There’s a possibility some of you might be doing Dry January. Maybe. But we’re assuming the majority of you will be of the mindset that the first month of the year is depressing enough as it is, without denying yourself the odd well-deserved drink or trip to your favourite bar. And to further improve your January, we’ve rounded up the best cocktail goings-on over the next few weeks – and we’ve included a few non-boozy events for those sober sippers as well.
Healthy Hospo Wellness Workshop
If you’ve yet to get involved with Healthy Hospo, then make 2018 the year you do so – this fabulous initiative is working towards building a healthier, happier and more sustainable hospitality industry, which is something we’re all passionate about.
Healthy Hospo provides information, advice and support on mental and physical health and wellness by working alongside individuals, outlets and brands, and have now announced their first wellness workshop of the year. Join them for an amazing day of inspiring talks, physical activities, great coffee, nutritious food and delicious cocktails. Speakers include Aaron Wall from Callooh Callay talking about managing health and wellness in a bar, and Tim Etherington-Judge from Healthy Hospo on how he beat depression.
Tickets are £10 and are available here.
Monday 15th January | 10.30am-6pm | Core, Clapton, 161 Northwold Road
Après–Ski winter fun at The Devonshire’s Balham Peaks
Just because Christmas is over, doesn’t mean we aren’t still craving cosy boltholes to escape the chill – preferably alongside some winter-inspired cocktails. If you feel the same then The Devonshire in Balham have you covered. Snuggle up in the ski chalet wonderland – five covered and heated chalets that can be booked for a variety of packages, whether simply to knock back après-ski-inspired shots like Jäger or toffee vodka, or enjoying the Slope Shack menu of fondues, urns of mulled wine, and rum punch. And there’s more… Stop by a Thirst Aid Point in order to try their own homemade recipes includingMulled wine and Aspall mulled cider, the Winter Negroni, and The Nutcracker Espresso Martini.
January – end of February | The Devonshire Balham | @thedevbalham
Secret party for those who crack the code at Chelsea Prayer Room
Channel your inner Mission Impossible code-breaker skills as you go on a hunt for clues around London, that will result in access to an exclusive cocktail party taking place on 11th January. Fulham Road based Restaurant & Bar GOAT have begun hiding 99 cards around Chelsea and Fulham with a code to gain entry to this secret soiree, and those lucky enough to find one can enter the code on the keypad of GOAT’S secret, locked bar – the Chelsea Prayer Room – for access to an exclusive party, complete with complimentary cocktails from the bar’s A-Z cocktail menu.
Code-holders will then be welcomed into a restrictive membership, with exclusive access to the speakeasy hideout. The code will change every full moon to keep things private.
The cards will begin appearing from now until 11th January in various locations around Chelsea and Fulham – with the secret party taking place at 6.30pm sharp on 11th January. Special clues will be given on GOAT’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Thursday 11th January | 6.30pm | GOAT | @goatchelsea
Bacardi Legacy Takeover at LCC
The end of grim old January is reason enough to get celebrating, but now LCC in Oxford Circus have given us even more reason to exit hibernation mode. On Monday 29th, UK Bacardi Legacy winner Leon Back of Panda and Son’s in Edinburgh, is in town for one night and one night only, for an off-the-hook LCC party! This cocktail connoisseur is here to drop knowledge bombs on all things Bacardí Legacy before joining forces with fellow finalist and Group Head Bartender Robb Collins to bring you a night you’d be a fool to miss! Expect fist pumping tunes, incredible chat and limited-edition cocktails in this no holds-barred Bacardí-fuelled bash.
For more info and to book, head to the website here londoncocktailclub.co.uk/bacardi-legacy-takeover
Monday 29th January | The Studio @ LCC Oxford Circus
Sexy Fish takes over world-famous Athens Cocktail Hotspot
On Wednesday 24th January, Asian seafood restaurant and bar, Sexy Fish will be travelling to Athens to takeover one of the World’s Best Bars for one night only. Popping up behind the bar at The Clumsies, The Sexy Fish team, lead by Xavier Landais (Bars Director), Jérôme Allaguillemette (Bar Manager) and Giovanni Tavano (Senior Bartender), will be bringing a taste of Mayfair to the Greek capital, kick-starting a mammoth year of activity for the glamorous London hotspot.
One highlight of the drinks list is the Frida cocktail, a firm favourite from the current Sexy Fish menu. This drink features a significant nod to TheClumsies signature stye of using fermented and preserved ingredient as well as syrups and cordials made from vegetable or fruit waters. Tonic cordial is combined with peppercorns, Don Julio 1942 and gold dust for a characteristically extravagant serve.
Wednesday 24th January | 8.30pm – late |The Clumsies | Praxitelous 30, Athina 105 61, Greece
Le Moulin speakeasy bar comes to Spitalfields
A new French-inspired speakeasy that channels the modern tastes of Brittany? Ooh la-la! We can’t wait until the end of the month when we can head to Spitalfield’s Artillery Passage and explore Le Moulin, a hidden bar tucked away at the back of new restaurant L’Ami Malo.
While L’Ami Malo is a modern interpretation of a classic French crêperie, Le Moulin will showcase seasonal cocktails – including the Pommeau Spritz, a blend of apple juice, cider, calvados and apple blossom flower – and, as one might expect from a Breton-inspired restaurant, the drinks menu includes a delightful range of craft ciders from Brittany and Normandy such as Cidrerie Nicol and Maison Sassy.
Le Moulin offers an intimate drinking experience not to be found anywhere else in the capital, and even has its own entrance on Parliament Court. We can’t wait to try the Francois Sour (above) – an enticing combination of Pisco, gomme, egg white, a red wine float and a twist of lemon.
L’ama Malo and Le Moulin will be opening officially on 29th January 2018. Diners can enjoy a sneak preview of this chic crêperie and bar with 50% off food between 16th – 27th January. By reservation only, please book by visiting www.lamimalo.com.
Official opening: 29th January | Le Moulin | @LamiMalo
Doing Dry January? Seedlip and Little Bat have you covered
On a mission to prove that Dry January doesn’t have to be quite the chore people assume it is (and that it doesn’t necessarily result in you turning into a hermit for the month), Islington’s neighbourhood cocktail bar Little Bat have teamed up with the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirits brand Seedlip. They’ll be serving exclusive virgin cocktails created for the occasion, as well as hosting free Dry January tasting sessions.
Try the mocktail Martini Driving Miss Daisy (Seedlip Garden 108 with apple and nettle shrub, citrus, bitters and soda), or experience their take on the classic sour in the form of the New Year, New Brew (pictured), combining Seedlip Garden 108 with cucumber juice, matcha tea, lemon, honey and egg white.
