The London Cocktail Club Shaftesbury Avenue Cocktail Bar Review

The only bearable thing about my driving commute is that I get to listen to my music.  Loudly.  Although a little too loudly today whilst I was having a solo rave along to Swedish House Mafia.  I was so caught in the moment I didn't notice the fire engine with the sirens and lights speeding down the street until it was right up behind me.  Oops. 


So pay day cocktail club this week was at The London Cocktail Club, 224 Shaftesbury Avenue WC2H 8EB www.londoncocktailclub.co.uk/.  The London Cocktail Club is one of those places that you've just heard of you and know you had to visit.  However, whilst choice is good, sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing with me and my friend not quite sure which place to choose from Shaftesbury Avenue, Goodge Street or Covent Garden and decided on the former because...erm I think just because.

I was running late (the rare glimpse of sunshine had everyone racing out of the office at the same time it seemed) and it was happy hour so my friend ordered a bramble and French martini for me as I battled hot and sweaty people (me included, not gonna lie) on the tube. 

For those living under a teetotal rock, a bramble is Bombay dry gin, lemon juice sugar syrup with a Chambord black raspberry liqueur float.  Easily the best bramble I've ever had, it was sweet and refreshing and just what I needed having practically sprinted to the bar (what can I say, I needed a drink).  The French martini was 42 below vodka, pineapple juice and Chambord black raspberry liqueur.  I really liked this one too and spiralled into holiday mode when I can taste the pineapple juice.  Big yay.



When happy hour was over, I had a space oddity, 'cause the name was cool. Well that and the fact that it had Bombay Sapphire, raspberry & Drambuie jam, orange juice and a green apple and lavender shrub.  Not tried lavender in a drink before and thought I'd give it a go.  So when the glass came over to me looking like below, I'm sure I heard the sound of my heart dropping.  How underwhelming and uninspiring is that?!  It looked like someone had served up supermarket tropical juice in a plastic glass.  I tried to hide my dismay but I may have failed.  However this was a classic case of how looks can be deceiving, it was so nice!  The lavender and apple (I have no idea the benefits it being a green, not red, apple) made this taste different to the usual fruity stuff you get in bars.



My friend was trying to convince us to have dinner down the road but when I saw that not only were they serving food but they served 'hot dogs and dreams'.  That better have been a promise.  Whilst this is a cocktail blog with me rambling on about various things in my life, I will allow one non cocktail food just to show how awesome it was having a hot dog with a cocktail.

The final thing to talk about LCC is the music.  Literally amazing.  Whilst I was there Brimful of Asha, Losing my favourite game and Dancing in the moonlight was playing amongst other classics that transported me right back to a time I'd rather forget as a geeky, awkward youth.  Oh wait, not much changed there then.  Needless to say, the music made me feel it was fairy acceptable for me to be there considering there were trendy yooouths there.  LCC is more laid back than I thought and I will definitely be checking the other bar on Goodge Street or Covent Garden out as there's still a Brixton Riot cocktail served with a ring of fire to be had...