London Cocktail Week is back with a bang for 2020! This year, it’s running all month long so you’ve got more time to enjoy socially distanced tastings, masterclasses, and bar takeovers. Once you’ve got your festival wristband (£15), you can enjoy £6 signature serves at hundreds of participating bars, plus £4 non-alcoholic options for those going sober for October. Here are some of our top picks.
White Queen
What: Tanqueray gin, pear liqueur, bitters, lime juice, and orgeat syrup.
Where: 108 Brasserie, a stylish but unpretentious spot for dinner and drinks in Marylebone.
Eat: Keep things light with miso cod or a Caesar salad, or treat yourself to a ribeye steak with Béarnaise sauce.
Dorcha Agus Searbh (Dark & Bitter)
What: An Dúlamán Irish Maritime Gin, Kinsale Wild Red Mead, grapefruit bitters and Aperol.
Where: Try this Irish twist on a Negroni at Richard Corrigan’s City Road hot spot, Daffodil Mulligan.
Eat: Don’t miss their famous salt chilli chicken or the wood oven roasted lobster with homemade kimchi.
Welly Coupe
What: Roku gin, elderflower cordial, fresh lime juice and orange bitters.
Where: Gordon Ramsay’s Heddon Street Kitchen in the heart of the West End.
Eat: In a nod to Ramsay’s signature dish, the restaurant is celebrating Worldwide Wellington month with their classic beef Wellington, as well as specials like lobster Wellington with langoustine jus!
Bonus: The Welly Coupe is also available at Bread Street Kitchen, Union Street Café, Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill, London House, and York & Albany.
Napoleon Espresso Martini
What: Hennessy VS cognac, crunchy honey, freshly brewed espresso and Amaretto liqueur.
Where: The Library Bar at The Lanesborough, a decadent spot for cognac, cocktails and more.
Eat: The hotel’s award-winning restaurant, Céleste, offers an unforgettable fine dining experience. If you’re celebrating this month, the 5-course tasting menu is well worth splashing out on.
Geisha Sour
What: Roku gin, grape syrup, yuzu juice and fresh egg white.
Where: The Happenstance, a relaxed bar-restaurant overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral.
Eat: Their menu is perfect for snacking and sharing – grab some yakitori skewers, a buttermilk chicken burger, or try a bratwurst from their Oktoberfest menu.
Finocchio Limone
What: Villa Ascenti Gin, Fernet Branca, fennel syrup, and lemon iced tea.
Where: Lina Stores, King’s Cross. A pastel-hued restaurant and deli just behind Granary Square.
Eat: There’s delicious antipasti to start, but the fresh pasta is the star of the show. Try the linguine with crab or pappardelle with a rich, slow-braised lamb ragu – perfect for chilly autumn days.
The Posie
Where: Heads + Tails, a neighbourhood bar in West Hampstead with a really creative cocktail menu.
Eat: This place is more about the drinks but if you need to soak up the booze, they do a mean grilled cheese sandwich. Check out our Instagram stories for more London Cocktail Week specials to try this month.
Planning a cocktail crawl? Don’t do it on an empty stomach! Download the OpenTable app to find and book restaurants nearby.
Photo Credit: @giulia_verdinelli_photography for Lina Stores. Claire Menary for 108 Brasserie. All other images courtesy of the restaurants.
