London Cocktail Week/El Nivel, 10th October

I’ll be honest – I like most of the places that I put on my List, because I put them on my List for a reason. I think they sound good. But every now and again something doesn’t quite live up to my expectations. And so it was with El Nivel, one of the bars we went to, to round off London Cocktail Week.

London Cocktail Week, if you didn’t know, is a week-long festival of cocktails. Hundreds of bars all over town participate and either create a cocktail or offer an existing one for only £4 if you have bought a wristband. On top of this, they have masterclasses, mixology sessions and pop-ups going on all over the place. I didn’t manage to go to any of these, but I did get to sip quite a few cut-price cocktails, which makes it all worthwhile.

First on the list was El Nivel, a bar specializing in tequila and mezcal but whose licensing restrictions mean you also have to eat while drinking there. That was fine with me. The menu sounded pretty good and I liked the sound of the LCW offering. And it was good. But for a Mexican bar it was rather devoid of atmosphere. I had tried to book but the booking system said it was full so we chanced it. We managed to get a seat and to be honest, while there were plenty of people there, it was never completely full the whole time we were there. Even with it more than half full though, it seemed rather quiet and subdued. Especially considering it was 8pm on a Friday night. Even thought it aims to be 'one of the best new bars in London', this place is really a quiet restaurant with a good drinks selection rather than the other way around.

We ordered the special LCW cocktail, a fizzy little tequila number with coctel de marisco to eat and then got another plate each. I really enjoyed the seafood cocktail – they didn’t skimp on the shrimp or scallop and it all tasted fresh and juicy in a salsa equivalent of marie rose - a tomatoey 'sangrita' sauce. My plate of tres chiles beef was also enjoyable, served with sour cream and tortillas to create little tacos if you wished. I had five of these and there was plenty of beef to eat on its own as well. It had quite a rich, savoury taste, a Mexican stew. Service was a little hit and miss – we ordered two glasses of red, for white to turn up. When we sent that away it took a good long while for the correct drinks to show – we had to check again they were on their way.

If you want a very quiet drink and bite to eat then head here, but for some reason quiet + Latin don’t go together in my mind so I probably won't make it back here.

However, after this we went to some much livelier places. First we went into Adventure Bar. Kind of on accident as we actually wanted to try out Dub Jam. This was exactly the kind of place I would normally avoid. Lots of drunk people dancing to mainstream music but I must admit there was something about the place that was likeable.Our cocktails were really tasty and came with a cute fortune cookie. It was called the Appleton Dreamcatcher and was made up of Appleton Estate Rum, black raspberry liqueur, vanilla, apple and passion fruit. It didn't taste too complicated and was easy to drink. The fun everyone was having was quite infectious and everyone seemed pretty friendly, especially the bar staff, so had it been a bigger night for me, I could happily have stayed and joined the dancing revellers.

I would say - not true.

However, my friend and I really wanted to be able to talk and hear each other so after one, we went upstairs to the buzzy but quieter Dub Jam where we had a really lovely rum punch, which was sprinkled with either nutmeg or cinnamon and made it very hard to sip slowly. At first the bartender warned us they were all out of tin cans in which to serve them (some scallywags keep nicking them) but he managed to procure a couple from somewhere so we got the full authentic experience. This place is really barely more than a hole in the wall but it’s a fun one, encapsulating sunny vibes in such a small spot and I’d happily go back.

Finally, we went over to the Big Easy and had the prettiest mojito I’ve seen. It was too dark to take a good picture and do it justice but it was a cocktail which seemed to have a ball of lime sorbet in the middle. Hands down one of the most memorable ways to serve this classic cocktail and a really good blend of sweetness and refreshment. Now my favourite mojito – I hope they do these all the time and not just for London Cocktail Week!

And so we concluded our cocktail self-tour. Can’t wait to do it again next year.

98 Bar and Lounge, 8th October

I have actually been here once before but for reasons I am about to reveal, did not consider it ‘crossed off’ the list. We ended up here the first time by accident. I had secured a free place at a Bombay Sapphire-sponsored event round the corner but by the time we arrived they were full. To make up for this they gave us two tokens and told us we could redeem them at a place called 98 Bar and Lounge around the corner on Curtain Road, for two gin and tonics. So we duly did this, almost missing the awning which is the only sign that this bar exists. It is sub-ground level so you need to keep your eyes peeled and look out for the signage, otherwise it is very easy to miss. We went down the little ornate iron staircase (slightly treacherous when wet, or you’re drunk, or these two should happen to coincide) and entered. The staff had not yet been made aware of the deal that we were trying to avail ourselves of, and looked a little puzzled when we handed over our tokens, but some phone calls were made and they happily made us the free drink we’d been given.

The place wasn’t busy by any means, it was a Wednesday night I think, but it got busier as other people who had turned up too late to get in at the other place also made their way around. We managed to get a seat on one of the loveseats in the corner to sip our drink. I loveed the place. I think it can best be described as ‘fabulous’. It is one of the quirkier bars I’ve been to. It is simultaneously luxuriously and decadently kitted out, but also kooky and kitsch. There is a grandeur within the ornate furniture, the lampshades of pillowy white feathers, the baby grand piano that makes you feel you’ve stepped into a rich eccentric’s parlour. A viscount’s estate with a 20s twist. But the sweets in jars and little rubber ducks that festoon the walls make you also feel like you’ve stepped into a child’s fantasy playroom. It’s an odd combination but, to my mind, totally works.

We stayed for only one drink, a drink not of 98 Bar and Lounge’s creation. Therefore I did not feel I had truly experienced what the bar was all about. I could not cross it off the List.

But last night we went back and did sample a 98 Bar and Lounge concoction. As you may know, it is London Cocktail Week and bars all over London are offering a signature cocktail, or one created especially for the occasion, for £4 to wristband holders. We were such wristband holders, and 98 was one such bar. So we popped in for a drink before we headed to Beard to Tail for our dinner (they are opposite each other). The cocktail on offer was called the Gentleman’s Jamjar. It was an apricot-inspired drink, with real chunks of apricot in it, it had a whiskey base I believe and was topped off with nutmeg. That nutmeg made all the difference, elevating it from just a nice fruity cocktail to something different. Really scrummy. And then, a huge bowl of warm, salted popcorn was brought over. Yes, we were eating dinner directly afterwards, but we still polished it off. I thought it was a lovely little extra touch. Normally they don’t open on Mondays, but, they told us, they had opened because of Cocktail Week, however, we were the only ones in the entire place! Admittedly, it was early, and I hope that when the Cocktail Week bus made its way to Shoreditch it brought with it some more customers. I do get the feeling that this is one of the lesser known bars in Shoreditch - it certainly doesn’t shout out its presence, but it is a gem and I will definitely be going back again.  




Find the bar information on Zomato