National Cocktail Day 2018: 10 of the best places to celebrate

Ahead of the day next Saturday, Leighanne Bent rounds up the best places to sip on the finest mixed alcoholic beverages

Kind of a big deal: every drink at Clarendon Cellar is inspired by a well-known movie, such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Rid your shopping trolley of those petty premixed pouches of Parrot Bay and forget about your 50th attempt at making mojitos at home.

National Cocktail Day is almost here and it’s only right that you sip the best of the best, from a cocktail that tastes (and looks) like an actual Twister ice lolly to special flights featuring champagne sorbet.

Clarendon Cellar – London

Stashed away in a pub cellar in Pimlico, Clarendon Cellar is the definition of hidden gem.

Taking the road less travelled with their cocktail menu, each drink is inspired by a well-known movie.

If the Titanic or Kill Bill don’t take your fancy try Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Made with brown butter-washed Monkey Shoulder scotch, chardonnay reduction, oak angostura and orange bitters; like Ron himself – it’s kind of a big deal.

Dandelyan – London

If you’re going to celebrate National Cocktail Day this year, do it right with a booking at Dandelyan.

Voted the world’s best bar, this snazzy riverside spot just released their new menu and it’s all about the pursuit of new flavours through an understanding of the genetics of plants.

Make sure you give the Goose and Gander a whirl when you visit; it marries Grey Goose, Noilly Prat, companion cordial, pear and soda to create a light but punchy mix.

Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Bristol

Decked out with gigantic maps of the world, a portrait of Winston Churchill and lots of little vintage trinkets, you’ll have to travel through a phone box to get to the wartime cocktail haunt that is Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

This Bristol beauty has a brand new menu with mind-blowing creations, but you’ll want to order the Twister come the 24th.

Made with Grey Goose La Poire Vodka, strawberry and kiwi sherbet, milk and egg white, it’s everyone’s favourite ice lolly in cocktail form.

Demon, Wise and Partners – London

This is hands down one of the best basement bars in London, and if you haven’t been yet – take National Cocktail Day as an excuse to venture below the pavement.

The menu is teeming with great cocktails but we’ve got a massive soft spot for the 27A Collins. It’s a unique blend of Dodd’s Old Tom Gin, wheat beer and raspberry reduction, lemon and soda.

Eve – London

Velvet booths, stained glass windows and Instagrammable toilets? Alongside Eve’s impressive interiors is an even more impressive menu.

Travel past their heavy velvet curtains and down a set of stairs on the 24th and order the Dunmore Park. Made with Glenfiddich 15, coconut milk, pineapple juice, yellow chartreuse, vanilla bitters, coconut water and liquid nitrogen – the team have billed it as a very special whiskey pina colada.

The Dead Canary – Cardiff

Cardiff’s worst kept secret? That’ll be The Dead Canary. Nestled in a Grade II listed building, this cocktail bar uses historical ingredients, medical remedies and herbs to bring their larger than life creations to life.

The shining star of their menu, however, is the Grassholm Island. Made with Velho Barreiro Cacaha, Ancho Reyes Verde, celery, cucumber, basil, Tabasco and lime, it’s a one of a kind cocktail.

Long Bar Sanderson Hotel – London

Alongside their regular menu, the hotel has created a special flight for the 24th and it features not one, not two, not three, but four different mixes. Setting your wallet back a friendly £19, your taste buds will be jumping for joy after gulping down the Champagne Sorbet, Bernard, Tonton and The Great Wave.

33 Cank Street – Leicester

Old John Tower is Leicester’s most famous landmark, so 33 Cank Street have created a cocktail of the same name inspired by it. The Old John is made with Wild Turkey bourbon, house bitters, and 33 Cank Street’s own cherry liqueur, and it’s served on a frozen Bradgate Park slate.

That’s not all though – this bad boy comes with a flour bag filled with marshmallow porter syrup that puffs out spice oak smoke once opened.

Horatio Street Social – London

Proof that good things do come in little packages, you’ll find Horatio Street Social Club in a cosy den below the Nelson’s Head.

The menu changes regularly and all drinks are £9 a pop, but if you’re feeling adventurous on the 24th, you should try their libation titled “Lips”.

Described as “electrocuted Ribena” – the ingredients are kept a mystery, giving you the floor to guess what’s in there.

The Voyage of Buck – Edinburgh

Inspired by the travels of a fictional philanthropist in the late 1800s, you don’t need us to tell you that The Voyage of Buck is one of Edinburgh’s quirkiest boozers.

The team have released Volume II in their cocktail series just in time for National Cocktail Day, and their new concoctions will whisk you all the way from Delhi to Kyoto, but make your first stop a sunny one with the Goldfish and Palate.

Found under the St Tropez section, this exotic mix is made with Patron silver, King’s Ginger Liqueur, preserved citrus and Buck’s L’estragon Soda.

For more info on the best bars in London and across the UK, visit DesignMyNight and follow them on Instagram and Twitter; @DesignMyNight