are cropping up all over the capital, and we’ve handpicked our favourites. Go and drink all the White Russians for us:
Spring Bar Guide: Now Open
1. For a Late Night Spot: Sweeties at The Standard London
What: Occupying the eastern length of the landmark Brutalist building and accessed via the hotel’s red pill exterior lift, Sweeties, situated on the 10th floor of The Standard hotel, offers a menu of naturally mood-boosting cocktails created in collaboration with award-winning mixologists Jack Sotti and Todd Austin.
Drink: The Shawn Hausman-designed bar features Ochre velvet sofas, ruched leather banquettes, and mirrored tables alongside a stellar selection of cocktails. Signature cocktails include the pink Frothy Boi with lacto-rhubarb, gin, raspberry, pink pepper and gut-friendly fermented amazake oats; the Pick Me Up made with a blend of 8 adaptogenic mushrooms, brown vodka, buttery cacao and coffee; and the Crystal Healing – a vivid blue cocktail made with spirulina, pepper dulse seaweed distillate, bergamot, and electrolyte-rich coconut ice.
Where: Sweeties at The Standard London, 10 Argyle Street, London, WC1H 8EG
Photo credit: Anton Rodriguez
2. For a Rooftop Bar: The Corin
What: The team behind Rozu in Birmingham has launched The Corin in Tooting – a two-tier venue boasting an indoor dining room and a rooftop bar with an outdoor area (think Tulum inspired vibe with greenery, pale pink throws and muted lighting).
Drink: The bar is stocked with an incredible range of British suppliers, including spirits that come mainly from British distilleries including East London Liquor Company and Hayman’s Gin, as well as beers from Beavertown. When it comes to food, the menu has been designed by the team at Rozu in and encapsulates a similar selection of pan-Asian small plates.
Where: 54a Tooting High St, London SW17 0RN
3. For an All-Day Venue: The Thin White Duke
What: The Thin White Duke is a brand new, all-day drinking and dining venue to work, play and create. Offering Cicchetti, cocktails and speciality coffee, alongside members’ recording studio suites, The Thin White Duke is stylish and experimental, with nods to Berlin and Japan.
Drink: An expertly designed cocktail menu from Dav Eames features subtle references to Bowie records. Serves include: Just Visiting (Quince infused Tequila, blood orange and rosemary syrup, Prosecco); Rum from the Shadows (Golden rum, punt e mes, ginger liqueur, cynar bitters); Lovers’ Eyes (Apple brandy, Aperol, rhubarb and ginger syrup, lemon) Gin & Milk (Pink pepper gin, almond milk and white tea syrup).
Where: 22B Great Windmill St, London W1D 7LD
Photo credit: Lucy Richard
4. For an Intimate Bar: The Umbrella Workshop
What: The team behind acclaimed East London bars The Sun Tavern and Discount Suit Company have expanded its portfolio with its latest launch, The Umbrella Workshop. With just 12 seats, this intimate drinking spot is a hidden gem and is perfectly located for pre-dinner cocktails.
Drink: The Solero is a boozy tiki drink; a twist on a Pina Colada using fresh mango in lieu of pineapple. The drink uses a classic tiki blend of rums from Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica, each bringing its own unique flavour profile to the drink. Meanwhile, The Rinky Dink is influenced by the Whisky highball culture in Japan. For a French twist, they sub in Seventails Brandy for whisky and add lavender for a fresh and floral lift – a nod to the bar’s spectacular floating bouquet.
Where: Unit 10, Cleeve Workshops, Boundary Street, E2 7JD
Spring Bar Guide: Opening Soon
5. For Inventive Cocktails: Nightjar Carnaby
What: Nightjar is heading to the heart of London’s West End with its second site opening on Wednesday 20th April. Nightjar Kingly Court will recreate the low-lit magic of the Old Street original, complete with a lavish range of rare, revived and original cocktails, late-night live music, prohibition-era decor and a menu of vintage spirits and cocktails dating back to the mid-nineteenth century.
Drink: The menu will continue to honour three distinct historical eras in 20th Century cocktail-making – Pre-Prohibition, Prohibition and Post-War – alongside beloved Nightjar Signatures and large-format Sharing Cocktails. Pre-Prohibition includes early classics including the Aztec Tapache – a savoury and refreshing drink made with Herradura, Chinotta & camomilla liquor, pineapple huacatay and purple corn tepacher, fino sherry and freshly squeezed lime juice. Prohibition recreates cocktails from a desperate time. Mostly short, strong and aromatic, like Toronto – a rich and smoky old-fashioned style cocktail of Woodford Reserve Bourbon whiskey, orange blossom smoke, coffee & roasted pecan maple syrup, Fernet Branca and candyfloss.
Where: Unit G15, Kingly Court, Fifty Carnaby, 49-51 Carnaby Street, London W1F 9PY
5. For a Pub: The Clerk & Well
What: Late spring 2022 will see the arrival of The Clerk & Well, a new neighbourhood pub offering an exceptional food and drink lineup in the heart of Clerkenwell. Spanning multiple floors, the venue features a ground floor dining room and bar, as well as eight recently refurbished bedrooms.
Drink: The impressive bar back will play centre stage to the intricately crafted cocktail menus and infusions. The Clerk & Well’s in house team have blended and infused an array of gins, resulting in an outstanding homegrown gin selection.
Where: 156 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5DU
