City of London Distillery

We needed a break from the chill rain after touring St. Paul’s Cathedral. The place is a bit of a challenge to get to, but is a friendly and comfortable find.
If you like gin, this could well be Nirvana. Said to have 217 different types, they have some interesting cocktails to pick from. There is also a decent selection of other spirits, bottled beer and wine. I had the Brewdog Punk IPA and my partner had the Sancerre rose.
The charcuterie plate is well stocked with cheese and meat.
There definitely some attention paid to decorations and the atmosphere. A group could be comfortable here after work or a day of site-​seeing. The music level is low enough to allow conversation, which is a huge plus, but it could get loud when crowded.

Oh dear. It’s already difficult enough to resist fuelling my gin habit several nights a week. Discovering this 217-​types-​of-​gin bar not far from my office isn’t going to help matters at all.
It’s a slightly strange location, in that a narrow side street near Blackfriars probably wouldn’t be your first guess for a classy underground gin joint with distillery attached. Actually I’m not sure where would be… but here it is! Follow the bar noise to find a fairly cavernous bar hidden down the stairs from the street, decorated with green and black leather sofas, with copper stills from the distillery lending authenticity and keeping things a little bit different from the other speakeasies out there.
A couple of mates and I sat at one of the tables-​with-​chairs though there were a variety of differently sized and furnished areas, some with sofas, armchairs and low tables too. We hadn’t intended to stay there the whole evening but once we made a start on the cocktail list of 12 or so COLD-​gin-​based drinks, we thought we may as well cover the whole lot (between us, not each, I’m not quite that bad yet).
The drinks span a whole variety of tastes and ingredients, and ranged in strength from ‘mmm that’s quite strong’ to ‘wow I could wash paintbrushes with that’. I quite liked their COLD gin, and I think my favourite cocktail was the ‘Lionel Rich-​tea’ which arrived complete with a cute handwritten note pegged to the side which read, ‘Hello, is it tea you’re looking for?’. Puntastic. We also spotted a food platter arrive for the table next to us, so we ordered one too — a yummy range of hams and (mostly blue) cheeses which disappeared concerningly quickly.
It was surprisingly easy to while away the entire evening here, though not the cheapest in the end at £9.50 a cocktail. The only reason it doesn’t get a 5-​star rating from me is that the table service is so laidback it’s practically asleep. I was able to keep my eyes on the waiter for a full 5 minutes as he walked to the bar, faffed with something behind it, chatted to the bartender for a while, and only then eventually cast a glance at the room of tables he was supposed to be serving. Twice my mate had to wander up to the bar to request someone take our cocktail order as it was so difficult to catch their eye. Quite frustrating as this was on a fairly quiet Tuesday evening.
Aside from that it’s a classy and comfortable spot you won’t want to leave in a hurry. I think they do various distillery tours and tasting events too if you’re particularly dedicated. Mind your step on your way back up the stairs too — for some reason they seemed much trickier to negotiate than on the way down… ;)

This is a brilliant little speakeasy, discretely tucked away in a quiet side-​street of the City. The drinks are fantastic, and a bargain at £9. The speciality (as befits a London distillery) is gin, but they offer a variety of cocktails using their bespoke liquor and their encyclopaedic bottle collection. The barmen are extremely laid-​back and friendly, and the atmosphere is sedate and civilized. The space itself has an airy, high-​ceilinged main section, with quieter and more discrete tables and couchs tucked into the back. The main bar is comfortable and appealing, the kind of spot that begs for you to relax and enjoy life with a good drink. It’s probably not the best place to bring a large gaggle of loud mates, but it is perfect for a date, pre-​dinner or after-​work cocktails, a quiet drink (or 3) with a good friend, reading Don Quixote in the original Spanish, catching up with an old flame, or plotting the downfall of capitalism/​neoliberalism. After 2 – 3 of the excellent quaffs on order at CLD, the latter may well seem both feasible and advisable.

Beautiful Venue! The period green and brown décor is tasteful, classy and feels authentic. The dim lighting gives it an intimate feel, even though this place is quite spacious. It would make a good option for a date.
A hidden gem on weekends as it’s very quiet. The staff are charming and accommodating. They offer a small range of gin based cocktails — obviously!
COLD is a classy joint!

Very British pub! The cocktails are amazing the staff is very very nice and friendly and if you are in doubt just tell them what you like and they can figure out something for you.
I also liked the atmosphere of the place, it’s very cozy and relaxing you don’t feel like you want to leave it at all

I came here for a tour of the distillery, which seems to be the answer as to how to get a very decent gin and tonic at midday, when the bar doesn’t even open until 4pm.
Our small group was introduced to the stills (they have names), told the difference between an Old Tom, a Dry London and a Sloe, and then got to taste them all. And the best way to drink it? Fevertree tonic water and a slice of grapefruit since you ask.
Having seen their extensive and mouth watering array of gins (180 I think) at the bar, I’m definitely going back for an evening of gin tasting of my own.
A bargain at £10.

So we got some tickets for a gin tutorial, not knowing entirely what would happen (because hell, who needs planning?), but we love gin, and it’s in a lovely area, so we figured what could go wrong!
We had a little trouble finding it because there wasn’t an overly prominent sign, but we absolutely loved that it was tucked away like that, and on a Saturday at about 5pm, it was a good level of people.
We had a a yummy tapanade affair, followed by the most amazing gin old fashioned I’ve ever had in my life, and we were told that Alfie would be over shortly. He was amazing and funny and obviously very knowledgeable — he told us they need to have extensive training to work there and use the distillery — and he talked us through how different gins are made, and we learned how to taste neat gin.
We then had some gin cocktails. Don’t be fooled by how small they are, they pack a punch and you have to sip them — it takes a while! If you have any questions, you can always ask the staff, who are lovely, and charismatic, and the atmosphere is so relaxed…
I fell in love with this place, and the inspirational quotes dotted around, such as «drink more gin» and «home is where the gin is» further proved the perfection of this underground treasure.
Go and check it out as soon as possible, it’s a wonderful experience and 100% worth every penny

Jonathan has a wonderful setting here. The tour was lovely and the Gin was smooth! Recommend!

City of London Distillery bar is a classy place with a deep brown and green colour scheme that looks more like the library from Clue than any modern bar. While it’s rammed on Thursday/​Friday, the start of the week finds it comfortably occupied with customers spread among the leather couches and armchairs enjoying cocktails and conversations.
*Note — I went for an event with free drinks so it wasn’t a typical experience in that I didn’t pay
COLD bar would be a great place to bring a date or catch up with a good friend but be warned, it’s far too easy to while away the evening tasting just a few of the 217 gins on offer. Cocktails will run you around £9−10 while the flavoured shots ring in at just under £4.
Grab one of the top class bartenders and order a Poison Apple to start. A citrusy cocktail garnished with a mini-​toffee apple, it starts of sweet and juicy but gradually you get the feeling that there is something else. A slow warming burn, reminiscent of clove studded ginger in mulled wine, builds on the back of your tongue. While the touch of «poison» may be slightly disconcerting, it captures the idea of the Poison Apple perfectly and I wonder if there will be a old crone handing out some treats on the night.
Shots-​wise, you can choose your blood at A, B, AB, and O which B being my favourite — it’s plum flavoured and made with COLD gin — a combination that goes done smoothly and far too easily.
COLD bar offers a special deal where you can buy a bottle of gin and keep it behind the bar for your drinking pleasure. Simple mixers (ie tonic) and garnishes are provided free of charge as well as the skills of the bartender to mix up your drink. You can also opt for cocktails but a small charge to cover the cost of ingredients will be levied — still with cocktails being just under £10 a pop and approximately 14 – 15 drinks per bottle, you would save £40−50 if you bought a bottle of COLD gin for £100 and kept it at the bar. Not a bad deal…
You can also join the Connoisseur’ Collective (£50 membership fee) which gives you a range of benefits from discounted prices on bar bottles, gin served both ways (order a cocktail and you get a shot of the gin in it as well), 50% off all food, invites to exclusive quarterly events, and 10% off the total bill on Mondays.

I was surprised upon my first visit to London (in 2007) to see almost the same gin selection in bars as you can find in the US. London, after all, is the birthplace of dry gin. It was sad to know that no new distilleries operated in the city since late 19^th Century.
Needless to say, my heart was filled with joy immediately after I saw the sign for this place while walking on Fleet St. to St. Paul’s. A new gin distillery in London? Hell yes! Inside is a sleek and classy looking bar with plenty of space and a shiny distiller on display behind a glass window.
There’s plenty of cocktails to select from, and lots of other alcohol to try, but I went straight for a dry martini with their house gin. It was amazing. Kicks you in the face with that juniper flavour. In the best way possible. Can’t wait to go back.

Super friendly and charismatic (as well as highly skilled) bartenders. If you order a flight, the master distiller will be more than happy to run through the history of gin with you.