bars drink
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Cahoots
13 Kingly Court, W1B 5PW; 020 7352 6200
So convincing are the To The Trains sign and the wooden escalator
that leads to Cahoots' 'booking o ce' that tourists regularly mistake
'Kingly Court Station' for the real TfL deal. In this fantasy wartime
Tube station, a bona de old red Bakerloo Line carriage, retro
railway paraphernalia and Goodnight Sweetheart styling set the
scene for a 'Keep Calm and Carry On' tea party held underground
as Luftwa e bombs rain down above. Plummy-toned sta in period
attire encourage Roll Out the Barrel singsongs and jitterbugging to
swing jazz at weekends. Pucker up to Anne Shelton, a vodka, berry
and pomegranate Champagne cocktail named after the Forces
sweetheart, or succumb to Lauren Bacall, a Pampero Blanco rum,
peach and orange-marmalade sour. Free rations - sarnies in army
issue tins - are a typically fun touch.
Blixen
65a Brush eld Street, E1 6AA; 020 7101 0093
This new Brit brasserie from Clive Watson (The Garrison, Village
East, Riding House Café) pro ers drinks and small plates at the main
bar, but scoot downstairs for cocktails in quirkier quarters. A folksy
bar inherited from the premises' previous incarnation as an Italian
trattoria, together with new JFK-era styling, suggest the sort of
Brooklyn dive where Mad Men's Don Draper would put the make on
a naive secretary in the bar's secluded alcove. Fitting xes include
Don Cherry (a Stoli Salted Karamel vodka and Cherry Heering sour)
and Mariachi Manhattan, made with Tapatio añejo, vermouth and an
absinthe rinse. A gin, spiced apple, elder¢ ower and crème de mûre
number goes by the name of Hedgeland - make that Hedge Fundland,
given Blixen's proximity to City boys and their bonuses.
The Dolls House
181 Upper Street, N1 1RQ; 020 7288 1470
When their Hoxton Dolls House fell into developers' clutches, owners
Adam Towner and Katy Gray Rosewarne wasted no time in securing
an alternative residence for grown-up guys and dolls. Seemingly
working to a tight budget, with Gray Rosewarne's kooky DIY stencils
and Towner's kitsch trinkets by way of titivation, their new Islington
home may be a thinly veneered reboot of former occupant The
House of Wolf, but the vibe feels fresher, more soulful and less
SIP OF THE SEASON
#FESTIVALCHIC
Origin: The Cocktail Trading Co
22 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7HG; 020 7427 6097
With the summer season kicking o� in May, this recipe from the
guys at new Soho sweet spot Cocktail Trading Co. (see overleaf),
will get you in a festival frame of mind. They serve theirs in a
custom-made tiki 'smelly welly'. Find similarly kitsch glassware
at greysimmonds.co.uk, � ll your boots and get glamping!
30ml cranberry juice
25ml Briottet Lychee Liqueur
25ml Cinzano Bianco vermouth
25ml peach purée
15ml lemon juice
6 mint leaves
Method: Combine all the ingredients over crushed
ice and churn everything together. Garnish with mint,
a sherbet straw, Glastonbury gubbins and your best Bestival props. Upload to Instagram!
pretentious. In the Attic (the pick of the venue's three bars), a concise
cocktail list includes perfect Pisco and Whisky Sours and a slightly
too astringent Aviation. Wine starts at £20 and a daily set menu of
Mod-Brit dining costs £25. Music includes live swing jazz bands and
- rocking the house until 4am - DJs spinning rare groove, Stax and
Motown to a crowd that's sharper than your average Pussycat Doll.
Clockwise from main image: fall into
Original Sin; don't miss your stop at
Cahoots; the folksy bar at Blixen
With the summer season kicking o� in May, this recipe from the
guys at new Soho sweet spot Cocktail Trading Co. (see overleaf),
will get you in a festival frame of mind. They serve theirs in a
custom-made tiki 'smelly welly'. Find similarly kitsch glassware