With dark, sexy interiors and a 60s soft rock soundtrack, this
sensual, subterranean Shangri-la has been dazzling Stoke Newington
residents with its pink velour, frills, fringing and drapes since
first opening as a pop-up, pre-pandemic. Four years on, and the
hedonism hasn’t stopped, with Dõna running a regular calendar of
voluptuary cocktail parties and cabaret nights. Tassels and tit
tape aside, though, the boudoir-like ambience of this women-owned
mezcal bar is just as seductive on a quiet night, when the drinks
menu of fiery, agave-focused cocktails takes centre stage. Look for
pours made with Dangerous Don, the bar’s house-made mezcal. The
Margaret is one of the best margaritas we’ve had in London.

“Drinks should be dangerous,” declares Italian drinks deity
Salvatore Calabrese as we dither over ordering one of his famous –
but deadly – martinis at the Corinthia’s lavish new cocktail bar.
Velvet by name and by nature, this ravishing space plays theatre to
the drinks maestro’s all-star cast of cocktails, which – in keeping
with the extravagance of the place – fill an extensive menu split
into four sections: 1920s classics, a 2020s selection, a separate
martini list and some of the star bartender’s signature pours. The
generosity of choice – and all-round opulence – stems from
Calabrese’s declaration that the age of minimalism is over – a
credence that flows into the interiors (all heavy drapes,
overstuffed booths, crystal-cut drinkware and thickly fringed
lampshades). Order the Panarea martini for a fruity and floral
introduction to the king of cocktails.

Located 10 floors up, high above Kings Cross, with
floor-to-ceiling windows offering jaw-dropping views across
London’s lights, this glitzy late-night lounge and discotheque has
a strong party aesthetic. The menu – packed with feelgood pours –
is split into three, with each category (“Mind”, “Body” and “Soul”)
offering innovative concoctions infused with mood-boosting
ingredients designed to get you up and under the disco ball. Order
the pick me up (a blend of adaptogenic mushrooms, brown vodka,
unctuous caramel, cacao and coffee) or the tart,
lacto-rhubarb-spiked frothy boi, then switch to the dangerously
addictive green velvet, made with white chocolate, mint and rum,
before the clock strikes 12 and the late-night menu arrives.

Split into two distinct bars – an airy, upper space and a moody,
subterranean joint – the award-winning Swift is a stop-off point
for Soho’s creative darlings. Upstairs, the light-filled space is
home to an expansive list of balmy summer crowd-pleasers, with
highlights including the citrussy sgroppino (lemon sorbet with St
Germain and prosecco) and carmen, a tequila and lime sherbet blend.
Head downstairs and you’ll find a dimly lit, slow-paced whisky
house, where the air is thick with hazy whispers and the hypnotic
strum of live guitar music. The current menu is an ode to legends
past and present. If you only order one drink, make it the
dastardly early american, a nutty, toffeed pour that sees Jack
Daniel’s No.7 whiskey muddled with maple, chocolate bitters and
blackstrap rum, inspired by the dulcet crooning of Frank
Sinatra.

Concealed behind an unobtrusive door on Soho’s Denman Street
(hint: try behind the suspiciously loitering bouncer), this moody,
subterranean drinking den has got London’s grapevine whispering.
The first foray of Rik Campbell and Will Bowlby – of Kricket
restaurant – into mixology, it’s a late-night opener with interiors
as seductive as the sophisticated menu. Head down the stairs and
you’ll enter inky darkness: a matt black space lit only by glowing
moon-like orbs which hang, suspended, above a vast slab of metal
that makes up the bar. Well-dressed bar staff are focused but
friendly, serving a menu that borrows ingredients from across South
Asia; a warmly spiced chaat margarita, a gingery chai sour, and a
face-twisting pickled mooli martini. It’s moody, melancholic, and
masterful.

Found above Jason Atherton’s delectable restaurant Social Eating
House, The Blind Pig is one of the best speakeasies in London. Make
for Soho’s Poland Street, look under the antique “optician” sign
and clang the blindfolded hog door-knocker to gain entry. Inside,
peruse a cocktail list modelled on children’s literature. We
recommend trying the kindergarten cup (Skittles mixed with Ketel
One vodka) or Robin Hood, quince of thieves (brandy, quince liqueur
and mead). For something a little more mature, the pub grub-style
bar snacks have all the flair of the food served downstairs.

Hidden at the back of The Berkeley, this might be the most
secretive terrace in Knightsbridge. Sleek interiors – characterised
by velvet marshmallow pouffes and salvaged walnut-wood panels –
create the perfect environment for a tête-à-tête and tequila. If
the bar space is full, sip cocktails or a rare whisky in The Snug –
a secluded Bryan O’Sullivan-designed hideaway dominated by a
large-scale abstract mural featuring women’s faces by New
York-based artist TM Davy.

Tayēr + Elementary has been setting the London cocktail scene
aflutter. The front-facing Elementary is housed in an industrial
space – all exposed vents and floor-to-ceiling windows – with the
action centred around a single, long, wooden bar. Order the palo
santo gimlet (gin, sherry, Lillet Blanc and a cordial flavoured
with South American wood) if you fancy something with a smoky
taste. For a more experimental drinking experience, slide behind a
concrete wall imprinted with jars and glasses to Tayēr (Spanish for
“workshop”).

Mezcal has elbowed its way onto some of London’s best bar menus
in the past few years, but Hacha – London’s only agaveria – has
pledged its total devotion to the Mexican spirit. Inside the
bright, café-like space, you’ll spot 25 bottles of the stuff
numbered and racked up on the shelf. Reinventing familiar cocktails
with a kick of tequila or mezcal, this is the place to get to grips
with the nuances of this feisty spirit. Order the signature colada
– a creamy blend of sultana-infused Añejo, horchata and chargrilled
pineapple capped with toasted coconut – and then kick back with a
plate of tacos.