With lots of people off the sauce, why not visit some of London's best bars and enjoy them while they're quiet.
Is there anything more depressing than the self-induced misery that is ‘Dry January’? Some of us may ‘overdo it’ in December, but to spend the following month denying ourselves of any pleasure (be it booze, pudding or a new pair of shoes) seems draconian, and we aren’t going to make the world a better place for doing so. Though thousands of people will spend January in temperance, there are benefits to be had for a commitment to vice: the rare opportunity to do away with making advanced reservations necessary at every other time of year. If you need further convincing to cancel dry January this year, here are some of the best places in London to do it.
The Bar With No Name
69 Colebrook Row, N1
Is it an oyster? Is it the deconstructed eye of Sauron? Head to the Bar with No Name to find out.
Drawing inspiration from the Italian cafes of the 1950s, this hidden gem is classic in style but creative in substance. You must start your evening with a Prairie Oyster— an ‘amuse-bouche’ (fancy shot) akin to a deconstructed Bloody Mary, served in a custom-made ceramic oyster shell. The Mandarin Mezcal Negroni will have gin-lovers appalled at the thought, but it may leave you questioning why you had it any other way before. They host live music nights featuring a variety of genres, and their pianist plays Wednesdays and Sundays too. It doesn’t have a name, so I’ll call it sophisticated, relaxed and impressive.
Satan’s Whiskers
343 Cambridge Heath Road, E2
Credit: Steven Joyce
A fixture on the World’s 50 Best Bars list for three years (number 29 in 2024), Satan’s Whiskers is about perfecting modern classics. Their staff training is ‘unashamedly tailored towards practical bartending skills’ and understanding the ‘subtleties required to execute each specific cocktail to its best’, meaning no frills nor gimmicks, just exceptionally good drinks. The bar is known to be frequented by many of London’s other top bartenders, so they must be doing something right. Despite the hard-line approach, it is relaxed in style, inviting you to drop in frequently rather than just for a special occasion. With a menu that changes daily depending on the ingredients sourced that morning, there will always be something new for you to try (though you may need to do dry January if a daily cocktail is your thing).
The Connaught Bar
16 Carlos Place, W1
Having featured on The World’s 50 Best Bars list for nine consecutive years, ranking number 13 in 2024’s competition, The Connaught Bar, under the helm of Ago Perrone since it opened in 2008, is more than deserving of your attention. The Connaught Martini trolley is something of a legend, but the Kindred Joy, an elevated Paloma made with Patrón Silver Tequila, yuzu syrup and chilli liqueur, then ceremoniously poured into a glass of wine from a magnum bottle, is as celebratory as January is long. Everything from the setting (1920s deco designed by David Collins Studio) to the ambiance to the menu is elegance perfected. Make sure your date is too.
Nipperkin
20 Berkeley St, W1
The Roasted Chestnuts and Miso cocktail.
There are countless menus championing hyper-seasonality, and rightly so, but few unite their locally-sourced wares with Japanese-influences and innovative flavours, and execute it so well. Welcome to Angelos Bafas’ Nipperkin: a cosy amber-hued bar tucked beneath its sister restaurant, NIJŪ, where music sets the tone and the spirit of Omotenashi, the Japanese philosophy of heartfelt hospitality. The menu is dictated by the produce best in season, so changes often, but retains its spirit-forward, curious combinations with each rotation. A highlight of the current menu is the Roasted chestnuts & miso, an umami-intense twist on the Old Fashioned, while Caramelised beetroot & sake, a sweet-and-earthy mix including Nipperkin’s own beetroot spirit, fermented raspberries and Japanese sake, is planned for the early months of this year. I will be lining up for it.
Eve Bar
34-35 Southampton Street, WC2
‘Resist EVErything except temptation’ is their motto, and with a new menu prioritising single ingredients and led by nostalgic flavours (parma violets, jammy dodgers and popcorn feature), resistance would be futile. Part of the Adam Handling Collection and located beneath the Michelin-starred restaurant, Frog, Eve Bar balances an unwavering commitment to sustainability with an ability to excite. A case in point? Coffee: a chocolate-biscuit inspired Espresso Martini using waste cocoa butter and banana peel washed rum, waste biscuit trim infused whisky, coffee and chocolate, served with a Tunnock’s Teacake, Chef Handling’s personal favourite (and mine too when a martini comes with it). The low-lit bar, complete with stained glass windows, is full of theatre, but you feel welcomed and assured that a genuinely enjoyable evening is ahead. Number 23 in 2024’s World’s 50 Best Bars list gets our seal of approval.
Swift Borough
66 Borough High Street, SE1
If you are hoping to spend less on a single cocktail and more on multiple, while still exciting the senses, Swift is the one for you. Upstairs is a bright, diner-style bar ideal for daytime drinks. Downstairs is Back Pocket, a smaller, speakeasy-style bar with a select cocktail menu inspired by locations across London. If the January blues are getting to you, opt for the Waterhouse, a fizzy sweet-and-sour ode to The Crystal Palace, containing rum, bergamot liqueur, lime and homemade grapefruit sherbet. An additional seasonal specials menu is created every few weeks, using a flavour or ingredient found by the team on their group ventures to nearby Borough Market. If cocktails aren’t your thing, a Tuesday evening is dedicated to ‘Break Even Bottles’, where selected drams are served at the RRP. Swift has all the service you expect from a cocktail bar, with the warmth and recognition of your favourite pub.
For those of you committing to the cause, The Bar With No Name, The Connaught Bar and Swift have a good range of non-alcoholic cocktails to choose from. Just don’t tell everyone.
Amie-Elizabeth White is Country Life’s editorial assistant. She lives in London
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