Sharkbaits Cocktail of the Week: A Christmas BOTG

Oh hey. It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Between the work trip to London and the holidays, it’s been a crazy busy few days. While I’ve got nothing made for this week, I did want to write about a place I went to on my trip: Dukes Cocktail Bar. This place has been on my list of places to go for a while. Though I wasn’t staying directly in London, I was close enough to hop on a train after work the first Monday I was in the country and I booked it straight there.

As I said, I was going on a Monday, which I hoped meant little to no wait time for a spot. However, there was a bit of a wait, even for one. In hindsight I shouldn’t have been surprised. It’s a famous bar, in London, at Christmas. I was gonna wait regardless. I ended up sitting in the hotel lobby for about 30 minutes, maybe less. I’ve waited years to come here, so 30 minutes was nothing for me.

Once I was called inside, I was sat in a corner by a window at a small table for two. I didn’t really see much more of the space, but from what I saw, the seating is all comfy lounge type chairs around small tables, with bar snacks already in place. This place oozes quiet sophistication. I didn’t pick up on any music playing at all. If there was any, it was very low, enough to blend into the background. You could hear hushed conversations though,  which made for good eavesdropping, especially if you’re a solo drinker like I was this evening.

In hindsight I should have taken more pictures of the menu, or of the presentation of the drinks themselves. But I chose to live in the moment more than trying to document everything, which I think was the smarter choice.

While they had an impressive wine and spirit list, I already decided I needed to have a couple martinis while I was there. Two to be specific, because there is a two martini limit. Either for turnover or because there’s not food other that nuts and crisps,  so any more than two cocktails risks adverse behavior unbecoming of the bar and the neighborhood. I chose the Vesper, because supposedly Ian Fleming came up with the idea of Bond’s love of Vesper’s while drinking at Dukes. If it was good enough for Bond, it’s good enough for me.

The presentation is fantastic. The white gloved bartender who is taking care of you wheels over a cart with all of the ingredients specific to your chosen drink, complete with frosted cocktail glass. Then you are shown each individual ingredient as it’s added. In my case, fresh from the freezer No. 3 gin, vodka which I regrettably forget the name that they used, and Lilet. There was zero measuring of each  ingredient. Everything is free poured into the ice cold glass, before being topped off with a twist of lemon, and then placed in front of you without spilling a drop.

Without question, those two drinks were the absolute best Vespers I’ve ever had. Everything was perfect. The proportions, the flavors, everything. Those drinks are gonna live rent free in my head for a long, long time. If you are in London, I cannot recommend this place enough. Even if there is a wait, it is absolutely worth your time to stop in and experience this bar.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)