bars Ž drink

squaremeal.co.uk | 77

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