7 Best Cocktail Bars For Your Next London Night Out

If you’re in for that ultimate weekend experience, chilling in a cocktail bar should be on your London itinerary. Granted, you’re never going to run out of choices—from hidden haunts, to local-recommended favorites, to watering holes. London knows about cocktails so well. 

London’s cocktail bars aren’t just your ordinary cocktail experience. They take mixology to a whole new level, so it’s truly going to be an experience in itself. Whether you’re a visitor to London or a new local looking to make plans of hopping Mayfair bars for the weekend, this guide might just be what you need.

This isn’t your ordinary ‘tourist spots guide’ to London. Here, you’ll have a list of some of the best cocktail bars. Hop in for the night, so you can do as the local Brits do.

1 – Murder Inc

Murder Inc, along 36 Hanway St, just close to Soho, is a local favorite. It’s a cocktail bar that’ll have you feeling like you’re having a drink in Hell’s Waiting Room. The bar itself?  It boasts of an army of different bottles of all sorts of alcoholic beverages the bartender will mix for you.

However, don’t expect to relax and unwind here. It’s a cocktail bar that’s best for the younger ones, with its hip and youthful feel.

If you love boxing, you’ll love the assortment of boxing memorabilia up its walls.

2 – Oriole

Here’s something a bit more relaxed and fancier. If you fancy a tropical-like vibe, this hidden gem at Smithfield Market in East London is for you. The overall theme is inspired by The Pacific. Presentation-wise, the drinks are served in elephant-shaped mugs, shells, and other whatnots. And, the cocktail drinks?  It’ll have anything from an infusion of bananas and peanuts.

3 – Purl

Purl in Mayfair is third on this list. At Purl, you’re taken to a whole new experience where cocktails are experimented up to a whole new level. It’s a quirky, underground bar that seems to transform you to another world. A cocktail bar with a piano?  That’s something you won’t see every day.

4 – Tayēr + Elementary

In this cocktail bar, it’s hard to pin down what the favorites in the menu are. Even constant visitors themselves will tell you how the menu is constantly evolving. There’s something new to expect every so often. One drink you shouldn’t miss, however, is the frozen cocktail. It’s definitely worth the try.

At Tayēr + Elementary, you’re actually being welcomed into two cocktail bars, each with its own, unique vibe. Elementary is more chill and laidback, perfect for daytime cocktails. If you’ll be staying until the night, Tayēr at the back can give you a house party experience like no other.

5 – Bandra Bhai

Another Soho hit, Bandra Bhai gives you a unique, Indian experience, as if you’re taken back to the 1970s. It’s not just the cuisine, but the drinks, too. Just be sure you’ll be able to find it as it’s hidden beneath the Pali Hill restaurant.

What’s so special about this cocktail bar?  After perusing the menu, you’ll actually learn that the entire bar itself was built in India, and then shipped to London in a container. This is to ensure you experience Indian authenticity through and through.

6 – Three Sheets

If you love Sex And The City, you’ll enjoy Three Sheets’s twist on the classic cosmopolitan. Unlike any other cosmopolitan drink served in an ordinary cocktail bar, here at Three Sheets, they infuse fermented cranberry juice to punch it up.

Locals would advise you to visit Three Sheets on that Saturday night where you have the entire Sunday to relax, all while nursing your hangover. Just think about these favorites on their menu, apart from the cosmopolitan:

• For the non-alcoholics in the group, Grape Soda, which is a mix of jasmine, pisco, and grape leaves
• Picante, a blend of fresh pineapple and tequila
• Beetroot-infused Earth Martini.

7 – Opium

After a long day at Chinatown, you can cap off your visit with this discreetly-hidden cocktail bar, serving Oriental favorites. The ingredients? They’re sourced from Chinatown, itself. You may not be able to enjoy those Hong Kong nights out for now, but, at least, while in London, it’s like you’ve travelled there, too.

The best part?  This cocktail bar’s interior is as beautiful as its delicious offering of drinks.

Conclusion

You have the list. You have the weekend ready. Now’s the time to get planning. If you’re going with a big group, be sure to make those reservations. Don’t let a full cocktail bar be the bummer to what would be an awesome weekend night out. In this English capital, you’re certainly going to find cocktails for every taste and every fancy. Who knows?  While in London, you might just be able to have a taste of what would be your most memorable cocktail experience.