You can hold off on the rain, but there’s one kind of dry that’s not welcome in London – a month, week or day without booze. To those of you crazy enough to attempt 31 days in this city liquor free, we’d like to see if these London bars will push you to drinking point.
[BYOC East]B.Y.O.C East have waved goodbye to their sealed booze policy, so now you can bring in already opened bottles of spirits for the bartenders to mix you up some fantastic cocktails. Which means you have no excuse not to polish off those unfinished bottles of spirits you didn’t manage to get through over Christmas. Don’t be wasteful now.
19 Bevis Marks, London EC3A 7JA
2. Bloomsbury Club
[Bloomsbury Club]The Bloomsbury Club not only looks inviting enough for a drink, but the cocktail menu’s selection of lesser-known, adventurous classics as well as innovative, new creations, is certainly enough to intrigue the taste buds. For the strong-willed amongst you, this month they are also running an event with Seedslip (the nonalcoholic spirit) between 13th – 15th January, which includes a special ‘dry January’ cocktail menu.
3. Discount Suit Company
[Discount Suit Company]In celebration of their third birthday, the Discount Suit Company are offering a 50% discount on all bookings until Sunday 15th January. Famed for its speakeasy vibes and set in the former suit tailor’s store room, this drinking den is enough to make you break the dry Jan resolution, without necessarily telling anyone about. This month will also see the cocktail bar launch their 6th cocktail list, which is something you certainly don’t want to be missing out on.
9A Wentworth Street, London E1 7TB
4. Sipsmith Hot Gin Terrace at the Ham Yard Hotel
Sipsmith and the Ham Yard Hotel know that the two best ways to keep warm this winter involve gin and hot beverages, which is why they’ve combined the two in their pop-up roof terrace. Located in the Ham Yard Hotel, the roof terrace will be serving up a selection of hot gin concoctions inspired by cocktail classics, which you can sip at your own pleasure while snuggled under a woollen blanket. You can book in advance here.
20th January – 14th February at Ham Yard Hotel, 1 Ham Yard, Soho, London W1D 7DT
5. The Distillery
[The Distillery]If you’re going to break dry Jan, you might as well get totally gin-toxicated. Complete with 2 bars, private dining rooms, The Ginstitute – an expert gin masterclass space – and rooms to crash in after you just can’t take anymore, The Distillery is the place to go if you want to break your dry January hard and with utter style. Plus, you can crash (and probably burn) in a bed afterwards.
[Mews of Mayfair]There’s nothing like an offer to break your willpower. Mews of Mayfair are offing 2 cocktails for £10, through our sister app Fever. This gorgeous restaurant and bar is tucked away down a stylish street in Mayfair. The offer allows you to choose from their delicious cocktail list that includes homemade creations such as Mews Berry, King Negroni and Claret Cobbler, as well as the ultimate pick-me-up – an Espresso Martini! Get it here.