Merchant House is one of the city's best kept secrets. It's the ideal spot for a date or drinks with clients. Hidden in the backstreets of the city, it has the feel of exclusivity. It has a relaxed atmosphere an friendly service. The bartenders are expert mixologists and are very well-informed on the extensive gin and rum selection. Highly recommend!
Cute little hidden speakeasy style bar where the enthasis is on ambience, great cocktail making skills and comfort. A technically savvy team create a great selection of cocktails from the classics to their own infusions. The theatre of drinksology is mesmerizing. This is not the place to come and order just wine or beer. You would be doing this expert team a dis-service. Sit back, enjoy some interestingly named infusions and feel like the luckiest punter having discovered this exclusive find.
A classy speakeasy basement bar tucked away in an alley in the City. There's live jazz and the atmosphere is laid back, unlike many of the boisterous bars in the City. The cocktails are nice but be ready to pay a lot for a drink.
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A hidden gem in the City from the reliable London Bar Consultants. Compared to Cocktail Trading Co's tiny basement (see full blogpost), Merchant House is an underground palace, centred around a magnificent bar stocked with an outrageous range of rum and gin (amongst other things).
First you have to find it though, and that requires knowing the backstreets of Bank pretty well. Then you'll walk through their door in to The Pantry, a currently unmanned room full of booze which is soon to become their shop for showing off lesser known and vintage spirits amongst other delights. Try not to get distracted and head downstairs to the main bar where you will most probably be greeted by Nate or Lewis, the London Bar Consultants themselves.
It was a busy evening when we popped in, with a private party on one side, a Gin Journey group on another, and various tables set up for a D1 Gin masterclass. The hilarious Hebe looked after us all evening, keeping us thoroughly entertained (and watered) in our cosy corner.
House drinks are around the £12.50 mark which may put some off, but they are all made with premium ingredients (by excellent bartenders), and Merchant House favour a boozy 8:2:1 ratio in most of the cocktails to allow their fine spirits to shine. We kicked off with two glorious pre-bottled numbers which will eventually be available to buy (or refill) upstairs.
The Red Dragon is the perfect vehicle for Diplomatico Exclusiva Reserva, a fabulous, affordable rum. It's masterfully supported by Cocchi di Torino, house curacao, and orange and spiced chocolate bitters, making it an all-booze affair. It's serious and unmissable.
On a similar theme, The Chocolate Negroni is worth every penny, making great use of brand new 58 Gin (big fan), Belthazar Red Vermouth (told you it's everywhere), and bitters, with a chocolate covered cherry subtly adding cocoa-based bitterness to the drink. Note to drinkers - the cherry probably has a stone in. Tim found out the hard way.
We moved off house drinks after that, trying out simple and sweet 58 Gin Bergamot Gimlets and a marvellous Mezcal Martinez concoction that I'm definitely going to attempt at home.
As we sipped on our cocktails, the owners of D1 London Gin made their way around the room, providing tasters of their stylish gin, alongside some fine examples of it in the field including a Dry Martini, a Hanky Panky (still unconvinced by Fernet) and a G&T. Merchant House run many (often complimentary) masterclasses which you simply have to reserve a space for - check their website regularly for event updates.
You can also join The Connoisseur's Collective member's club for only £50 which I highly recommend. As well as granting you access to special events, you also get a shot of whatever spirit features in your cocktail on the side every time. Win.
You can't go wrong at Merchant House. Set aside an evening, and some cash, and make yourself comfortable. They'll do the rest.
This is one of my favourite bars in London. It’s not in the most appealing locations nor is it easy to find but from the moment one steps it’s a different feeling altogether. The “no-standing”, “no-menu” approach stands out for me. The bar tenders and the waiters are very knowledgeable and make some mean cocktails which hits all the right notes. The atmosphere makes it a place you want to relax and spend a few hours. Highly recommend the place
Merchant House is an incredible bar! We did the Brig experience and I can’t recommend it enough. Our bartender was so knowledgeable and made the best cocktails. We will definitely be returning
What a gem! We stumbled across this bar an ended up having an amazing couple of hours.
There is no menu, so your cocktail choice comes from a personal consultation with the waiter or the barman. The results were impressive and we ended up having some pretty unique cocktails. Obviously you can have any of the classics too.
The service was exemplary. Warm, professional, genuine.
Myself and a friend popped in to Merchant House, yesterday, at the end of an afternoon/evening of drams.
We really wish we'd started there and could easily see ourselves spending a whole day there.
The whisk(e)y bar is found downstairs and as you descend the stairs it opens up as a traditional and wonderfully atmospheric tavern.
We were welcomed by Ritchie who put us at ease, straight away, and showed us around the bottles of whisk(e)y that Merchant had to offer.
Is it the cheapest place? No. Drams range from £12.50-£20.
Is it welcoming? Yes.
Is there a fantastic relaxed atmosphere? Yes.
Is there an audio book plying in the bathroom? Strangely, yes.
This is somewhere that I would love to bring my whisky group and I will be back soon.
Cheers all!
Unusual place that you probably don't know exists. I found it during London Cocktail week. The waiter was quite keen to tell us all about the drinks which really helps
Very nice and classic speakeasy bar, which I love by the way. The staff were very helpful. There is no menu, but you can explain what type of cocktail you'd like. They have all the classics. And my re-election - try Old Fashioned which is coming with beer. Richard - the cocktail waiter is amazing and very helpful.
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My favourite cocktail bar in London, this is why...
Pros:
Hidden away from the main streets. The quality of service is exceptional and the staffs knows their stuff. If you enjoy good quality cocktails with no gimmicks and doesn't remind you of science class, this is the place for you.
A nice classic ambience in the heart of St Paul, no drinks menu, yes no drinks menu, I usually ask the folks at the bar to make whatever, I just provide the base and they usually build on that.
"Merchant House is home to some 600 whiskies, 400 rums & 400 gins"
There are secret rooms in there too, and if you are lucky, you may get a tour, it is part of the appealing atmosphere.
Cons:
Do not expect to receive or make call whilst inside, sometimes, the WiFi connectivity is good, sometimes it is ridiculously slow.
I'd like to see an alternative food menu to the current option which is just a selection of meats, pickles, olives.
Conclusion:
A must visit cocktail bar. You can thank me later.
PS. No need to take videos or photos for Instagram, you'd be having a real good time.
The words "hidden gem" are used a lot, but this place really is one.
Hidden away, in St Pauls, the atmosphere is incredible. It felt so cosy and relaxing, & it was hard to believe we were still in London.
The staff selected whiskies for me that I'd never tried based on my tastes & I've found a new favourite, which as a whiskey collector is huge.
The staff are friendly & welcoming, they know their stuff, & I will 100% be back next time I'm in London.
I rated this a five for food, but am referencing the drinks, which were outstanding. Such a hidden gem, with an incredible array of spirits. Atmosphere was 50’s cool, great music. Highly recommend
Mattias Petter Johansson
+5
The souls of ghosts of bartenders and barmaids from the prohibition era lives in on in the hearts of the people here. We had a wondrous, magical, beautiful evening with our server. Then again, we are also awesome guests, and we take some credit - we are a delight to have.
Thus, if you are a quasi-mediocre person (or your date is of questionable fabulousness levels) don't come here, you'll not be able to deliver enough panache and glow, and you're not worthy of this place.
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