February is finally here! And whether or not you were doing Dry January, getting over the Most Depressing Month of the Year is still cause for celebration and more than a couple of cocktails. We’ve rounded up the drinks, events and collaborations taking place in London this month.
Espresso Martini pancakes at The Book Club
What: Booze-soaked pancakes based on one of our favourite cocktails of all time? We’re SO in.
Where: The Book Club in Shoreditch
Date: February 13th, aka Shrove Tuesday
Tell me more: Prepare for a flipping good time when pancake day rolls around, because The Book Club in Shoreditch are turning London’s favourite caffeine cocktail into a stack of delicious pancakes. The boozy concoction comprises a stack of fluffy American pancakes sandwiched together with Kahlua Cream, doused in a rich chocolate, espresso and vodka sauce, and finished with a smooth topping of more Kahlua Cream, and of course three chocolate coffee beans to garnish. Pair with an Espresso Martini, natch…
Cocktails and crooning at Studio 88
What: Singing at the top of your lungs while a live six-piece house band plays tunes requested by the audience, all fuelled by theatrically-styled cocktails? Sounds like a night we can get on board with…
Where: Newly opened Studio 88 in Leicester Square
Tell me more: After the success of The Piano Works in Farringdon, House of Song have opened another late-night drinking, audience-requested live music venue. With a central bar serving flamboyant cocktails and energy as high as Maria Carey on top form, expect a night here to unleash your inner diva.
As well as House Favourites, there’s a unique and inventive ‘Autograph Collection’, named after various famous studios. Universal Studios is a mix of Patrón silver tequila, Briottet Clue Curaçao, lime juice and edible pearl glitter, and there’s Sun Studios, where Elvis came to jam. An homage to The King’s penchant for peanut butter and banana sandwiches, it’s a sweet, rich and potent combination of Jack Daniels and Frangelico, served with your very own polaroid snap.
Get sleuthing at The Savoy
What: A Sherlock Holmes inspired cocktail? We love it! Especially when it’s enjoyed in the theatrical and ultra-glamorous surroundings of the Beaufort Bar.
Where: The Savoy’s Beaufort Bar
Date: Throughout February
Tell me more: Last year the Beaufort Bar launched the ‘Cocktail of the Moment’, inspired by some of the world’s most well-loved books – to date they’ve had tipples paying homage to Harry Potter and The Hobbit. And now, to celebrate 125 years of Baker Street’s most famous inhabitant, they’ve created Elementary. Served up in one of the Beaufort Bar’s vintage Coupe glasses, this cocktail is a Manhattan-style drink with ingredients such as orange curaçao, absinthe and poppy liqueur, a nod to both Holmes’s cases and his vices.
‘Dolce Domenica’ Sundays with VII Hills Italian Dry Gin
What: VII Hills Italian Dry Gin has partnered with King’s Road restaurant Ritorno, and will be taking over their ‘Dolce Domenica’ Sundays every second Sunday of the month – a celebration of the Milanese tradition of aperitivo.
Where: Ritorno, Chelsea
Date: Sunday 11th February from 4pm-9pm
Tell me more: Ah, the art of apertivo – the Italian tradition of having a drink and a light meal as a warm-up to dinner. And although it usually happens at the end of a work day, a lazy Sunday afternoon also seems the perfect opportunity to indulge. Made in Italy, VII Hills Gin uses botanicals inspired by the seven hills upon which, according to legend, Rome was built, and a menu of £7.50 cocktails created by Ritorno’s head barman Simone Francine will be available for guests. We’ve got our eye on the Fog on the Hills – VII Hills Italian Dry Gin, Barcelo rum & hazelnut, Figaro fig liqueur, orange juice and Floria Marsala Targa Reserve.
Cirque du Soleil inspired sips
What: Roll up, roll up – the circus is in town! Inspired by the Royal Albert Hall’s Cirque du Soleil (in residence until 11th February), the Ivy Kensington Brasserie’s bar team have created two limited-edition cocktails, The Silky Web and The Juggling Kiwi Martini.
Where: The Ivy Kensington Brasserie
Date: Until 6th March
Tell me more: Incorporating playful elements from the show, The Silky Web features prosecco complemented with rosé, lychee, ginger, Havana 3-year-old rum and a silky floss garnish, whilst The Juggling Kiwi Martini includes Wyborowa Vodka, sugar syrup and kiwi.
Take your tastebuds on a tour of the East with a gin-cocktail pairing menu
What: This month sees Michelin-starred restaurant Benares collaborate with luxury gin brand, The East Indian Company, for a three course menu perfectly-paired with a cocktail.
Where: Benares in Mayfair
Date: Exclusively for the month of February.
Tell me more: Prepare to treat your tastebuds to an Eastern adventure, as this unique dining experience brings the most vibrant ingredients from India to a modern dining setting in the West. Each of the three courses of this carefully curated menu (inspired by chef Patron Atul Kochhar’s trips to his homeland) is perfectly-paired with an East India Company cocktail. Examples of dishes that will capture the essence of India include fenugreek flavoured chicken supreme with a kauai pepper sauce and leafy baby spinach, paired with Tropical Punch – a refreshing cocktail made with The East India Company Gin, fresh lemon juice and fresh pink grapefruit juice, topped with The East India Company tropical punch tea and garnished with an edible flower.
