Читать книгу London's Best Cocktail Bars - Susan Cohen G. - Страница 9
Оглавление12TH KNOT
Sea Containers London
Whizz up in the lift (elevator) to the 12th floor of the South Bank’s Sea Containers London, and you are in the right place for 12th Knot, the hotel’s rooftop bar, which affords guests striking views across the River Thames and London’s skyline. It is stylish, light, and airy during the day, with a real outdoor/indoor garden feel about it. Lush plants, plush mauve banquettes, comfy armchairs and lounge spaces, glittering chandeliers, and a very shiny gold bar all add to the luxe feel. As wonderful as it is during the day, the place truly comes alive once it gets to sunset and later, and has a more bling feel about it.
The carefully curated cocktails are British and American inspired, aimed at blending the best of the two cultures, with a transatlantic mix of tastes and flavours. You can, of course, ask one of the team to mix your favourite. Depending on when you visit, you might find Thanks a Tot, a gift for anyone with a love of the sea. This mix of three rums, with the addition of cinnamon and pimento, hopped peach drops, citrus, and caraway, is rich and full of flavour, and both sour and aromatic. From across the Atlantic, there’s Coquetier, which comes with a warning to sip slowly. This is for you if you like your spirits dark, for it’s a complex and strong drink, made of cognac, the spicy, fruity French liqueur Suze Saveur d’Autrefois, the Italian bitter liqueur Cynar, Bulleit Rye whiskey, Heering cherry liqueur, claret, Peychaud’s, and orange bitters. A small bar food menu has good poké bowls to share. You can’t miss the buzz and vibe here, especially from 7.00pm on Wednesday nights when Skyline sessions feature live music, or from Thursday to Sunday when the DJs are in action.
ADDRESS: Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PD
TEL: +44 (0)20 3747 1063
EMAIL: 12thknot@seacontainerslondon.com
WEB: www.seacontainerslondon.com/food-drink/12th-knot
OPENING HOURS: Tuesday and Wednesday 5.00pm–1.00am, Thursday to Saturday 5.00pm–1.30am. Outdoor terrace open 5.00pm–10.00pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
BOOKINGS: Via the website; walk-ins are first come, first served. Check the website calendar for closures due to private events.
DRESS CODE: Smart casual; no sportswear, trainers/sneakers, or flip-flops
AGE RESTRICTION: 21+
NEAREST UNDERGROUND STATIONS: Waterloo, Blackfriars
PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY: Tate Modern, River Thames, Shakespeare’s Globe, Borough Market, National Theatre, OXO Tower
69 COLEBROOKE ROW
Look out for the lantern above the door of this tiny speakeasy-style bar on the corner of a backstreet in Islington. 69 Colebrooke Row, also known as The Bar with No Name, is a wow of a place, and you really need to make a reservation, or prepare to be disappointed. Inside it’s 1950s Italian café style, relaxed and cosy, and the staff are smartly dressed in the 69 Colebrooke Row jacket with distinctive logo, white shirt, black tie, trousers, and shoes. The menu is the creation of cocktail supremo Tony Conigliaro and his pioneering team at the research and development laboratory at The Drink Factory. The original, seasonally changing cocktails are created using secret ingredients that, in careful combination, result in drinks that challenge the senses in equal measure without being gimmicky. 69’s Death in Venice cocktail recipe makes a particularly refreshing tipple, simply prepared with Campari, Prosecco, and homemade grapefruit bitters. For a real treat, or even a challenge, don’t miss the bar’s own innovative version of the ultimate 19th-century hangover cure, the Prairie Oyster, which you must drink all at once! It’s a wonder of modern invention how the traditional raw egg yolk has been replaced by a ‘tomato’ yolk, and instead of Worcestershire sauce, there’s horseradish vodka and Oloroso sherry, shallots, pepper sauce, celery salt, and oyster leaf. If you prefer, classic and non-alcoholic cocktails are available on request. The place is always animated, but on the nights that the in-house pianist is there, it positively vibrates to the beat. A tiny neighbourhood bar with a big heart.
ADDRESS: 69 Colebrooke Row, Islington, London N1 8AA
TEL: +44 (0)7540 528593
EMAIL: drinks@69colebrookerow.com
OPENING HOURS: Sunday to Wednesday 5.00pm–midnight, Thursday 5.00pm–1.00am, Friday and Saturday 5.00pm–2.00am
BOOKINGS: Available for parties of 1–8 guests, for one hour; visit www.exploretock.com/69colebrookerow. You can ask for a longer time slot. Walk-ins welcome.
AGE RESTRICTION: 18+
EVENTS/LIVE MUSIC: For the Sunday night programme, check www.69colebrookerow.com/events. The in-house pianist plays on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 8.00pm–11.00pm.
MASTERCLASSES: Check the website for Saturday and Sunday afternoon dates and details: www.69colebrookerow.com/masterclasses/#masterclass-details
NEAREST UNDERGROUND STATIONS: Angel, Highbury & Islington
PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY: Exmouth Market, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Victoria Miro Gallery, Gagosian Gallery, Clockmakers’ Museum, Postal Museum, London Canal Museum
AMERICAN BAR
The Beaumont
Who would ever guess that this swanky American bar has only been here since The Beaumont opened in 2014? Situated on a quiet garden square a stone’s throw from Selfridges, the listed Art Deco façade of the building dates back to 1926, and the interior is a modern creation that recaptures the glamour of the 1920s, when cocktails travelled across the Atlantic and found a captive audience in London. The American Bar—also known as Jimmy’s—is open all day from 11.30am and is small enough to be intimate without being claustrophobic. It’s a handsome bar with an old-fashioned feel, and the décor, like the cocktails, is the epitome of elegance, from the herringbone parquet flooring to the dark leather booths, mirrored bar, and glass-and-bronze chandelier. The sober walnut-panelled walls display monochrome studio portraits of early 20th-century celebrities and Hollywood legends, taken by a galaxy of famous photographers, including Cecil Beaton, and adding a touch of theatricality. The service is equally old-school, personal and friendly, and the cocktails, served in Art Deco glasses, are classic, strictly shaken or stirred. This is a bar that would have found favour with Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Choose your tipple from one of the four groups, with the emphasis on champagne, bourbon/rye whiskey, gin/vodka/tequila, and rum/cognac, and expect to find the timeless daiquiri, martini, and old fashioned on the long list. The signature champagne cocktail is The Beaumont, a heady, satisfying blend of champagne, gin, dry sherry, elderflower, pineapple, and lemon, and the eponymous Jimmy’s own version of The Collins is made with Finlandia vodka, lemon juice, sugar, and soda. There is no list of non-alcoholic cocktails, but the bar staff will happily mix up anything you fancy. Expect complimentary olives and nuts, regularly refilled, and, if you are lingering longer, try a bar meal or casual snack, in which case don’t miss the popcorn chicken. A truly iconic bar.
ADDRESS: The Beaumont, 8 Balderton Street, Mayfair, London W1K 6TF
TEL: +44 (0)20 7499 1001
EMAIL: info@thebeaumont.com
WEB: www.thebeaumont.com/dining/american-bar
OPENING HOURS: Monday to Saturday 11.30am–midnight, Sunday 11.30am–11.00pm
BOOKINGS: Not taken
AGE RESTRICTION: Alcohol only served to 18+. Children under 16 permitted in the bar until 6.00pm.
NEAREST UNDERGROUND STATIONS: Bond Street
PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY: The Wallace Collection, Oxford Street, Bond Street, Apsley House, Hyde Park, Speakers’ Corner
AMERICAN BAR
The Savoy
The iconic Art Deco bar at The Savoy is the longest surviving of the American cocktail bars in London. When the bar opened in 1893, it was in the original riverside part of the hotel, but it moved to its current location in 1904. Amongst its claims to fame was the appointment of Ada ‘Coley’ Coleman, who arrived there in 1903 and became the first female bartender. Harry Craddock followed in her footsteps, inspiring generations of mixologists with his classic inventions and publishing them in The Savoy Cocktail Book, which is still in print to consult today. Many historical events have been marked here, including the first moon landing in 1969, when barman Joe Gilmore created his own tribute to the astronauts. Neil Armstrong’s story is that Gilmore’s cocktail Moon Walk, a mix of Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice topped up with champagne and rose water, was his first drink when he was allowed out of quarantine. This was thanks to The Savoy, who had dispatched it in a flask to America.
Then, as now, there is a generosity about the bar, with welcoming, unobtrusive staff, white-jacketed mixologists, complimentary trays of peanuts, crackers, and olives that are constantly replenished, and a small but indulgent menu of bar snacks from oysters to smoked salmon. The walls are adorned with 1960s and 70s black and white celebrity portraits by Terry O’Neill, the seating is comfortable and relaxed, and the bar does what The Savoy does best: gives you the style and the glamour of a bygone era. You can enjoy live music and entertainment every night from 6.30pm, and you can be sure that whatever cocktail you choose will be perfectly mixed, created with great care, and impeccably presented. Ada Coleman, Harry Cradock, and Joe Gilmore all have their place in the vintage list with their respective unique cocktails: Hanky Panky, White Lady, and Moon Walk. Cocktail invention here has endured through the ages, with a themed cocktail menu that changes annually; past themes have been variously inspired by London’s iconic buildings, by Britain’s coastline and landscape, and by the amazing collection of Terry O’Neill’s photographs. Do check the website to see what wonderful cocktail collection is current. The American Bar manages to be avant-garde but still retain its historic reputation as one of London’s landmark bars and great institutions, and it should definitely not be missed.
ADDRESS: The Savoy, 100 Strand, Covent Garden, London WC2R 0EZ
TEL: +44 (0)20 7836 4343
EMAIL: savoy@fairmont.com
WEB: www.fairmont.com/savoy-london/dining/americanbar
OPENING HOURS: Monday to Saturday 11.30am–midnight, Sunday 12.00pm–11.00pm
BOOKINGS: Not taken
DRESS CODE: Smart casual; no sportswear
AGE RESTRICTION: 18+
EVENTS/LIVE MUSIC: Daily 6.30pm–11.30pm, till 10.30pm Sunday
MASTERCLASSES: Visit www.fairmont.com/savoy-london/promotions/culinaryevents, call +44 (0)20 7420 2111, or email savoy@fairmont.com
NEAREST UNDERGROUND STATIONS: Covent Garden, Charing Cross, Embankment
PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY: Somerset House, The Courtauld Gallery and Institute of Art, Royal Festival Hall, National Theatre, Savoy Theatre, Covent Garden, Royal Opera House, London Transport Museum, London Film Museum, Cinema Museum
