Hawksmoor

157 Commercial Street
London, E1 6BJ

Tel: 0207 247 7392
www.thehawksmoor.co.uk

Named after the architect who designed nearby Christ Church, Hawksmoor is the ultimate steakhouse and cocktail bar. The décor is elegantly simple with white walls and open brickwork, black seating, tables of reclaimed Burmese teak and a magnificent bar sourced from a 1930s dance hall in Hull. Cocktails are exceptional here with Hawksmoor's nine page cocktail list required reading for the connoisseur. The menu features a mix of long lost classics and some new inventions from gin king and top barkeep, Nick Strangeway. His current gin rave is the Bloodhound, a fabulous mix of gin, sweet and dry vermouth and either strawberries or raspberries, that dates back to 1922. Watch out too for Nick’s amazing collection of Victorian punchbowls and glasses.

Quality is the key to the food menu too with great starters and a fantastic array of steaks and chops from the famous Ginger Pig butchers. Forget traceability, this meat is from animals who’ve been lovingly reared and probably privately educated. And you can tell.

Pinchito

32 Featherstone Street,
London, EC1

Tel: 020 7490 0121.
Nearest Tube: Old Street
www.pintxopeople.co.uk

Just around the corner from Old Street Tube station is Pinchito, baby brother to the award winning Pinxto People in Brighton and modelled on the same format ie a fantastic range of authentic Basque-style tapas and great drinks. They love gin at Pinchitos so loads of Gintime gins behind the bar and great new ways to drink them in signature serves like the Gin Choice, a fabulously fruity combo of gin, kiwi fruit, elderflower cordial, lemon grass and bitter lemon. Then there’s the Valentino, a new take on the champagne cocktail with strawberries, gin, elderflower and Cava, and Pink Sangria - strawberries, lychee and elderflower with rose wine and gin. There's plenty of choice on the food menu too, which majors in fresh, immaculately sourced ingredients served in delicious tapas. Hmm, ideal with gin.

The Tabernacle, off Old Street in EC2 is one more reason why this part of East London maintains its rep as the home of cool. Set in a Victorian warehouse conversion, on the ground floor is an airy and spacious bar next to 60 cover restau. Downstairs is another large bar with a late license at weekends that becomes a film club on Sundays showing classic & pre-release movies. Tabernacle has something for everyone with a music policy covers everything from deep house to classic tracks and resident. The Cocktail List, devised by Angus Winchester of Embassy (New York) and Trailer Happiness, is equally eclectic with signature gin cocktails such as the ever poupular Ginger Tom and mean Dry Martinis.