London’s best bars for gin

Modern British mega-brasserie Bread Street Kitchen, opposite St Paul’s, serves classy comfort food in a stylish, buzzing space that’s big enough to accommodate two friendly bars. Look under Bartender’s Choice in the drinks menu for the silky Savage Garden, made with Bombay Sapphire, fig liqueur, lemon and champagne.

If you’re journeying underground to this retro tube-themed bar, you’re in for a fun ride back to the 1940s. Vintage London Underground paraphernalia festoons the place and the ‘station staff’ are dressed in period uniforms. The newspaper-sized drinks menu is just as much of a thrill; ask for a Judy Garland, served in cup and saucer and blending gin with Aperol, grapefruit and camomile tea.

As if having a drink made for you by the smart, suited team at the classy Connaught Bar wasn’t treat enough, you can indulge in the ceremony of the Signature Serve. A trolley is brought to your table, where the purest of pure martinis is stirred (never shaken) before your very eyes. Quite simply, it’s cocktail theatre, and one of London’s most iconic gin drinking experiences.

Sample a martini on the Spanish side at the Melia White House Hotel’s elegant Dry Martini bar. In 1996 Spanish cocktail wiz Javier de las Muelas launched his first Dry Martini in Barcelona, a bar so good it spread its wings around the world. London’s version has Javier’s signature drinks and a ticker on the wall counting all the dry martinis consumed in the bar to date (it’s already quite a few).

If you’re looking for creative drinks, you’ve come to the right place. The Gibson adds wild decorative flourishes and bonkers ingredients to a long list of gin creations. But don’t worry if you’re looking for a straight serve. This Clerkenwell bar takes its name from the Gibson (served here, naturally), a gin martini garnished with a tiny pickled onion instead of an olive – familar yet deliciously different.

The speakeasy to end all speakeasies, just off Old Street roundabout, Nightjar has launched an exciting new menu that yet again pushes the boundaries of what a drink can do. If you’re a fan of the gimlet, give the Bennett Cocktail a go, a gin drink with a corn infusion, a hint of chilli and a lick of mezcal for added smokiness. It’s bringing South American heat to an old-school jazz bar setting. How’s that for creativity?

London’s most famous cocktail bar is one of the capital’s original American-style luxury venues, decorated in elegant art deco style, yet their menu fresh for 2016 celebrates the glories of London Town – including gin, obviously. Try it in the Abbey Road, named after the celebrated recording studio: Star of Bombay gin (a Bombay Sapphire special edition) mixing harmoniously with Martini Rubino, champagne, lemon and yuzu. 

There are lots of reasons to visit Sushisamba, on the 39th floor of Heron Tower: the City views through the floor-to-ceiling windows, an express lift that’ll make your stomach backflip, a bright orange tree on the terrace, and now, a summer menu celebrating Bombay Sapphire gin. Exotic ingredients from all over the world feature in cocktails like the yuzu gin fizz and the coconut and kaffir gimlet, crafted with care and artistry.

You may have washed down oysters with a glass of fizz, but how about a gin cocktail? Order a Mermaid Martini in the basement bar of Wright Brothers’ newest restaurant in South Kensington and that’s exactly what you get – a martini with an Asian twist, made with Choya sake and garnished with pickled ginger, served with an oyster on the side.  

From the guys behind the wickedly accomplished subterranean speakeasy Nightjar, this fancy Farringdon cocktail bar is every bit as popular. And with good reason, as it's also every bit as good at creating some of the best cocktails in town, including a Jewel in the Crown - a delectable mix of Bombay Sapphire, kumquat liqueur, kala fruit purée, passiflora tea and clementine. It’s very, very good.