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Are you a half glass empty or a half glass full type person? Either way, you should have something delicious in your hand, at some point this evening. It is, after all, World Cocktail Day. Whatever your drinking desires, London will have a cocktail for you. From mood-boosting super drinks to classic vodka martinis, we think this lot of cracking concoctions are top-notch and perfect for sipping.
The Frothy Boi at Sweeties
Happy Hour? Happy days. The new 10th-floor bar Sweeties at the Standard Hotel in King’s Cross offers two drinks for £20 available everyday from 5pm-7pm (including Fridays and Saturdays). Try a range of natural mood-boosting cocktails (think: Goop, but less spenny) created in collaboration with award-winning mixologists Jack Sotti and Todd Austin. Try the pink Frothy Boi (pictured above) that’s made with lacto-rhubarb, gin, raspberry, pink pepper and gut-friendly fermented amazake oats against the backdrop of the bar's floor-to-ceiling views of the London skyline.
10th Floor, 10 Argyle St, WC1H 8EG
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Frozen Yuzu Margarita at Tāyer + Elementary
We’re going to call it. This frozen yuzu margarita from Tāyer + Elementary is going to be the drink of the summer. It might look like an adult slush puppy, but it tastes nothing like the hopped-up sickly-sweet stuff we grew up drinking. It’s a refreshing, citrusy and electrifying drink that’s light and will knock your socks off. This is what happens when Japanese yuzu meets Mexican tequila; a truly beautiful and zesty coming together. Name a better duo than yuzu and mezcal? We’ll wait.
152 Old St, EC1V 9BW.
Connaught Vodka Martini at The Connaught Bar
Got some extra cash to flash? Wrap your lips around the signature vodka martini at Mayfair’s blingy Connaught Bar at The Connaught Hotel. It’s an expensive setting for sure, but it’s also the world’s best bar, so you know it’s going to be worth every penny. Not only is it award-winning, martinis here are made flamboyantly on a trolley – whether featuring their Connaught Bar Gin or a favourite vodka such as Konik’s Tail – that’s pulled up to your table and you can expect impeccable service from Agostino Perrone.
The Connaught, Carlos Pl, W1K 2AL
The Michelada at KOL Mezcaleria
Mezcal by name, mezcal by nature. Chef Santiago Lastra (of Noma Mexico fame) and head bartender Matthias Ingelmann, who previously worked at Untitled in Dalston, have come together to pay homage to the magic of Mexican mezcal bars found in Oaxaca and Guadalajara. At Mezcaleria, the seasonal and sustainable drinks menu is all about showcasing the amazing breadth of Mexican spirits, using wild and seasonal ingredients sourced from the UK. The Michelada is a lacto-fermented tomato and piquin chilli salt number that’s slightly savoury and smoky – it’s a taste sensation that will blow your mind.
Lower Ground Floor, 9 Seymour St, W1H 7BA
The Leaf at Soma Bar
Soma bar is an Indian-accented modern minimalistic take on the basement speakeasy cocktail bar. It’s a dark, cosy, and intimate space with great ambiance and a sense of privacy, which makes this place a good starting, or finishing point for a night out. The Leaf cocktail is a take on the classic Gimlet, it may look deceptively simple, but it’s chock full of aromatic flavours. Using spiced gin, homemade curry leaf vermouth and finished with a single drop of pink peppercorn oil that pushes this drink into new territories.
14 Denman St, London W1D 7HJ
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