6 Bars To Try This February

London Cocktail Club Old Street, Shoreditch 

London Cocktail Club has opened its doors in Worship Street – its eighth spot in the capital. Based on a secret garden party, the bar promises to provide hedonistic, festival vibes year-round. Guests will enter under a wisteria tree hanging from a wall of mirrors. Cocktails will be served on a romantic Victoriana veranda with arches adorned in roses and swinging seats. Guests can get cosy in colourful Moroccan-style festival tents with draped curtains and opulent lamps as they sip on dry martinis. Hidden away, a private conservatory hosts day beds and a ‘fountain of youth’ with an endless supply of negroni. The perfect place to party. 

63 Worship Street, Shoreditch, EC2 A 2DU 

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No. Fifty Cheyne, Chelsea 

After a nine-month renovation, Chelsea’s riverside Cheyne Walk Brasserie has undergone a complete rebuild, creating No. Fifty Cheyne. Set across two floors, this new local offers a restaurant experience, headed up by chef Iain Smith (previously head chef at Jason Atherton’s Social Eating House). Best of all, the venue features a ruby-red upstairs cocktail bar and drawing room, offering guests a smart, yet relaxed retreat. Completely transformed, this Chelsea local has been overseen by Sally Greene, founding director of the Old Vic Theatre and proprietor of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club – so we’re expecting wonderful things.  

50 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, SW3 5LR 

VisitFiftyCheyne

The Perky Nel 

A new pub is opening in Clapham South as late-night DJ bar Gigalum is transformed into the area’s newest neighbourhood boozer, The Perky Nel. Embracing traditional values with a modern attitude, a large bar and dining space will serve British food and drink from local suppliers and producers. A front terrace will offer views over the Common – perfect for the summer – while a live entertainment area, weekly pub quizzes and a dedicated sports zone with giant screens will keep locals engaged year-round. The Perky Nel is the second Clapham location for independent pub group Livelyhood, joining sister venue The Clapham North which underwent a large refurbishment last year. 

7-8 Cavendish Parade, Clapham, SW4 9DW; opens late February  

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The Crown, Chiswick 

The Crown is the fourth site from Harcourt Inns, a collection of London pubs with dining rooms which includes Three Cranes in the City (2017), The Coach in Clerkenwell (January 2018) and The Hero of Maida in Maida Vale (May 2018). Opening on Chiswick High Road, The Crown is the brainchild of critically-acclaimed chef Henry Harris, formerly of Racine. A former 17th-century police station and stables, guests will step through a double-fronted entrance into a bar space that is dotted with high stools, poser tables and has a large brass bar as centrepiece. A retractable canopy roof will enhance the outside space, making it accessible all year round. A comprehensive drinks selection, including beers and ales from local breweries and classic cocktails, will sit alongside a carefully curated wine list and selection of grower champagnes. 

210 Chiswick High Road, Chiswick, W4 1PD 

Visit TheCrownChiswick

Tonight Josephine. Shoreditch 

Its Waterloo original is one of the most Instagrammed venues in the UK, and now Tonight Josephine has opened its second site in Shoreditch. Located on Hoxton Square, the pink hole-in-the-wall basement bar promises sass, girl power, and the sweetest of cocktails. Inside, expect mirrored ceilings, chrome interiors and lashings of glitter all lit by its neon pink signage. Cocktails include the likes of ‘Love Potion No.10’, a strawberry-infused Bombay Sapphire gin, with fresh lemon juice, pineapple syrup and topped with prosecco; and the ‘No Time for Napoleon’ – dry vermouth, lychee liqueur, fresh lemon juice, cranberry juice, peach, served with a macaron. 

39A Hoxton Square, Shoreditch, N1 6NN 

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Toots n’ Hoots, Covent Garden 

Toots n’ Hoots is the long-waited new cocktail bar tucked above Covent Garden's Red Farm, the first London outpost of New York's cult dim sum restaurant. The team welcomes beverage director Shawn Chen, a veteran of NYC’s craft bartending scene, who has come up with a selection of high-concept concoctions. Libations will be created with an array of syrups, shrubs, infusions and tinctures made in house daily, mirroring Shawn's overarching philosophy of reinventing classics with an Asian twist. We like the sound of the ‘Le Club Hot’ – Don Julio tequila, jalapeño, cucumber, mint, smoked alder salt and lime – plus the Asian-inspired bar snacks. Want to know more? Check out SL’s full review of Red Farm here. 

9 Russell Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 5HZ 

Visit RedFarmLDN