Dark draw: Satan’s Whiskers
(Picture: Steven Joyce)London has cemented its reputation as the cocktail capital of the UK, by taking almost half the entries in a new list of the country’s best bars.
Bethnal Green bar Satan’s Whiskers has been named as Britain’s number one place to drink on this year’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars, while another 23 bars in the capital pepper the list, voted for by bartenders, bar owners and drinks writers.
Satan’s Whiskers jumped four places from last year to take the top spot. The bar is known for its low-key vintage vibe, hip-hop playlist and classic cocktails served up to a clientele that includes many of London’s top bartenders.
Another east London favourite, TayÄr + Elementary, was the second-highest London entry on the list, placing at number three. Founded in 2019 by Alex Kratena and Monica Berg, it is a bar of two halves: Elementary serves a seasonal list of familiar cocktails on tap to customers at a long communal table, while TayÄr, accessed through a partition, is a theatrical space where daily changing cocktails are created with cutting-edge equipment.
This year’s highest new entry is Soma in Soho, which opened in the basement of Kricket restaurant in 2021. Soma serves cocktails influenced by the flavours of India and with 1am closing on weekdays and a 3am weekend licence is a useful address to know.
Soho and Shoreditch remain London’s twin bar centres, with five and six entries respectively; other notable entries include Soho’s Swift and Disrepute at numbers 6 and 16 and Shoreditch’s Nightjar and Seed Library at numbers 19 and 34.
Chris Lowe, publisher of Top 50 Cocktail Bars, said: “The ever-growing interest in cocktails and bartending within the UK means we are spoilt for choice on where to go, and this list allows for the best of the UK bar scene to have a spotlight placed on them – and for consumers to find these hidden gems.”
The full list of the 25 London bars, with their rankings, is as below:
1. Satan’s Whiskers, Bethnal Green
3. TayÄr + Elementary, Shoreditch
5. Swift, Soho
7. Three Sheets, Dalston
9. Bar with Shapes for a Name, Hackney
10. The Connaught Bar, Mayfair
11. Little Mercies, Crouch End
16. Disrepute, Soho
17. Artesian, Oxford Circus
19. Nightjar, Shoreditch
21. Publiq, South Kensington
22. Scarfes Bar, Holborn
23. Lyaness, South Bank
24. Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum, Chinatown
26. Happiness Forgets, Hoxton
30. Soma, Soho
31. Coupette, Bethnal Green
33. Bar Termini, Soho
34. Seed Library, Shoreditch
35. Murder Inc, Soho
37. Callooh Callay, Shoreditch
38. Silverleaf, Liverpool Street
46. Amaro, Kensington
For more information and the full list, visit top50cocktailbars.com
