9 Drinks in London

The fact is, however, that the practice of mixing a base spirit with complementary flavours and modifiers has a much longer history, with strong evidence that the roots of cocktail extend deep into the London bar scene. The original cocktail bar in London, by most accounts, was that housed at the famous Savoy hotel. Called the American Bar – a naming convention that sprung up in 19th-century Europe in response to the perception that the cocktail was an exclusively, exotically American invention – head bartender Harry Craddock produced the classic mixology reference book The Savoy Cocktail Book, detailing over 750 classic recipes.

Having allegedly mixed the last legal cocktail in pre-Prohibition Era USA, Harry Craddock fled to London, working up his rogue backstory to become a legend among London high-society tipplers. Behind the long, tall and, yes, incredibly refreshing story is the fact that ol’ Harry was a Gloucestershire boy who cut his teeth tending bar as an immigrant in the States. The cocktail is largely a European invention – to drink at a cocktail bar in London (if not The Savoy itself) is to drink at something like a ground-zero in the admittedly rather hazy and deeply contested mixology story.

The White Lady – the claim to the invention of this classic British cocktail are split between Harry MacElhone of London cocktail bar Ciro's Club in 1919 and usual suspect Harry Craddock at The Savoy who published the recipe in his 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book. Basically a variation on the Sidecar sour that replaces the cognac with gin, Craddock’s gin, Cointreau and lemon juice combo was allegedly Laurel & Hardy’s favourite drink.The Collins - Another cocktail fought over in the eternal transatlantic tiff over the cocktail’s true genesis, we’ll go with the theory that this easy-drinking, fizzy gin and lemon refresher originates with bartender John Collins in the cocktail bar of London’s The Coffee House, set within Limmer’s Hotel on Conduit Street in Mayfair (even more a top spot for classy cocktail bars in London today). The Hanky-Panky - Invented by Ada Coleman, one of the only two women to have held the head bartender position at esteemed London cocktail bar The Savoy, the Hanky-Panky is a standard sweet martini of dry gin and sweet Italian vermouth transformed by the addition of a couple of dashes of herby digestif Fernet Branca. A bespoke Coley concoction for Victorian and Edwardian actor Sir Charles Hawtrey, but a legend in the annals of mixology ever since.Espresso Martini - Girl walks into famous Brasserie Soho; girl asks at the cocktail bar for something that will, quote, “wake me up, and then f*** me up”. Bartender Dick Bradsell obliges with a mix of vodka – this was the late 1980s and vodka martinis were all the rage in cocktail bars all over London and the world – Kahlua, sugar syrup, and a short and very strong espresso. This was the day that patrons at cocktail bars in London and around the world woke up to the Espresso Martini. Breakfast Martini - Salvatore Calabrese, hard-working bartender at cocktail bar of London’s Lanesborough Hotel, would often leave the house with nothing but a coffee to sustain him. His wife insisted that he at least take his marmalade and toast on the road. Eureka. Mix a gin martini with orange-flavoured Cointreau or triple sec plus lemon and a spoonful of marmalade, shake over ice and strain. The breakfast martini for those who abstain from caffeine. The Bramble - Dick Bradsell is at it again with this cocktail designed to be sipped in springtime. Exemplary of the mid-80s renaissance sweeping the London cocktail bar scene, this evolution of the classic Gin Fix features the blackberry liqueur known as creme de mure and was invented during Bradsell’s tenure at legendary London cocktail bar Fred’s Club in Soho.

If you can dream or hallucinate it up, it probably already exists amongst the bars in London. London has a bar for just about any person. Whether you like having meaningful conversations with friends in a cosy little cocktail bar, or you prefer a loud, rowdy pub, London bars cater to nearly anyone. Hipsters can feel extra cool in this city, because bars in London are always one step ahead of the game. To begin, some of the best bars in London are to be found in Soho, western London. Soho is synonymous with all things absolutely fabulous. Perhaps it goes without saying, but some of the absolute best bars in London are located in this lovely part of town – not necessarily for the budget-minded, though!

Camden Town has always been known for its punky alternative subcultures, interesting history and blending of ethnicities. With such a great mixture of cultures and personalities, Camden Town has earned a reputation for being one of the best destinations for nightlife in the city, where you can actually smell the canals as you sip a craft beer and think of the Sex Pistols or Withnail and I. This area draws creatives and the gothest of the goths, with bars are reflecting this in artsy and underground themes. Cool dive bars and punk hangouts are easy to find throughout the region, as well as cosy taverns and gastropubs. Some of the top bars in London can be found in Camden, if you know where to look!

Wine used to be the provenance of the landed gentry, enjoying their continental tipple with caviar in palatial surrounds while the commoners quaffed flat warm beer in hovels smelling like pork pies. Those days are long gone, and young Londoners – not so wealthy, not necessarily aware of French terroir and tasting notes – are flocking to the many wine bars London has to offer to savour fine wine in unpretentious surrounds. There’s even an urban winery in London these days – look for London Cru on the wine list of your favourite London wine bar. All this said, the best wine bars in London still have a premium on prime wines in the classical, classy sense – so watch your wallet!

If you happen to disembark the tube at Old Street Station during the evening hours, you will notice the area teeming with people and electricity in the air. Not what you’d expect from such a dreary street name, right?! This region is simply loaded with great pubs, chic cocktail bars and hip night-owl hangouts. The area around Old Street Station is the perfect neighbourhood for bar-hopping and getting your dancefloor heroics on, great for locals or tourists both young and old and features a number of the best bars in London. It doesn’t matter if you’re all about craft beers or you are more of a wine snob, or just wanna dance – you’ll find what you want in this area.

Picking a wine bar London has to offer can be tricky, with many wine bars attached to restaurants and bistros. For a London wine bar that puts the emphasis on wine and wine alone, over food or other beverages, check out the crop of some of the best wine bars in London’s Covent Garden. London’s oenophiles also flock to the east end, where trendy London wine bars are popping up and popping corks for a generally younger crowd. Think Shoreditch and Hackney in general for an example of the new and hip wine bar London is championing. Of course, you can’t go past a good London wine bar before or after you take in a play in London’s West End.

Whether or not you love or hate hipsters, or you’re simply sick of hearing the term, it seems as though they’re here to stay. Well, London has always been hip, hasn’t it? At least since the 1960s, and definitely since Cool Britannia ruled in the 90s. Thankfully, wherever hipsters congregate, you’re sure to find happening bars and cool places to dance. Hackney’s London Fields was once a plague pit where industrial band Throbbing Gristle rehearsed, but the whole area is now chock-full of the best bars in London to check for dancing, drinks, and a good time. Check out one of the microbreweries and see what all the fuss is about, or hang out in one of the cool local dive bars and drink the night away.

Riesling, gewürztraminer, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, syrah or shiraz, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and pinot noir. All these are readily available in any wine bar London has on its map. But there’s far more to the wine lists when it comes to wine bars in London, these days. Provenance and origin terms that were once the exclusive domain of the oenophile but are now more regularly on everyone’s lips in London wine bars. Wrap yours over the lip of a glass of a good drop produced right in London – the best wine bars in London are tuning their palates to a new crop of homegrown micro-winery vintages that have wine bar London critics all abuzz.

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Wine bars in London are a dime a dozen, so depending on what you’re looking for from one of the wine bars London offers, you’ll want to find one that’s convenient to you and is right for your budget. You wouldn’t want to take a date to a London wine bar and find yourself forking out for a thousand-pound tasting menu. It’s been known to happen. Use Quandoo to search for the wine bars London accommodates, narrowing your search according to budget and district. Read up on the selection, and use Quandoo to check out the food menu, too. It’s always nice to match fine wine with fine food.