Filling in for Chris while he bounds around the US and Europe is Alexandra Kalinowski, who recently enjoyed previewing cocktail menu at The Cocktail Trading Co. Full disclosure, I’ve got a soft spot for The Cocktail Trading Co. You see, my day job is pretty glamorous. I’m often out and about drinking with bartenders as I interview them for a gin bar blog series. It’s safe to assume I’ve jotted down plenty of stories and have a feel for how each bar operates. But there are two in bars in particular that have stood out. CTC is one of them.
Rosie Alittlelusciousness
+4
Whether you fancy a glass of wine at home or heading into central London for a cocktail or three, I've got some great recommendations for you. First let's talk cocktails. This week is the annual cocktail event Cocktails in the City, taking place from Thursday 10th - Saturday 12th March at One Mayfair. The three nights will see 20 world-renowned bars serving cocktails in this stunning four floor building, where there's also a rooftop BBQ. You can experience so many different drinks and bars without having to leave the building! There's live music, masterclasses and a liquid nitrogen bar. Tickets are £15 and include one cocktail. If you want to drink more cocktails (of course you do), then they're all £7.50 on the night.
Cool little cocktail bar in a super central location (just off Oxford Circus). The cocktails are inventive and presented really well, the atmosphere is cosy and service is really friendly.
I would recommend it to anyone who's in the area and is looking for a relaxed place to have a drink. It's a little difficult to find though since it's in the basement of another bar!
Drink presentations were very fancy, bartenders were really nice and they explained the drinks well. The taste however, wasn't as amazing as how you would expect it to be.
My first taste of Aperol happened in Venice, extremely appropriate given Aperol’s Italian heritage. Topped with soda and gazing out on Venice’s intricate, windy cobbled streets, this bright drink has the power to transport me right back. View from the Grand Canal. I’ve always viewed this as a bit of a summer drink though and Aperol are on a mission to change that and make Aperol a year-round tipple and so they’ve invited us to the Cocktail Trading Co to get a crash course in how to make this drink and show us just how easy drinking it is year round.
Gingle Lists Everything
+3.5
From the cocktails I tried I would say some of the drinks here are more style over substance. But when the style is this fun, who really cares? I was already very familiar with this space when it was but the '&Co' part of Central and Co - it was my and my best friend's go-to cocktail joint that we always seemed to get a seat at. The Cocktail Trading Co has got a lot of publicity lately but it also doesn't really make a song and dance about it when it comes to any signage which might explain why I managed to get a seat as soon as I turned up after work. I already knew I liked the space and it's just as cosy as before, but this time you get monkey nuts to snack on. The staff are just as friendly and attentive, even though it's busier than it ever was when I went previously.Reading through the cocktail menu is where the fun begins. Not only do they have great names like Tu-Whit-Tu-Whoo-Woo but the descriptions are actually instructions - telling you how to make them and including helpful advice such as 'shake like a dog in heat' or 'shake it up like a revolution'.
Gingle Lists Everything
+3.5
From the cocktails I tried I would say some of the drinks here are more style over substance. But when the style is this fun, who really cares?
I was already very familiar with this space when it was but the '&Co' part of Central and Co - it was my and my best friend's go-to cocktail joint that we always seemed to get a seat at. The Cocktail Trading Co has got a lot of publicity lately but it also doesn't really make a song and dance about it when it comes to any signage which might explain why I managed to get a seat as soon as I turned up after work.
I already knew I liked the space and it's just as cosy as before, but this time you get monkey nuts to snack on. The staff are just as friendly and attentive, even though it's busier than it ever was when I went before.
Reading through the cocktail menu is where the fun begins. Not only do they have great names like Tu-Whit-Tu-Whoo-Woo but the descriptions are actually instructions - telling you how to make them and including helpful advice such as 'shake like a dog in heat' or 'shake it up like a revolution'.
They have the more 'normal' cocktails towards the front - margaritas and even mojitos. My friend had a 'Delicious Sour' made with calvados and peach wine which was indeed delicious and also very pretty.
I had the aforementioned Tu-Whit-Tu-Whoo-Woo which was a Frankenstein version of a woo woo. Vodka, sage, peach and cranberry syrup and topped up with prosecco. And packed full of ice, so that the flavours were a little muted. I loved the owl it came in and the candy floss it was adorned with, even if the other things festooned on the top got stuck in it.
On my second visit I finally chose a Scout's Honour which was served in a tin cup and came with a ration tin wedged on top and some toasted marshmallows to complement the smoked marshmallow syrup. (Marshmallows are really only any good when set alight to some degree.) Again, I loved the presentation and the tin actually opened to reveal some sweets and a party popper! (Duly popped). But the drink itself didn't do much for me - it took quite a while before I could discern the mallow sweet flavouring over the tequila.
My companion had the Urn-Aged Corpse Reviver No.2 which, for one of their fanciful cocktails, was the least wackily presented. The cocktail rested atop a plot of grass/hay and with a little hand beside it (I think it was meant to be poking out of the ground). But it did taste nice, even if it was only half full. I even didn't mind the absinthe afternotes.
So, I still really like the bar, but I would probably steer towards the less interestingly styled cocktails if/when I go back. Except of course I will have to try the one in the noodle box...
Photos to come!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
I love a good bit of theatricality with a round of cocktails on a night out. Smoking goblets, sherbert-laced martinis and drinks disguised as sloppy noodle takeaway boxes cannot fail to intrigue even the most traditionalist mojito drinker. Am I right?
For years of being a rather selective drinker, but an experimental eater, (not a snail or frogs leg would cross my path intact) I have rather turned the scales. Give me something simple, like a plate of spaghetti (spelt of course) and pesto and I am happy. After discovering life beyond margaritas and mojitos, I am newly a lot more interested in the liquid to wash it down.
This week my haunt of choice was the Cocktail Trading Company. A hidden underground speakeasy, slap bang in Oxford Circus. Where better, I thought, to head for a weekend of weird and wonderful cocktails I have yet to try…?!
Armed with two pro-taster assistants, I was ready for a long night of research.
Hidden underground, beneath a restaurant, it took us a while of pavement marching in the cold before we found the place, but once inside I knew it was worth the frosted nose for. The vibe of the place was a mix of couple on dates, friends and people glammed up to party. An eclectic bunch, but to be expected in the centre of town. No stuck up city types, or stuffy old pub beards.
The night began with the first ‘play it safe’ round. A clover club, a cucumber martini (my new fave since my last trip to Bob Bob Ricard) and a tu-whit-tu-whoo.
The clover club was mix of raspberry, gin, lemon and egg white. Light, fruity and refreshing, served in a martini glass. The cucumber martini was a classic gin base, shaken with a little vermouth, fresh cucumber and served with an edible garnish. The final drink (which I shall not write it again for fear of spelling mistakes) was a vodka based tipple, with peach and sage syrup and more than a dash or two of prosecco. Served in a mug with an extravagant candy floss garnish. Naturally they were all rather delicious. But as yet the best had yet to come…
欢迎到肯塔基州 is the name of the best drink of the night. Literally translating to ‘Welcome to Kentucky and have a nice day,’
A jim bean, ginger and plum infusion with yuzu juice and energy kicking, matcha green tea. Not one for the fainthearted and certainly only for whisky lovers. It was a racehorse of a drink. Matcha is a fortified green tea (aka a caffeine powerhouse), making the drink not only delicious but also an effective energy pick me up for any flagging energy early in the night. As the name suggests, we did have such a nice time in Kentucky that we went back again for one more. And maybe one more after that.
The other favourites drinks of the night were the Scouts Honour, the tequila shots, with bloody mary chasers, and a few others we were served off-menu. It is always a test of a good bartender if they can come up with the goods when you go off piste. Luckily these boys hit the nail on the head with ours.
If haven’t got saturday plans already, there still might be enough time to nab yourself a prime time table. How better to top off a sunny London saturday?!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
It seems London's been having a love affair with anything that's not at street level - from the likes of The Shard, Sky Garden and Tower 42 towering above the city to places like WC, a wine and cheese bar that's popped up in former facilities underground. Whilst this is nothing new, I think a few places are stepping up their game. Take The Cocktail Trading Co, for example. A downstairs speakeasy, yes. Like all the others out there? No.
We stepped inside on a Wednesday night with an hour to kill before a dinner reservation (that's another story). Most of the tables were already busy save for a spare couple that were booked out - but the friendly waiter said we were free to perch until their real owners arrived and happily for us, they never did. This gave us the perfect opportunity to check out the decadent decor - framed caricatures of familiar faces along one wall, a curio of objects along the other and an upright piano by the bar for those who fancy tickling the ivories.
Turning our thoughts to the booze, we were quick to choose. I went for the Urn-aged Corpse Reviver No 2 which came served on a grassy tray complete with grabbing zombie hands and a thirst for more. Mixing Egyptian embalming gin, fortified honey wine, mandarin liqueur, lemon juice and absinthe this was a dream - not too fruity, not too sweet, not too sour but with enough depth, smokiness and warmth to have me hoping for a refill.
S went for the No 42 (also called the Welcome to Kentucky, have a nice day) which blows any previous efforts at presentation straight out of the water. A Chinese takeaway box is filled to the brim with Jim Beam, ginger and plum infusion, yuzu juice and matcha tea then topped with crunchy noodle bites and edible flowers. This is cocktail genius - and well suited to the bar's self-proclaimed productivity.
The waiters were not only attentive but genuinely some of the friendliest I've ever been served by - a real testament to a bar that's smack bang in the middle of the most stressful shopping streets in London.
We would gladly have stayed for more (especially as the drinks are an unbelievable £9 each) but had to move on to catch dinner, but we'll definitely be back.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Three of the bar world's finest have joined forces to take over Central & Co.'s basement bar (previously the quirky but empty & Co.). Andy Mill, Elliot Ball & Olly Brading are the dream team bringing their combined experience from the likes of London Cocktail Club, Covent Garden Cocktail Club and Steam and Rye to the development bar and table.
If you manage to grab one of the handful of tables, you'll soon find yourself stuffing your face with monkey nuts whilst trying to read from their adorable little cocktail booklets in very low, funky light. I'm usually keen to sit up at the bar to maximise bartender face time, but they really work the room well at CTC so this isn't a problem.
The booklet eases you in gently with Clover Clubs, Bellinis and Margaritas (perhaps not needed in the menu?) before getting on to their bonkers house drinks.
I started with a Sauvignon Private Ryan served in a ration tin with dog tags. Calvados, Dry Sherry and Sauvignon Blanc combine to good effect here alongside lemon juice and cardamom & passionfruit syrup, without tipping too far in to sweet territory. Next up was the super Scout's Honour, a Tommy's Margarita twist with smoked marshmallow syrup in place of agave, served with roasted marshmallows and a tin of scouting essentials. Then came 欢迎到肯塔基州, a combo of Bourbon, Ginger & Plum, Yuzu Juice and Matcha Tea, presented in a noodle soup box topped with chopstick straws and edible noodle crisps. The Chinese name on the website printed above translates as "Welcome to Kentucky" but the characters in the cocktail booklet say something closer to "Sexy Dolphins", so be careful...
The fun continues with more boozy creations appearing in wellies, upturned bells and urns. Nutty presentation normally comes with a hefty price tag, but CTC keeps everything in the reasonable £8-9 region.
Many of the house drinks are a little on the sweet side for me though, so I started going off-menu, which isn't a problem at all when there are top bartenders queuing up to try something else. Highlights included The Last Call (a twist on The Last Word with smoky mezcal replacing the gin), and a sublime Negroni made with Martin Miller's Westbourne Gin and the new Belthazar Red Vermouth which seems to be hugely popular with the trade.
Quirky house drinks, classics, shots, good tunes and great staff all add up to create a lively, little party bar that Soho will welcome with open arms. As I was leaving, many more sessions were just starting, and I'm glad I squeezed in a quick shot with the wonderful Wilkes on the way out - cheers!
They provide special cocktails.
Navigator sounds strange, but tastes good!
Scottish egg is amazing!
The service is perfect, and the atmosphere is cozy. People can chat and play board games, really have a great time!
Such a fun bar! They clearly go above and beyond in making fun, creative cocktails that will get people talking. We had almost as much fun reading about the cocktails than we did drinking them! The waitress was extremely friendly and welcoming and overall it was a very pleasant experience, and well worth the price premium.
Such a fun and creative cocktail place! The amount of detail they make into the cocktails (from how they are presented to the worry descriptions on the menu) is incredible. The house cocktails are really good, and they make classics on request. We spent a good amount of time entertained with the jokes on the menu (don’t miss the never have I ever game on the last pages). The atmosphere is cool, the staff is fast and friendly. Would recommend 100%!
This bar was simply an experience. Three of us were there on a Saturday evening. A reservation was not necessary, we were immediately provided with a glass of water and warmly welcomed. Even better than the very individual and high quality cocktails is the service. Exceptional and indescribably good. Attentive and at the same time unobtrusive, advisory and open to personal suggestions or requests. All in all, a cocktail bar like no other - who needs a skybar when you can have such a feel-good atmosphere?
We will gladly come again!
P.S.: The prices are - measured by the service - absolutely tolerable and according to the performance!!!
Quaint little bar in shoreditch with a unique cocktail selection - ideal for dates. Highly recommend the Miami Mushroom and Margarita.
I’ve been here multiple times since lockdown and to this day it’s one of my favourite cocktail bars. The staff is just always so friendly and their cocktails are delicious, creative and immersive.
Will be back soon I’m sure!
Cool drinks (the one in the photo is really a cocktail), super good services, reasonably priced. The food also taste good and got board games. Had a great evening with my friends.
I wish I could give this spot more than 5 stars! Our experience was wonderful as a large group and I had a very easy booking process over email for a birthday celebration. The drinks were super fun and thoughtfully curated, we really enjoyed the amount of detail that went into the menu and how caring the staff was (keeping us very hydrated and happy!). The cocktails tasted lovely and had very unique presentations, the menu had flat prices for all the drinks on offer and also quite a few options that weren't overly sweet - so lots of choice!
Incredibly creative cocktail menu, super friendly and attentive staff. The decor was beautiful. Their cocktail was so good we ordered 3 each, the price is great consider that they are located at a prime location in London. I just love the menu and the full brand packaging, so pleasing to the eyes. Highly recommend. It is a great place for a date or a group meeting so don’t hesitate to book a table.
Brilliant and innovative cocktails. Staff were very welcoming and friendly. We loved reading about the cocktails as well. We went on a Friday evening and loved the vibe
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes