Top 5: Cocktails You Need to Drink in London This WeekendBy Alicia Grimshaw
Yes, the rumours are true – today is World Cocktail Day. In our eyes, that means it’s time to get your hands on as many tipples as possible. We’ve discovered the best boozy numbers you should be trying in the capital this weekend. Happy sipping, London:
1. For the Tequila Cocktail: El Camion
The Drink: The Naked Horse (£5)
The Blend: Arette Blanco Tequila, Guignolet Kirsch and Maraschino liqueur
The Story: This month El Camion embraces Arete’s winning spirit (the winner horse at the 1984 London Summer Olympics, with the jockey from Tequila) by creating The Naked Horse for May’s £5 special cocktail. This gorgeous, nude-hued libation has been crafted by head bartender, Will Hawes, and is made using Arette Blanco tequila (named after the horse himself), Guignolet Kirsch and is given a cherry pop with Maraschino liqueur. The fragrant and delectable drink is balanced with the freshness of orange flower water and a spike of lemon juice, and finished with smooth, silky egg white. As bracing as a Spring breeze, whilst riding naked on horseback – as you do.
Where: 25-27 Brewer St, London W1F 0RR
2. For a Sensory Cocktail: Brown’s Hotel
The Drink: Europe (£18)
The Blend: Grey Goose VX Vodka, Strawberry Liqueur, Homemade Blackcurrant, Hibiscus Syrup and Orange Bitters
The Story: The Donovan Bar in Brown’s Hotel, Mayfair has become home to a jet setting new cocktail menu showcasing ingenious innovations in mixology and sensory exploration. Taking you on a global journey, seven cocktails – one for each continent – has just launched at the bar, with each drink introduced to cocktail drinkers via their sense of smell. The Around the Globe cocktail menu is presented via seven cards, all of which can be smelt and all of which hold a different scent according to the continent they represent. Strawberry is the scent you are welcomed with when selecting the Europe cocktail, acknowledging the garden strawberry first bred in Brittany in 1750.
Where: 33 Albemarle St, Mayfair, London, W1S 4BP
3. For a Refreshing Cocktail: The Sanderson
The Drink: SDN#1 (£14)
The Blend: Lavender Infused Sipsmith Gin, Kam & Sons, Barolo Chinato, and Lemon and Pine Tree Syrup
The Story: The Purple bar at The Sanderson is something out of the pages in Alice in Wonderland. The bar heavily features, as you’d guess – the colour purple. The bar is draped in violet silk opera curtains, and furnished with lavender Queen Anne chairs and purple etched Venetian mirrors, making The Sanderson one special watering hole. Their cocktails are as off the wall as the interiors. The SDN#1 is the ultimate summertime tipple, floral notes from the lavender infused gin are complimented with the spices and herbs from Kam & Sons. This is a place where you don your finest dress and your longest lashes.
Where: 50 Berners St, London, W1T 3NG
4. For a Limited Edition Cocktail: St James’ Court, A Taj Hotel
The Drink: Bottom’s Up (£12)
The Blend: Midori, Malibu and Créme de Banane
The Story: In light of Shakespeare’s birthday year, The Hamptons Bar at St James’ Court, A Taj Hotel has introduced cocktail classics, with a literary twist. Each month, talented mixologists shake-up a different cocktail, adding a Shakespearean theme, inspired by the beauty of the Bard’s words. Be swept away this month, with the Taj’s very own Midsummer Night’s Dream, with their reinvented June Bug cocktail. The tipple is a fantastical fusion of Midori, Malibu and Créme de Banane with lime and punchy pineapple juice – served in a hurricane glass, garnished with pineapple or cherry.
Where: 54 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E
5. For a Berry Cocktail: Dirty Martini
The Drink: Blueberry and Basil Mojito (£9.25)
The Blend: Havana Especial Rum, Briottet Crème de Basil, Homemade Demerara Gomme Syrup and Homemade Blueberry Shrub
The Story: There’s branches of Dirty Martini all over London in great locations, such as by Liverpool Street Station and by the Covent Garden Piazza. It’s a great place for a casual after-work French martini, or to start off your night out on the weekend. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t end up having all the 2-4-1 cocktails to yourself, now. The blueberry and basil mojito is a spring twist on the classic – not overly sweet, but still packs a fruity punch. If you’re after a super sweet cocktail, order the coco caramello. It’s a dessert come drink, and it’s damn good.
Where: Locations here
