shaken, not stirred

Ever since Carrie Bradshaw et al appeared on our screens in Sex and the City, sipping cosmopolitans or seductively sucking on the olive of a dry martini became as much in vogue as Jimmy Choos or front row seats at New York Fashion Week. There’s something deliciously sexy and flirtatious about them, so it’s little wonder many of the city’s decent bars have some sort of cocktail list.

Having said this, they can vary from crummy tumblers with fruit juice and a splash of vodka to concoctions of obscure spirits scientifically thrown together. If cocktails are worth doing, they’re certainly worth doing well — at one of London’s establishments devoted solely to the art of mixology.

Happy to hammer the credit card? Head to Harvey Nichols, on the eighth floor of the Oxo Tower beside the Thames, for a touch of sophistication on its alfresco terrace combined with a romantic vista of St Paul’s.

For an evening of light-hearted entertainment, Navajo Joe in Covent Garden is stocked with more than 250 types of tequila and an animated team tossing bottles through the air. Alternatively, the unpretentious Match Bar, a stone’s throw from Oxford Circus, serves up elegant cocktails in laid-back surroundings, while The London Cocktail Club — a free members’ club — boasts acrobatic-style bartending with expert mixology.

The East End isn’t without its polished cocktail bars either, but with an added edgy dimension, such as Off Broadway — a softly lit night and day spot which also exhibits works by local artists and occasionally showcases films.

And for a real splash out, the IceBar London near Piccadilly Circus offers a rousing menu of Champagne blends, blueberry mojitos and strawberry caipirinhas in a bar made and sculpted from solid ice. A glam night out isn’t far away...