About Time: You Raised a Glass to London Fashion WeekBy Roberta Lister
With London Fashion Week in full swing, it’s time we talked cocktails. You’re going to need a host of venues to show off those perfectly put-together looks, and we’ve got you covered. Read on for our verdict on the coolest places to toast the season, and the sassiest drinks to be seen ordering – all within tottering distance to the Brewer Street showspace. Cheers!
What: Inimitable Spanish mixologist Javier de las Muelas has just brought his legendary Dry Martini bar to London, opening in the chic Meliá White House hotel. Obviously the namesake tipple is a must order, but be sure to leave enough time to work through the list: the Scented Negroni, made with signature rosemary droplets, will look particularly special in your fashion-week selfies.
Price: From £12
Where: Dry Martini London, Meliá White House, Albany St, London NW1 3UP
Photo Credit: Dry Martini Organisation
2. For a Rum Cocktail: Blanchette
What: Lovely French bistro Blanchette is joining forces with its Soho neighbour, Nudie Jeans, to offer a very special tipple this season. The collaborative cocktail is as bright and blue as Nudie’s expert denim, and boasts a heady blend of rum, cucacao and cherry syrup with a punchy twist of lime.
Price: £11
Where: Blanchette, 9 D’Arblay St, London W1F 8DR
3. For a Fruity Cocktail: Little Social
The specially curated cocktail list at Jason Atherton’s Little Social pays tribute to publishing powerhouse Condé Nast – but thankfully none are as sour as a post fashion-week magazine editor. The Style and Grace, a tribute to the pages of Vogue, is an intoxicating blend of Aperol with herbal Bénédictine and thyme, topped (of course) with bubbles. Another must-try is the Vanity Fair-inspired Beautiful To Me: a fruity blend of vodka and port, blended with blackberries and creole bitters.
Price: from £12
Where: Little Social, 5 Pollen St, London W1S 1NE
4. For a Bitter Cocktail: Riding House Café
What: Need a little light relief from all the serious fashion events? Head straight to Riding House Café, where each cocktail on the limited-edition list pays homage to one of the most cringe-worthy red-carpet looks in history (their words, not ours!) Just like Bjork’s inimitable swan dress, the Swan Dive is an opinion-dividing concoction with liquorice bitters and a sherbert-fountain garnish, while the Brit-Ju True Blue is a curacao, lemon and egg-white concoction – served in two glasses, but destined for each other, just like a denim-clad Britney and Justin.
Price: From £7
Where: Riding House Café, 43-51 Great Titchfield St, London W1W 7PQ
5. For a Citrus Cocktail: Percy & Founders
What: The beautiful cocktail bar at Percy & Founders is weighing in with a collection of drinks inspired by the season’s key colour palettes. The dusky-pink La vie en Rose is a delicate blend of Citron Grey Goose, elderflower and raspberry, while the Bacardi-based Pea & F is infused with sugarsnap peas and thyme syrup for a tropical apple-green glow.
Price: From £9.50
Where: Percy & Founders, 1 Pearson Square, London W1T 3BF
6. For a Sake Cocktail: Aqua Spirit at Aqua Kyoto
What: Perched in the clouds above Oxford Circus tube, Aqua Kyoto is one of the city’s most glamorous cocktail spots. In celebration of fashion week, the bar’s expert mixologists have crafted a flawless Japanese 75 – a deceptively punchy tipple with gin and sake, served up in a champagne glass. If the weather holds up, be sure to venture out to the Marios Schwab-designed sky terrace, which boasts brilliant views of the bustling chaos beneath.
Price: £14
Where: 5th Floor, 240 Regent St, London W1B 3BR
What: Berkley Street’s legendary Nobu joins forces with cult shoe designer Malone Souliers this season. The limited-edition cocktail is a perfectly fresh blend of Ciroc vodka and Chartreuse, with a sharp twist of exotic yuzu juice. A firm favourite amongst the fashion set, be prepared for some serious celeb spotting over the weekend.
Price: £14
Where: 15 Berkeley St, London W1J 8DYR