A Mouthwatering Cocktail Map Of London
From Bloody Marys in Soho to Moscow Mules in Ealing, its a well-known fact that Londoners love their cocktails. But favoured flavours vary dramatically between boroughs.
New British drinking brand Drinki has worked with its bar partners to reveal which cocktails are the most popular throughout London, and some of the results might surprise you. Islingtonites love a Bramble, Soho is known for its spicy Bloody Marys, and Chelsea drinkers are suckers for champagne, but despite being more associated with housewives than hipsters – Vermouth is on the rise in Dalston.
Drinki’s cocktail consultant Michael Stringer, who has created bespoke drinks for the likes of David Beckham, Jamie Oliver and the Kardashians, said: “Certain drinks and spirits have a deep heritage in different parts of London. Champagne cocktails define Mayfair and the West End. The experimental East has seen many cocktail trends, from oyster cocktails in the 19th century to Espresso Martinis, popular with the fashion and arts party crowds. Vermouth Negronis are very much on the rise in up-and-coming areas in the East, while Clapham’s roots are in rum-based drinks, like the Mojito. West End’s favourite brunch hangouts have some of the best and most popular Bloody Marys.”
And now Belles from Chelsea to Charing Cross can claim a complimentary cocktail every day by simply downloading Drinki’s new app and ‘checking in’ when they visit a participating bar.
App Founder, Sophie Abrahamovitch, told Belle About Town: “This isn’t happy hour, it’s much better. There’s no catch and there are over 10,000 drinks available each week. That number’s rising constantly as new venues sign up.
“With Drinki, it’s not about the number of friends or likes you have, it’s about one simple check-in on Facebook. The venue rewards you with a cocktail or glass of champagne to get lunchtime or evening drinks off to a flying start. We are featuring new bars every week, so it’s a great way to discover new places and scope them out.”
The Drinki app features an interactive map and alerts users to what cocktails are on offer at what bars each day. So when users arrive at the bar they simply show a screen on their smartphone to the bar staff, who will tap the phone – enabling a Facebook ‘check-in’. The bartender will then shake up their cocktail or pop their champagne absolutely free. More than 70 bars are already taking part, from high-end cocktail bars like The Hide in Hendon, through to nights out with friends at Trapeze in Shoreditch or pre-dinner drinks at Beagle in Hoxton – and even late-night party venues like Zebrano in Soho.
The average cocktail featured in the app would normally cost £8 – so it really does seem like something very nice for nothing! Once the app has been downloaded, users can view the nearest offers, such as: “Free champagne at the Buddha Bar”, “Free Espresso Martini at Holborn Grind”, “Free Jamble at Simmons Bar” or a “Free Rapaska at Juju’s, Chelsea”.
- The Drinki app is available to download free from AppStore or PlayStore.
