14 years in I think we can safely say this week of hopping around London’s very best bars and frolicking with industry greats is iconic. A world-famous celebration of the utter brilliance of our city and showing the world just how London does drinking (hint: well).
Our favourite bit? Not the events (although who doesn’t want to hang with this gorgeous duo and drink London’s most iconic cocktails?). Not even the takeovers (OK Dead Rabbit at Lyaness *will* get us out the door on a rainy night). It’s the OG way of doing things. The bar crawling. Experiencing the diversity of London’s bar scene and hopping from bar to bar. The fact you can try some of the best drinks in London for £8. It’s epic. So buy your wristband, grab your guidebook (the retro-ness of this makes us as giddy) and get out there.
Here are some of our favourite bars and what we’ll be drinking this LCW. Come join us.
The secret bar
Archive & Myth
Want to know a secret? Secret bars aren’t meant to be cool anymore but people still go f*ing nuts for them. Enter Archive & Myth, the not-so-secret secret bar inside the Hippodrome (yes really) and one of our favourite new bars of the year. Go for the romance, glam and mood lighting. Stay to try all the tiny cocktails.
We’ll be drinking: THE ULTIMATE GIBSON - £8
Ramsbury vodka, Everleaf Marine, salt and vinegar, vermouth, served with a pickle platter
Archive & Myth, Hippodrome Casino, Cranbourn Street, London, WC2H 7JH
The icon
Lyaness
If there’s ever a time to tick a bucket list bar off your list, it’s during LCW. Lyaness is a rule-breaking, game-changing, record-creating kind of place so swinging by should be top of your list of priorities. This also kinda ticks off two as NYC’s Dead Rabbit are taking over. Epic.
We’ll be drinking: THE DEAD RABBIT IRISH COFFEE - £8
Teeling Small Batch Original Irish Whiskey, coffee, rich demerara molasses syrup and topped with heavy fresh whipped cream.
Lyaness, 20 Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PD
The view
Shanghai Bar at Hutong
Want to impress? Take ‘em up The Shard. It’s not often you get to go fancy and head up here without dropping a down payment. The Chinese interiors are to die for but if you’re doing it right you’ll have booked a window table in advance to take all of London in from way up here.
We’ll be drinking: SILK ROAD MARTINI - £8
D’YAVOL vodka, Laphroaig, dry vermouth, Elderflower, rosemary garnish.
Hutong, Level 33 The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY
For Tequila
KOL Mezcalaria
If we’re going out for cocktails you can be damn sure we’ll be ordering one with a tequila or mezcal base. We’re gaga for agave so the basement bar at KOL always hits the spot. All sleek, concrete and minimalist this place takes wild British ingredients and makes some mezcal magic with them. Snacks too - as you can imagine with KOL upstairs the snacks are bang on.
We’ll be drinking: CUCUMBER AMERICANO - £8
Blanco tequila infused with pasilla chile, cucumber water, elderflower cordial.
KOL, 9 Seymour Street, London, W1H 7BA
For a swift one
Swift Soho
Bar hopping in Soho? We like you already. No Soho night would be complete without a swiftie at Swift, ours (and everyone’s TBH) favourite stop for a warm up drink and a catch up. We stick upstairs for aperitivo sundowner feels and watch the world go by. The Sgroppino is cult status but they’ve got a whole menu on offer for LCW so 1 will inevitably turn into 3; just the kind of kick off we like.
We’ll be drinking: SGROPPINO - £8
St-Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon sorbet, topped with prosecco
Swift, 12 Old Compton Street, London, W1D 4TQ
