Cocktail Hour: Hawksmoor, London

When it comes to cocktails, The Domestic Sluts aren't easily pleased. We want decent drinks made by friendly staff who know what they're doing. And something a little bit different. A happy hour mojito just won't cut it, particularly when there are so many exciting bars to seek out.

Covent Garden's Hawksmoor is one of those bars. Opened in November, it's one of the most beautiful bars in Central London. Y'see, they've gone all sexy and traditional (yes, at the same time). So the tiles behind the bar are from London Underground, the tables are old benches from chemistry labs (complete with Bunsen burner lights!) and it just looks fabulous. Very Mad Men, very old school.


The cocktails have taken a step back in time as well. You'll find juleps, old fashioned spirits and traditional drinks with a twist. Classics that will soon become modern favourites. I didn't much care for the thyme-inspired concoction I tried, but I couldn't fault any of the other tipples whipped up by Shaky Pete (he's the handsome scruff behind the bar). Their red wine is so good I didn't leave before midnight. Whoops.

Hawksmoor isn't somewhere I can afford to pop into very often, but it's the kind of bar that deserves dressing up, and anticipation that starts first thing in the morning. It's special. It doesn't have to try and be fancy, it just is. It oozes charm and sexiness and it should be right at the top of your must-visit list.

Hawksmoor is on Langley Street in Covent Garden, just opposite Pineapple Dance Studios. Go. Go now. And take me with you.