London Cocktail Week 2014

Here we go.  It's London Cocktail Week again.  Rather than write it up two months later like last year, I'm going to try and keep this updated during the week (let's see how that goes) so do check back again for more news.

Tuesday 7th September - Where to begin? Seven Dials of course, the real home of London Cocktail Week.  

There are now several "hubs" where you can pick up your wristbands (£15 once the week has started to qualify for £4 drinks & special events) - Chelsea, Spitalfields, London Bridge and Covent Garden are your starting points.  

Seven Dials has the most popup bars near it, and we made a beeline for The Cowbell on Monkey's Shoulder.

Monkey Shoulder Whisky ran "The Ultimate Bartender Challenge" to find a team capable of running a pop-up bar during London Cocktail Week.  The winners (Stuart Bale, Abigail Clephane and Ervin Trykowski) decided to pay homage to their favourite Saturday Night Skit, "More Cowbell", with a Glaswegian party bar complete with cowbells for you to play.  The fact that the three of them have cowbell tattoos tells you they mean business.

We worked our way through a Lord Wellington (Monkey Shoulder, Raspberry, Elderflower), Mr Berlusconi's Love Child (Monkey Shoulder, Amaro, Creme de Peche) and Curdled Colada - a Mr.Lyan special made with Monkey Shoulder, Coco Lopez and Pineapple that he invented whilst out and about with Monkey Shoulder brand ambassador, Dean Callan.  

The drinks were on the sweet side but had enough of a boozy kick to keep me interested.  Head over to 9 Shorts Gardens this week to see for yourself.

Deeney's Scottish Street Food at The Cowbell

Next stop was the Ketel One Vodka hub in Earlham Street.  When you pick up your wristband here, you get a free token which can either be for a drink, a Bloody Mary workshop, or an immersive Zacapa rum experience:

"A fully immersive flavour experience will await guests that locate the secret Zacapa tasting chamber. Guided on a sensory journey, rum lovers will ‘travel’ to Zacapa’s origins in The House Above The Clouds, 2300m above sea level in the Guatemalan rainforest and experience the story of Zacapa through all five senses."

That sounds pretty special, but it was rather busy at the time so we stuck to some Momo Sassy's Punch - Ketel One Vodka, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and blackberry & Earl Grey tea, served over ice with lemon and nutmeg 

Momo's Sassy Punch

Our third and final pop-up of the evening was The El Dorado Lost City of Gold on Monmouth Street. They have gone to town on the décor here - we loved the treasure map menus in particular.  I suspect you could also get rather sloshed off the El Dorado rum fumes.

Impressively, there are four £4 London Cocktail Week drinks on offer here - I recommend a Pineapple Pepper Daiquiri or a Dante's Sour.  Liquid Gold shimmered away in the glass, but didn't have the taste to match.  The wide range of drinks did seem to be slowing service down a little, and a taster of El Dorado 15yr old set us back an unexpected £10 (we just wanted a sip!) but it's a fine vintage!

They are also running rum & food pairing events amongst other things - read more here. Definitely worth dropping in.  

Liquid Gold and Pineapple Pepper Daiquiri

El Dorado 15yo

All pop-upped-out, we sauntered over to Opium, the wonderful Dim Sum & Cocktail parlour tucked away in Chinatown.  The bouncer is still there to ruin first impressions, but the three story climb past candles and wonderful smells gets you back on side.

Their £4 cocktail is the fiery Down to the Baijiu: Baijiu, Vodka infused Oolong tea, fresh lemon and pomegranate juice, a secret habanero kick and almond syrup, served in an adorable teacup.  Baijiu is a deadly distilled spirit - our bottle was only 52% but it often goes a few notches higher.  Grab a taste while you are there. And some dim sum if you know what's good for you.

Baijiu

Down To The Baijiu

Opium Cocktail No.5 - I think I had No.2 last year...

The last stop of our first outing was LAB - the classic party bar on Old Compton Street who are serving up £4 LAB Lemonade: Vanilla and fresh passion fruit laced with Stolichnaya Vanil vodka, lemon, LAB vanilla sugar, soda and finished with a Passoã float.  Easy going drinking to end the night.  They were running a DIY-lemonade session earlier on, but we arrived too late.

LAB Lemonade

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Wednesday 8th September -  Round 2 kicked off with a trip to the Angostura Butterfly House popup in Shoreditch:

"When the butterflies dance, the sugar cane is ready for harvesting. An array of butterflies will be dancing to the tune of Trinidad’s legendary rum and bitters in a specially created tropical garden for London Cocktail Week.

Take a laid-back stroll through the plantation, press your own sugar cane juice and let Mike Tomasic and a team of bartenders send you fluttering into the night."

That's right, live butterflies and rum, at the same time.

I took along biologist geek Cassie who tried (and failed) to play it cool in front of the butterfly experts.  We spent a fair amount of time inside the butterfly enclosure, though it's a sweaty affair. The lighting required to keep the butterflies happy doesn't flatter the rest of the room, but after a few Angostura rum concoctions you probably won't notice.

View more photos on Matt The Tumblr

All the drinks (named after butterflies) are made with Angostura Rum (either with 1919, 5 year old or Reserva) and freshly made sugar syrups.  Swallow Tail Flutter, Owl Butterfly and Blue Morpho Elixir are all fairly interchangeable fruity drinks laced with rum, available for £7.  Heliconius Dream is an odd mix of Angostura, Antica Formula, Campari, Sugar Cane, Egg & Nutmeg which grew on me as it went along.  

As well as butterflies and cocktails, you get to see sugar cane syrups being prepared live on site - make sure you have a chew on some unrefined sugar cane whilst you are there.  There are also some fun masterclasses (£9) going on at the end of the week - check the LCW events site for more info,

We then went on a tequila binge for a few bars, starting with Casa Negra.  The £4 drink here was one of the best so far, a frozen margarita slushie with a spicy kick that 184 Hackney Road would be proud of.  It's a good-looking little bar - worth staying for a couple of candlelit cocktails.

Frozen Margaritas at Casa Negra

Tequila #2 came from Casita, one of my favourite Shoreditch bars as it's tiny and the atmosphere is always fantastic.  For London Cocktail Week they have been taken over by Hidden, their sister (or parent?) bar in Ibiza.

We weren't huge fans of the £4 El Fenix (Ocho Tequila, Lime, Agave, Ting, Chilli and Grapefruit) which was way too sugary for our tastes, but I could have switched on to something else and stayed here all night.  Head down there if you've never been before.

Next we sped over to the Hoxton Hotel where you can find the Jose Cuervo Hacienda popup all week:

"Jose Cuervo, the oldest and best selling tequila brand in the world, has partnered with The Hoxton, Shoreditch to create Cuervo’s Hacienda, a week-long pop up Mexican tequila garden. Cuervo’s Hacienda will give you the chance to learn about tequila, its rich history and how to make delicious drinks with the Introduction to Tequila Master Class, as well as trying the seasonal Day of the Dead inspired cocktail for just £4 with a London Cocktail Week wristband.

Cuervo’s Hacienda will transform the hotel’s atrium space into the courtyard of the famous Cuervo’s Hacienda, complete with fresh fruits, herbs & spices and mini Agave plants."

We loved the décor, and the £4 Traditional Sour made with fig jam and garnished with sugar paper went down a treat.  That's probably enough tequila for now.

Hawksmoor Spitalfields was our penultimate stop.  Their basement bar is well known for its great drinks and awesome meaty bar food, so it makes sense to combine the two for London Cocktail Week:

"The Big Macquiri combines sweet with savoury and evokes childhood memories of a certain popular burger, with a healthy measure of Havana Club 3yo to boot."

In other words, Havana 3 year old, Fernet, Cynar, Dill Syrup & Lime, with a cheeky, Haribo-style burger sweet on the side.  The table was in agreement that it was effectively a classy pickleback, and very drinkable - another LCW winner.

And we finished in style by zooming up Tower 42 to find Jason Atherton's City Social on the 24th floor.  Here we were treated to skyline views and cutely presented $ Shakes (Diplomatico Anejo Rum, split milk, chocolate yoghurt and a hint of walnut) to a smooth jazz soundtrack.  Being told about curdled ingredients and yoghurt powder may be TMI for some, but the resulting cocktail is very accessible.  Drinks here are usually £10+ so it's a clever one to visit during London Cocktail Week.

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Friday October 10th - Covent Garden - tick. Shoreditch - tick. London Bridge - cross. Round 3.

A very early start on Saturday meant that the Friday LCW outing was limited to only a couple of bars.  First up was Cecil's in London Bridge, a Matt The List favourite, who were hosting a Paris in London with Grand Marnier pop-up in their wonderful opium den speakeasy.

We were whisked downstairs by a francophile, and thereafter waited upon by Jim whose service was fantastic.  And I'm not just saying that because he brought us tiny bottles of Grand Marnier and a fancy cocktail book...

The very drinkable £4 cocktail is Grand Vintage Breakfast - Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, Vodka, grapefruit juice, orange & tangerine marmalade, lemon juice and egg white.  You also might be tempted by a deadly Grand Tiki-la too with Grand Marnier, tequila, chilli infused agave syrup, citrus, Falernum and Absinthe...

As well as great drinks, there are Crepe Suzettes, guest bartenders and live music aplenty all week. We caught a bit of an entertaining jazz duet before we left.

Tanner & Co.

A short walk down Bermondsey Street took us to Hide Bar, where we grabbed some food and a pretty bizarre bottled concoction of Campari, Diplomatico Rum and Red Wine called "Under The Influence".  It grew on me, but the bitterness will put many off - great presentation though.

And that was it for LCW action in London Bridge.  We carried on down to 214 Bermondsey for plenty of gin, and others then went on to Bermondsey Arts Club - both are excellent cocktail bars and its a shame that they didn't make it on to the LCW list this year.

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Three trips down - what's left? I have heard great things about the Bulleit Bourbon 1950s Pop-Up at London Cocktail Club on Shaftesbury Avenue and the Nikka "51.4" bar in Seven Dials, so I may need to return to that part of town if there is time.  Then there's a whole load of silly events going on at Nola Bar all week.  Also, the Vestal Voyages floating distillery and the mobile Tipple Taxi bar sound too good to miss.

Matt The LCWishlist also includes The Luggage Room, Merchant House, Bump Caves, 5CC Exmouth Arms / Electricity Showrooms, White Lyan, Somers Town Coffee House, Pond, Peg and Patriot, Loves Company, Jones Family Project, Looking Glass Cocktail Club, Worship Street Whistling Shop, and Dishoom.

Check the cocktail tours map / list to come up with your own route, keep an eye on the events page for more fun, and sign up for daily email updates.

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P.S. Did you know that it's Chocolate Week straight after this? The fun never stops.  You won't find much better out there than Chococo's award-winning luxury hand-made chocolates from Dorset. 

This year Chocolate Week runs from Monday 13 to Sunday 19 October 2014. To help celebrate all things chocolate, Chococo has a whole range of tempting chocolate filled experiences on offer.

Founded by Claire and Andy Burnet twelve years ago in Swanage, Dorset, Chococo makes all of its fresh handmade chocolates from fine origin cocoa from the Caribbean, Venezuela, Madagascar and Vietnam. It also uses local produce, including fresh Dorset cream, to make its mouth-watering creations. Since starting the business they have won 45 fine food awards for their fine chocolates.

For Chocolate Week, Chococo are launching an exciting new chocolate that will appeal to both food and drink fans.  Pictured below, the Totally Twisted Nose is the result of a customer competition run in their Winchester shop to create a chocolate incorporating local Hampshire flavours. The winning chocolate blends the Twisted Nose watercress-infused gin from the Winchester Distillery, and fresh locally grown watercress from The Watercress Company. They will be celebrating the launch of this exciting new chocolate collaboration with a party on Monday 13 October at their Winchester shop - open to all. The party will run from 4.00pm until 6.30pm for chocolate and gin sampling.

Totally Twisted Nose - a new chocolate with watercress-infused gin and fresh locally grown watercress

And here are two more Chococo classics that have both won Gold Great Taste Awards in 2014.

- Nutty Nutmeg - milk chocolate blended with hazelnut praline spiced with nutmeg

- Kumquat Twist (seasonal) - Cointreau-infused fresh Dorset cream & white chocolate ganache topped with kumquat jelly made by Rebecca's Kitchen with Dorset-grown kumquats

Nutty Nutmeg - milk chocolate blended with hazelnut praline spiced with nutmeg 

Kumquat Twist - Cointreau-infused fresh Dorset cream & white chocolate ganache topped with kumquat jelly

Claire Burnet, co-founder of Chococo says:

"Chocolate week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate everything that is great about fine chocolate and focus consumers on the difference between fine and mass-produced commercial chocolate loaded with sugar and other additives. We're also really proud of what we have achieved at Chococo in creating truly fresh chocolates full of local fabulous flavours and we are thrilled to be working with the Winchester Distillery and other local foodie friends in Winchester, as well as the partnerships we have built up in Dorset. This is also a week to show that great quality chocolatiers creating exciting flavours do exist outside of London!"

To see more photos, head to Matt The Tumblr (10 photos) // Facebook (20 photos)

Date for Diary - Saturday 18 October: The Chocolate Show, Olympia, London - Claire Burnet will give a talk at 4pm at the UK’s top chocolate exhibition. She’ll also be sampling the Totally Twisted Nose pictured above

To keep up to date with what Chococo is doing over Chocolate Week 2014 visit the website - www.chococo.co.uk; follow them on twitter - @chococotweet – or Facebook – Chococo Chocolates; or pop into the shops in Swanage and Winchester.

London Cocktail Week

Tuesday October 8th - Two months have passed since the madness of London Cocktail Week.  Over 150 bars around London joined in the £4 cocktail fun, and you could barely take a step in Seven Dials without arriving at a pop-up bar of some kind.  I had hoped to head out a few times to take it all in but Team List only managed two trips in the end.  That said, 13 bars should be enough for one post... 

Day 1 started at the London Cocktail Week hub in Seven Dials.  Luke and I collected our £10 wristbands (which give you access to everything going on around the city) and marched off to a vaguely Vegas themed pop-up bar run by Portobello gin for our first drink.  We were handed two very ordinary Tom Collins which were severely lacking gin, so we drank up and ran away before any Elvis impersonators turned up.

Portobello Gin Vegas Bar

Our shaky start continued as we ducked into Detroit Bar over the road on Earlham Street.  Here we were served a bizarre cocktail which included Benedictine and apple, and tasted fairly medicinal. It felt like Detroit was on its last legs, so I wasn't surprised to hear that it was closing down.  In fact, it has now been replaced by Earlham Street Clubhouse, complete with NY pizzas by the slice, petrol beer bumps and booths with phones - read more here.

The now closed Detroit Bar

After two dodgy drinks, we decided to escape Seven Dials and give Soho a try.  We poked our heads into Kettner's but noone wanted to serve us so we didn't stay long.  Kettner's is a true Soho classic which was opened as a restaurant in 1867 by Auguste Kettner (chef to Napoleon III) across four Georgian townhouses.  Oscar Wilde and Agatha Christie were known to dine here, and Edward VII built underground tunnels to Kettners from the Palace Theatre so that he could discreetly entertain his mistress Lilly Langtry in what is now The Apartment, an attractive private dining room with a secret entrance on Greek Street.  

The Apartment at Kettner's

If you fancy exploring Kettners and partying like it's 1929, get yourself tickets for the next Herr Kettner's Cabaret.  I may well pop back in the run up to Christmas for their Tuesday Gin, Fizz and Jazz nights.

Just as we were moving on we were joined by Will who was keen to catch up and glad to hear that we hadn't had much success so far.  He had sensibly not put on his wristband, pointing out that it wouldn't be ideal walking around work the next day looking a little groggy with a London Cocktail Week bracelet still attached.  We consulted our Soho map and decided to tick off a few more reliable bars that hadn't yet made The List, starting with Zenna, an Indian themed cocktail bar below The Red Fort restaurant on Dean Street.

Zenna claim to have the world's spiciest cocktail, The Illiana, which comes with a Fire Extinguisher soda siphon of ice cold gin fizz to put out the flames.  I can't see it on their current menu though so things might have changed.  We were served a tasty Spicy Sapphire made with chilli vodka which we enjoyed drinking at the bar with the entertaining bartenders.  The attractive alcove in one corner would be perfect for parties, and Zenna has an enticing snack food menu which includes Soft Shell Crab and Salmon Tikka.

Zenna

Our fourth bar of the evening was The Player which was opened by Dick Bradsell in 1998 and rescued by the Rushmore Group (Milk & Honey, Danger of Death) in 2001.  It was pretty busy when we arrived so we set up camp at the bar and waited for an opportune moment to place our order directly with the bartenders.  The £4 concoction on offer here was The Journey, a fantastic drink made with Mezcal, Bacardi and Martini which came with some back story about how the big brands were once small companies working hard to get their products around the world.

The Player Bar

The Player is home to The Slider Bar which gives residencies to some of London's Street Food heroes. Lucky Chip were here a couple of months ago, but now the Breddos Tacos boys are running the kitchen.  Make sure you get a Breddos Chilliback (shot of tequila chased by pickled habanero juice) when you order one of their delicious sliders.  

If you've always been annoyed at pubs holding the monopoly on quizzes, head to The Player on the second Monday of every month  for their Popbitch Popquiz.

We pressed on and paid a quick visit to the Blind Pig upstairs at Social Eating House.  Team List were the first people through the doors when this opened back in April (read more here) so it was nice to see Kyle and his team mixing up drinks for a full house a few months later on.  We had a very drinkable Pisco Sour which had a glow stick around the rim.  We were hit with a service charge which was obviously minimal but seemed slightly ridiculous in the context of London Cocktail Week.  

The Blind Pig at Social Eating House

Our penultimate stop was Central & Co on Great Malborough Street, an all day brasserie and bar which opens for breakfast at 8am on weekdays and 9am on weekends.  This was my favourite discovery of the evening - upstairs is a stunning space at night, with candlelit tables and an open frontage looking out onto the edges of Soho and Mayfair.  The drink wasn't half bad either - a Tequila Old Fashioned with black pepper and a cinnamon & orange peel garnish, just right for an end of the night drink (even if we we went somewhere else afterwards).  Flatmate Maggie turned up here late doors as usual to pick up a couple of Team List points.

Central & Co

Central & Co was really on The List because of the downstairs bar, & Co., which was sadly too quiet to make use of whilst we were there.  All spirits are unmarked so you order spirits based on their flavour profile and drink them straight or enhanced using liqueurs, vermouths and bitters.  You never find out what you were drinking, even when you pay the bill!  It is a bold concept which I admire, but from what I have heard it hasn't quite taken off yet.  I really hope that it does as there are so many copycat cocktail bars around and it is refreshing to go somewhere that isn't pushing a particular brand at you.  Go and check them out!

Experimental downstairs bar "& Co" at Central & Co

Last but not least on Day One was The Bar at the Courthouse Hotel next to Central & Co.  The venue used to be the Great Malborough Street Magistrates Court, and the bar uses the original cell blocks as 'cosy' VIP rooms!  We all squeezed into one (with Maggie relegated to the toilet seat) and finished of the night with a refreshing Courthouse Bar Margarita.  We were the only people in the bar so atmosphere was lacking, but we had a good time anyway.

The Bar at the Courthouse Hotel

Before we left, we had a quick snoop around the Silk Restaurant which is set up as a courtroom.  The quirky setting features the original judges bench, dock and witness stand that were present for the trials of Oscar Wilde, Mick Jagger and John Lennon.  It was pitch black and we couldn't find a light switch which fittingly made us feel slightly like criminals, even though the staff assured us we could look around!

Silk Restaurant

Day Two - Wednesday October 9th - After missing a fruitful first day, List Leader Natalie was keen to get involved and maintain her 50 point lead over the rest on the Team List Leaderboard, even though she was feeling under the weather.  She planned not to drink - let's see how that goes...

I started off in Seven Dials again with much better results the second time.  I came across a Sailor Jerry stall handing out free cocktail shots to wristband owners, and a little further up the road a similar Disaronno station run by two very entertaining (and rowdy) bartenders.  My team-mates were still a way off so I popped my head in to the Euphorium Bakery courtyard that had been transformed into a pop-up Bloody Mary garden

Sailor Jerry & Bloody Mary Garden

I eventually got the call from Natalie and marched out of Seven Dials towards Goodge Street, our hunting ground for the night.  Our first stop was Berners Tavern, Jason Atherton's stunning follow up to Social Eating House in the London Edition Hotel.  London Cocktail Week exists so that you can march your way into places like these and order a £4 cocktail without fear of being turned away (would snobby Sketch ever get involved, I wonder?).  The enormous dining room and bar is a sight to behold - high ceilings, packed in paintings, epic chandeliers and a terrifyingly tall back bar.  We sped through a refreshing Caorunn gin-based concoction before Luke arrived (yes, ailing Natalie gave in to the booze immediately), and decided to press on in the name of research.  I need to return to Edition at some point to check out the secluded Punch Room Bar, a "reservations only, fumed-oak paneled den" that has been been getting very complimentary write-ups

Berner's Tavern

Our second bar of the evening was The London Cocktail Club, one of my favourite "chains" which now has 5 sites around the city.  Every time a new customer enters the Goodge Street "punk gin palace" branch, the bartenders shout hello across the room, a lovely touch.  We were served immediately although I would happily watch their pyrotechnics and extreme garnishing for a good long while.  The cocktail of the week was a G&T topped with a sachet of Cherry Heering jam for us to add in.  It sunk pleasingly to the bottom of the glass which you could choose to reach with a straw.  Quick and easy to serve, and great fun for the customers, a perfect London Cocktail Week drink.

Cocktail No.3 was "Celtic Stairs", again made with Caorunn Gin, at Bourne & Hollingsworth, a nutty little bar that looks like your Grandma's living room with the exception of the DJ table (I look forward to a rush of angry comments on my generalisation about your hip elderly relatives).  It was quite possibly the best drink of the evening - an Autumnal mix of of apples & pears with warming All-Spice liqueur and Caorunn Celtic Gin, sharpened with lemon juice, and finished with redcurrants and rosemary.  The B&H team were also behind the brilliant Kitchen Party Popup that ran for a couple of months in the middle of the year - read more here.

Bourne & Hollingsworth

We didn't have to travel far for our fourth drink of the evening.  Next door to Bourne & Hollingsworth, Bam-Bou describes itself as a Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese restaurant, but those in the know head up to the third floor to find The Red Bar which is home to over 60 Japanese whisky blends & single malts.  We were treated to a boozy Zacapa Aged Rum based libation served from a barrel which wasn't to my taste but was still well worth the £4 investment.  It's a beautiful place to hole up for a few drinks away from the crowds.  

The Red Bar at Bambou

By the time we were onto our 5th bar, pharmacist Natalie's illness was a thing of the past - take whatever medical advice you fancy from that.  It was a short walk to Oskar's Bar, tucked away beneath the much lauded Dabbous restaurant (read more on the food here).  The charming Maitre D' led us away from the stunning food, down to the stylish downstairs bar.  Here we were presented with a Reincarnation - a very drinkable mix of Sauvignon Blanc, Beefeater and some less alcoholic ingredients, which is a twist on their Reincarnation of Anthony Edwards cocktail made with Sauvignon Blanch, Cachaca, lime, honey and sorrel juice.  The drinks list is full of tempting, playful creations including IKEA Sours, That Other Drink with Mezcal, and 2 Blueberries 1 Cup - there is even a section dedicated to Beer & Cider cocktails, which always gets extra points from me.  If that's not enough to tempt you downstairs, then the Bar Snack menu created by head chef Ollie Dabbous should seal the deal - who wouldn't want "Lard on Toast with Black Truffle"?

Oskar's Bar underneath Dabbous

Our final stop was Rev JW Simpson, which we paid a visit to after a recommendation by the Bourne & Hollingsworth guys.  We intended to go to one more place afterwards, but we got sidetracked by a highly entertaining arrogant punter, who thought he was devilishly charming and witty, but was actually an offensive prick.  Anyway, we humoured him and Natalie managed to coax a free drink out of him for our troubles.  Luke and I meanwhile ordered their exciting London Cocktail Week special, a DIY Belvedere Vodka Martini that came in a bucket with various tinctures and garnishes to play with.  This was the most inventive drink that I had all week, and was a great way to finish off the evening.

DIY Martini at Rev JW Simpson

London Cocktail Week is a truly magnificent event, and it is it is a real labour of love for the Difford's Guide team behind it - it will hopefully continue to exist and grow for many years to come.  Simon Difford has grand plans for the future, starting with many more participating bars and more LCW hubs next year.  He has also teamed up with London Wine Fair to bring us the first ever London Wine Week from 2-8 June in 2014 - book that week and 6-12 October off from work now!