Searcys Champagne Bar

Searcy’s Champagne Bar – St Pancras International Station – What better way to prepare yourself for a trip to Paris than taking on board a few glasses of champagne? And what better place to do that than the stunningly appointed Searcy’s champagne bar? Occupying a prime position overlooking the grandly refurbished St Pancras International Station […]

How to survive Christmas drinks

How to survive Christmas drinks You can see Christmas is greeting into full swing in the bars, restaurants and pubs of London. Eye wateringly expensive Christmas menus are appearing. Seasonal cocktails of varying degrees of expertise and allure are appearing. Mulled wine has been spotted. Tinsel and trees are taking over. More to the point […]

Refuel Bar Soho Hotel

Refuel Bar at the Soho Hotel – –  Soho, always seems to be buzzing… its streets packed every night of the week with revellers, ravers and roustabouts. The endless bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants run the whole gamut of styles, cuisine and salubriousness. Some of them get crowded, some get wild, some get seedy. Some […]

Getting Mist on Gin

From metal mickey to getting mist on gin Today I was accosted by one of those annoying banner ads that we all suffer in return for the wonder of the Internet. It proclaimed the delights of Royal Caribbean Cruises, and in particular their latest innovation, the robotic barman. Imagine… your drinks served by a faultless […]

Powder Keg Diplomacy

Powder Keg Diplomacy – They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But they didn’t take into account the poor souls who haven’t managed to drag themselves up in time for it. And that’s quite a lot of us come the weekend. So, step forward brunch, the most important meal of the […]

The Lucky Pig

The Lucky Pig What do I think of cocktails that are served in Jam Jars? Well, I think they’re worth preserving. Boom, boom, thank you, I’ll be here all night… Actually, I could be here all night, because this is just the kind of bar that ticks all the boxes for me as one of […]

Gilbert Scott

The Gilbert Scott at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel Gilbert Scott sounds like a Victorian expletive in the fine tradition of ‘Gordon Bennett’ and ‘What the Dickens’. Which is particularly apt – because it would be perfectly natural to utter a powerful exclamation of wonder once you enter this stunning bar and restaurant through the heavy […]

What makes the best bars in London?

What makes the best bars in London? The answer is you – because what really makes a bar great is how you’re feeling and what you’re looking for on any particular evening. You could find yourself in a dark, dingy, sweaty dive where the cocktails are as monumentally bad as they are expensive…but if you […]

Dandelyan

No whines about Dandelyan at the Mondrian. – After a thoroughly enjoyable and educational Nikka whiskey club tasting at Vinopolis I decided to wend my slightly wobbly way along the Southbank towards Waterloo. As I passed the newly refurbished Sea Containers House my eyes were drawn to a beautifully stylish bar basking in full view […]

House of Peroni

House of Peroni In typical fashion the start of London Cocktail Week saw the end of a balmy Indian summer and the onset of wet and windy conditions more befitting a British autumn. So, what better place to head off to after collecting my snazzy London Cocktail Week wristband than the House of Peroni in […]