Bars — Writing — Joe Patrick Rogers

LONDON'S BEST NEW COCKTAILS

“Put down the shaker, screw the cap back on the Campari, stop trying to figure out how to make those big clear ice cubes in your little home freezer; it’s time to give cocktail duties back to the professionals. After a tough year-or-so for the industry it’s basically the duty of every self-respecting cocktailian to head out and support our favourite spots by getting a few rounds in. Just as well then, that London’s bartenders are offering new menus, honed over months of lockdown, and filed with new drinks to get acquainted with. These are some of the best new cocktails on offer in the capital right now. Cheers.”

See the full list at the Spectator.

Bars, cocktails, London, Restaurants, spirits, WineJoe RogersJune 7, 2021London, Lockdown, Cocktails

HOW TO MASTER THE GIN GIMLET

“The Gin Gimlet was an unlikely hero of our socially distanced year. With their venues shuttered, bartenders were forced to get creative in order to ply their trade to a homebound audience. In a rush to create cocktails that could withstand bottling and postage, many turned to shelf-stable cordials in place of more temperamental citrus juices. After decades as a classic cocktail deep cut, the Gimlet was back on the menu. The original calls only for London Dry, Rose’s Lime Cordial, and a little ice to chill it down – but like many old favourites it affords ample room for experimentation.”

Read the full guide at the Spectator.

cocktails, Bars, spiritsJoe RogersMay 5, 2021gin gimlet, gin

BRITAIN'S TOP CHEFS ON WHERE TO EAT AFTER LOCKDOWN

“After long months of social distancing, the scramble is on to book those all-important first meals out. You can almost taste it, can’t you. Someone else’s cooking, served on someone else’s plates. It’s a universal truth that the best tips on where to eat come from within the industry. Here, some of Britain’s best chefs share the spots they’re heading to as soon as the lockdown lifts.”

See the whole article at the Spectator.

Bars, Restaurants, LondonJoe RogersApril 14, 2021restaurants, Lockdown, London

WHERE TO DRINK GIN IN LONDON

“Last year’s rumblings that Britain had reached peak gin have been completely confounded by recent events. Though it’ll take time for accurate figures to emerge, it looks like we threw down G&Ts in record numbers this year – not to mention making our own Martinis, Negronis and Gimlets as everyone became their own bartenders during lockdown. Now that life is returning to the city and bars are reopening, it’s high time we handed cocktail duties back to the professionals.”

Read the full article at Spectator Life

cocktails, London, BarsJoe RogersSeptember 10, 2020Gin, cocktails, london

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT SPRITZ

“Bitter Liqueurs have been traditional to the Italian Peninsula since before Italy as a nation even existed. These botanical infusions were taken to stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, and promote general vigour – often with a little water or wine to help the medicine go down. But it wasn’t until the 1780s that German inventor Johann Jacob Schweppe – whose name may be familiar to you – commercialised his process for making carbonated water and set the table for a million aperitivo hours.”

Read the full article at Spectator Life

cocktails, Bars, London, WineJoe RogersAugust 20, 2020Spritz, Bars

SKY HIGH: THE BEST ROOFTOP BARS TO TRY IN THE CAPITAL

“In 1890, New Yorker and composer Rudolph Aronson built a beautiful garden on the roof of the Casino Theatre. He hoped to emulate the urban gardens he’d fallen for while travelling in Europe and provide open air spaces for socialising and performance. Being that prohibition was still decades away it was roughly no minutes before patrons decided the whole thing would be better with cocktails and the rooftop bar was born.”

Read the full article at Spectator Life

Bars, cocktails, LondonJoe RogersJuly 15, 2020bars, London bars, cocktails

THE BEST WHISKEY BARS FOR ST PATRICK'S DAY

“Talk to people outside Ireland about Irish whiskey and they’ll probably tell you it’s all about light, easy, triple distilled spirits. Prop up the bar at Dingle on Dublin’s Nassau street for a few hours and you’ll learn just how broad and varied Irish whiskey is. The sheer number of styles on offer speaks to the richness of Irish distilling culture that’s so often overlooked.”

Read more at Spectator Life

whiskey, spirits, London, cocktails, BarsJoe RogersMarch 10, 2020whiskey, St Patricks day, cocktails

WHERE TO DRINK LIKE JAMES BOND IN LONDON

“James Bond’s most impressive superpower is not his prowess as a spy or his skills of seduction, it’s his ability to always get exactly what he wants at the bar. In the 1954 novel Live and Let Die, while on a train to meet his CIA opposite number Felix Leiter, he orders a round of Old Fashioneds. Not only does the buffet car make them for him, but they even have his preferred brand of Bourbon, Old Grandad. You try pulling that sort of thing on the LNER from Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverly. ‘Sorry Solitaire, they wouldn’t do us a cocktail but I’ve got a tin of strong lager and a cheese and pickle sandwich on the meal deal.”

Read more at Spectator Life

cocktails, spirits, BarsJoe RogersMarch 2, 2020James Bond, 007, martini, champagne, London bars, cocktails

A MEAT EATERS' GUIDE TO LONDON

“We should probably get steak out of the way first. You’ve had steak before, you probably have a good idea of how you like it, and this is the sort of city that ought to have plenty of good places to eat it.”

Read more at Spectator Life

Restaurants, London, BarsJoe RogersFebruary 4, 2020restaurants, steak, offal

LONDON'S BEST GAME BARS

‘The Great British night out has changed. Londoners thirsty for novelty are looking to a new wave of venues that offer competition with their cocktails. Think beyond the local pub with its pre-smoking-ban dartboard and decimated Scrabble. These bars with games are there to get our adrenaline flowing and even tug on our nostalgic heartstrings. They’re also perfect for getting the conversation flowing between you and Susan from HR on your office outing and airing friendly rivalries in what starts out as a healthy way…’

Read more at Spectator Life

Bars, cocktails, RestaurantsJoe RogersNovember 7, 2019London bars, cocktails, restaurants, videogames

WHERE TO WATCH THE RUGBY WORLD CUP

‘If you’re wondering what a hotel in W1 is doing having an ‘orangery’ that isn’t the half of it; Ham Yard also boasts a cinema, that nice courtyard, a bowling alley, and (probably) a bit of moorland out the back where you can do some grouse shooting. So any non-rugby fans press-ganged into attendance can always sneak off and find other entertainment if they get bored…’

Read more at Spectator Life

Restaurants, BarsJoe RogersNovember 7, 2019rugby, Rugby World Cup, sports bars, London, London bars