Winter whimsy: Not the Buttons at Common Decency in the NoMad
(Picture: Press handout)With Christmas almost here, the city is illuminated with festive lights, restaurants and pubs feel cosier than ever before, the shops are filled with festive hits and the streets are a mix of left-it-too-late present buyers and had-too-much-at-the-office party types.
Some Scrooges might think it all utterly awful, there’s one thing most Londoners can get behind — and that’s a damn good drink. Luckily, there’s never a shortage in that department no matter the season, but the festive cocktails that grace the lists of London’s bars, pubs and restaurants are tiny tastes of liquid joy that bring the season’s flavours to life.
To play the role of North Star for this year’s festive drinking , we’ve curated a list of some of the city’s tastiest and most comforting cocktails. From a stimulating twist on the espresso Martini to an elevated take on the infamous Snowball, here are some drinks to try while making your rounds this holiday season.
No. 5 at Scarfes Bar
At Scarfes Bar, it’s easy to lose a sense of place and time: the amalgamation of sophisticated cocktails, perfectly-paced service, the warmth of the radiant fireplace near the cosy sofas, the rhythmic swing of jazz music in the background — it feels more like being in your own living room as opposed to a bar. It’s a space where comfort and extravagance go hand in hand; drinks aren’t cheap here, but it is special.
The No. 5, one of the bar’s most festive drinks, blends whisky with nori-infused sherry, a chocolate-barley syrup, verjus and baked bread flavour for a decadent serve; it’s full of a rich, warming flavours — those that “taste like Christmas” — while the acidity in the verjus stops things becoming too cloying. Whisky-lovers at Rosewood London might want to book a spot at the Glenfiddich whisky pop-up on the terrace, The Time:Capsule, too.
£22, Rosewood London, 252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN, scarfesbar.com
Plum and Bass at Acme Fire Cult
Acme Fire Cult, Dalston‘s fashionable barbeque destination housed besides the 40 FT Brewery thrived during its first summer, but hot damn does it feel as though it was built for winter.
The smoke from the open-grill cooking offers a fireplace-like comfort; the outdoor seating area’s benches have been dressed for the winter with the addition of faux fur throws; and the inside dining and bar area is as cosy as it’s ever been with candlelit booths and table seating. To warm the soul, order the newly debuted Plum and Bass. The festive espresso Martini twist is crafted with Kahlua, Empirical Spirits’ The Plum, I Suppose, Solo coffee concentrate and gomme syrup. It’s fruity, bittersweet and a perfect cocktail to finish the evening with.
Abbot Street, E8 3DP, acmefirecult.com
White chocolate | Oolong at Silverleaf Bar
Few cocktail bars in London if any are serving better drinks than Silverleaf at this very moment — so when the bar drops a special holiday cocktail, you make moves. The dark and moody, Tom Dixon-designed bar adjacent to Liverpool Street’s Pan Pacific London focuses on seemingly minimalist drinks focused on familiar flavours.
In the bar’s signature style, the white chocolate | Oolong (the line breaks are theirs) takes the core flavours of the infamous Snowball cocktail — once consumed in excess during the Seventies —but delivers it with a Silverleaf twist. This offering reimagines the messy mix of the egg and cream-laced Advocaat liqueur by mixing blended Japanese whisky with flavours of salted egg yolk, Oolong tea and white chocolate for a rich yet delicate highball. If you’re someone who enjoys the holiday atmosphere without the over-the-top seasonal décor, Silverleaf Bar is likely the spot for you.
3rd Floor, Devonshire House, 3 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4JX, panpacific.com
Not the Buttons at Common Decency
Common Decency, NoMad London’s whimsical yet sexy subterranean cocktail den (which is an homage to Oscar Wilde) has gone all-in on the festive cheer with its Holiday Spectacular menu. From its time-tested eggnog recipe to a mince pie-inspired sour, there’s no shortage of creative, seasonal cocktails on offer.
One of the highlights is an Irish whiskey-based sour dubbed Not the Buttons, pictured at the top of this page, which gets its name from the famous scene in the film Shrek where Gingy the gingerbread man pleads not to have his gumdrop buttons removed during an interrogation. The playful serve marries the Irish whiskey with 15-year-old blended scotch, lemon juice, gingerbread, palo cortado sherry and maple for a complex, spice-forward take on a whiskey sour. The icing on top — quite literally — is the accompaniment of gingerbread cookies that come with small squeezy bottles of icing for guests to decorate with.
28 Bow Street, WC2E 7AW, thenomadhotel.com
Butter & Scotch at The Chelsea Pig
The Chelsea Pig, Timothy Oulton’s revamp of a century-old pub, âis chic and eccentric but retains a sense of cosy and inviting charm. Gorgeous chandeliers illuminate the main dining area, while pieces of Oulton’s aspirational furniture outfits the pub’s quaint living room seating area. A massive water tank at the back of the pub, inhabited by a lifesize Russian diving helmet and suit, serves as a reminder that this isn’t your average pub.
It’s a notion that also applies to the cocktails, which have a reputation of being noteworthy among London’s food and drink-loving elite. For winter, the pub has a few special serves on offer, but the Harry Potter Butterbeer-inspired Butter and Scotch cocktail is the ideal way to get in the Christmas spirit. Butterscotch candy is infused into whiskey, which is complemented with a touch of Drambuie and lengthened with cream soda. It’s a simple serve, but it’s bound to pull on the heart-strings of millennials who grew up with Potter and gang.
35 Old Church Street, SW3 5BS, thechelseapig.co.uk
Christmas Negroni at Luca
Any excuse to dine and drink at Luca is a good excuse. Fortunately, the Italian restaurant’s alpine-inspired Christmas Negroni is now on the seasonal cocktail list, so it’s time to secure a booking (if you can snag one).
The twist on the beloved bitter cocktail is a mix of Campari infused with redcurrants, dry gin, sweet vermouth, and an Italian pine liqueur to really drive home the Christmas tree vibes. The cocktail is fresh, bitter and guaranteed to be a beautiful match with Luca’s delicious parmesan fries. For a quick round of drinks and nibbles, the chic and casual bar area is the ideal setting; but it’s the natural light-filled dining room with exposed brick, modern wooden interiors and festive greenery that really makes a strong case for spending an evening working through the tasting menu with wines and cocktails to pair.
88 St John Street, EC1M 4EH, luca.restaurant
Hot Walnut Buttered Rum at Nightjar
Nightjar, the whimsical speakeasy, has created a special treat for London’s drinkers who are preferential to a warm holiday cocktail. Available at both of the bar’s locations in Carnaby and Shoreditch, the twist on the hot buttered rum marries a sweet dark seven-year-old rum with Nightjar walnut butter, Pedro Ximenez sherry, roasted coffee beans and pecan maple syrup, and the smoky Ayuuk Empirical Spirit. It’s rich and complex with heartwarming flavours. After strolling around on the cold city streets, there are few better tipples to warm the soul.
Kingly Court, 49-51 Carnaby Street, W1F 9PY, nightjarcarnaby.com
Piccadilly at Fallow
For sustainability-minded consumers — and, well, just anyone after a good time — Fallow in the heart of St James’s is as good as it gets as far as restaurants are concerned. While the food-lovers hotspot is renowned for signature dishes including the moreish mushroom parfait and smoked cod head drowned in sriracha sauce, the bar team has been subtly slinging banging drinks for a while now.
Case in point? The wintery Piccadilly. The Manhattan-style cocktail mixes the spicy Sazerac rye whiskey with hibiscus, a blend of vermouths, walnut and Angostura bitters. The nutty and fruity characteristics of the drink are reminiscent of a Christmas fruit cake, except the cocktail is even better because by the time the glass is empty you’re left with a fine buzz. ‘Tis the season and all.
52 Haymarket, St. James’s, London SW1Y 4RP, fallowrestaurant.com
Carrot Hot Shot at Seed Library
Seed Library may be housed in the basement of the One Hundred Shoreditch hotel, but it nails the neighbourhood cocktail bar feel. Wood panelling and earthy tones of red and orange give the space a natural warmth, and the comfortable lounge-style seating means those in are bound to stay for more than one round. The Carrot Hot Shot has recently made its debut on the menu, and it tastes like the best carrot cake you’ve ever had in liquid form. Tonka bean, carraway, vodka, and carrot juice are served warm with a layer of cool, nutmeg-seasoned cream floated on top. With a side of potato smileys, one of the bar’s signature snacks, the chances leaving exponentially happier are in your favour.
100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ, seedlibraryshoreditch.com
Milk & Cereal at IT London
This glamorous, pasta and pizza-filled restaurant and lounge in the heart of Mayfair is one of the best places to dine and drink for those priming themselves for a big night out with friends. The restaurant’s vibe is lively,and the place is always filled with some upbeat tracks courtesy of the rotating list of DJs.
The new, festive winter menu maintains IT London’s typical Mediterranean influence, but with a theme of nostalgic flavours and creations; this one draws on one bartender’s childhood memory of milk and cereal prepared by his mother. The clarified milk punch pairs nostalgia with festive holiday flavours as it mixes blended bourbon, tequila, milk and Cheerios, hazelnut liqueur, port wine and caramel tea. Depsite the rather eccentric list of ingredients, this is an elegant serve that has all the characteristics of a great nightcap, although it goes down almost too smoothly to only have one.
28-29 Dover Street, W1S 4NA, itrestaurants.com
Pomegranate and Fig Leaf Negroni at Jikoni
Dining and drinking at Jikoni is always a cheery occasion. The interiors are littered with a hodgepodge of contemporary patterns, floral arrangements and fine fabrics that seemingly span the entire spectrum of colour.
Chef Ravinda Bhogal brings her Indian, Kenyan and British ties to life through dishes and drinks that transcend labels and manifest as her own distinct style. As the UK’s first independent restaurant to go carbon neutral, eco-mindedness also plays a role at Jikoni, per the use of Sapling Carbon Positive gin as the base in this Negroni twist made with pomegranate, fig leaf, rose vermouth and bitters. It’s as bright and nuanced as you’d expect from the classic, except with flavours that align nicely with the crispness of winter.
