5 New Bars To Try This February
Tincture, Shoreditch
Tincture is a new sustainable plant-based cocktail bar inspired by the seasons. Located beneath Neil Rankin’s new vegetarian burger restaurant Simplicity, Tincture is the brainchild of bartender and mixologist Carl Brown. Brown learnt his trade in several of London’s top cocktail bars before moving on to become head bartender at the Waldorf and creating the Dishoom drinks programme. The menu here is divided into two. First up is ‘Modern Apothecary’, which features plant-based, sustainable, zero-waste cocktails centred around four seasonal tinctures. Each tincture is based on a single ingredient (currently pear, cinnamon, blackberry and parsnip) and all are complementary, so guests can order a combination or individual cocktail. The ‘Alternative Speakeasy’ sets out to prove that zero alcohol does not need to mean a compromise in taste or experience. Over the last five years, he has developed a blend called ‘Crossip’, which tastes great but – thanks to the maceration process involving punchy ingredients such as aniseed – mimics the mouthfeel and warming sensation of drinking alcohol. Best of all, it won’t cause a hangover.
202 Brick Lane, Shoreditch, E1 6SA
Visit BarTincture.co.uk
Smokey Kudu, Peckham
Smokey Kudu is a small neighbourhood cocktail bar located under the arches by Queens Road station in Peckham. It is the first standalone bar from Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams and is a short walk away from their hit restaurant Kudu. The elegant, 37-cover drinking den features a central horseshoe-shaped bar topped with pink marble and a giant glass chandelier, which gives the room a luxe feel. Green velvet banquette seating and dark red marble tables run the length of the space. The drinks list subtly draws on Patrick’s native South Africa with 15 cocktails (including non-alcoholic drinks) and fans of Kudu restaurant will be happy to see the ‘Smokey Kudu’ (made with Bain’s South-African whisky, rosehip, wormwood and smoke) has also made it onto the list here. The bar is open in the evenings Wednesday to Friday and all day on Saturdays and Sundays.
Arch 133 Queens Road, Peckham, SE15 2ND
Visit KuduCollective.com
The Clumsies Pop-Up, St James
St James Bar in the five-star Sofitel St James will soon be welcoming Athens bar The Clumsies – currently ranked number six in World’s 50 Best Bars – for an exclusive pop-up. The upcoming pop-up will mark the beginning of a year of travelling for The Clumsies team, with a curated menu featuring five cocktails designed just for the occasion: ‘Tea Ceremony’ (blended malt whisky, shitake, ginger, honey and mango kombucha); ‘Synthesis’ (London dry gin, white beetroot vermouth and cocoa); ‘Shaker Boys’ (aged rum, milk water, nutmeg, vanilla and jasmine); ‘Clear Soup’ (Blanco tequila, coconut and pineapple sherry, lime and celery ash and hops); and a ‘Highball Gimlet’ (vodka, apple geranium, fennel seeds and London Essence grapefruit and rosemary tonic). Available for three days only, the drinks will be available in the evenings from 5pm–12am.
6 Waterloo Place, St James, SW1Y 4AN; 3rd-5rd March
Visit SofitelStJames.com
Glass House, Shoreditch
This new Shoreditch bar from husband and wife team Alex Peffly and Z He – the pair behind Wun’s, Bun House and Pleasant Lady – is a community hub by day and a bar by night. The bar's minimalist design – which includes a terrazzo counter bar and glass-encased recording studio – is paired with a locally sourced drinks menu championing London-distilled spirits and craft beers on tap, as well as a wide range of 0.0% beer and non-alcoholic cocktails. Cocktails include a dry martini made with East London Liquor gin, Sacred vermouth and clove bitters; an old fashioned with Sacred whisky, London, absinthe, Angostura bitters, orange bitters and sugar; and a negroni made with Sipsmith gin, Victory bitter, Sacred English red vermouth, blood orange and smoked rosemary.
118 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, E2 6DG
Visit GlassHouse.London
Milroy’s of Spitalfields, Spitalfields
Milroy’s new Spitalfields site is set across four floors, offering a whisky bar, cocktail bar, tasting room and members club with a cigar terrace. In the basement, guests can find The Proofing Room, a cocktail bar created by Chris Tanner and the team behind the popular, award-winning bar The Vault Soho. Of the spaces, this is the one to head to for a perfectly made drink or two. If you’re looking to treat the whisky lover in your life, on the ground floor you’ll find a 1,000-strong whisky bar with space for 40 people, showcasing a carefully curated whisky selection from around the globe. Trust us, the team really knows its stuff.
76 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, E1 6LY
Visit Shop.Milroys.co.uk
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