Freud Bar & Gallery

Hidden Gem: Top Cocktails in London

Down a flight of distinctly iron stairs, nestled in a subterranean nook delightfully shrouded from the busy London streets above, lies one of the city's most talked about hidden gems: this basement cocktail bar. The ambiance hits you like your first sip of a meticulously crafted drink—welcoming, warm, and sporting a certain vibrancy that promises good times ahead. Noted for its eponymous Long Island Iced Tea and "The Blossom," which sings an enchanting symphony of sweet notes to cocktail aficionados, this clandestine corner stitches together a cocktail menu that commands attention and admiration. Despite its unassuming facade, it is decidedly more of a tavern of tales than a mere watering hole.

My late Monday night visit found me in pleasant conversation with bartender extraordinaires Vanessa and Fred, who lean fully into their craft, raising hospitality to an art form as vivid as the pieces adorning their concrete walls. While whispers resound of an aggressive manager and flashes of inconsistency, the spirited staff and perfectly curated beverages securely muffle such critiques. Nevertheless, watching Francesco twirl bottles was an art performance I didn't realize I needed. As the music hummed flatteringly against impromptu conversations, it felt clear this was less a bar, more a think tank for libation lovers to sketch away world plans over exquisitely priced cocktails—a Beethoven's symphony in glass, indeed. — Milo Tastemaker