4 Cocktail Bars from Hell in London
Mysterious atmosphere, hidden entrance doors and seducing cocktails with some dark magic added.
I visited 4 killing cocktail bars from Hell.
Opium
Located on one of the crowded passages, China Town Opium Bar can be found only by those who know what to look for. A small jade door and a tiny metal board with the bar’s name on it. That’s all that advertises this hidden bar’s existence.
On entering the building, a long, mysterious, red-lit wooden staircase leads you up to the 3 different themed sections of Opium bar, and each section has its own signature cocktail menu.
Apothecary Bar
Located on the second floor, Apothecary bar is decorated with medical bottles and has Feng Shui themed cocktail menu. On each table, there is a round wooden Feng Shui plate showing the cocktail menu representing wealth, health, wisdom, career, travelling, creativity, marriage and fame.
Red Chinese lampions, old framed photos, bamboo and ornamental walls make this small intimate place more peculiar.
Here I decided to try two of the most bizarre Opium signature cocktails that are definitely from Hell:
Opium No. 7 which comes in a small cauldron with dried ice.
Devil Doctor, a killing flaming cocktail with a sugar cube on top, sprayed with absinthe.
Academy Bar
Located on the top floor, Academy Bar has lower coffee tables, large armchairs, illuminating candles and pale lamps to create a mystic shadowy atmosphere.
The walls are covered with old photos of once-living Chinese inhabitants and beautiful carved wooden decorations give a perfect backdrop for your signature cocktail.
The cocktail menu focuses on Asian cooking style and flavours. Here, beside the Academy signature cocktails, you can find low alcohol and non-alcoholic cocktails.
During my visit to Academy Bar, I decided for a mocktail that comes with Gyokuro tea, lemon thyme cordial and lemon sour jelly. It was called Duminda.
Peony Bar
This is the smallest and most intimate section of Opium. Located on the second floor, the cocktails here focus on major cities of China, such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing or Lhasa. The menu itself is a map that shows us the locations of these influential cities and gives us interesting information about them.
Source of photo: opiumchinatown.com
Booking a table in advance is highly recommended, however, they accept limited number of walk-ins.
Murder Inc.
Hidden in a narrow alley just off Oxford Street, Murder Inc. leads you to Highway to Hell. Literally.
They have creative house specialities and themed killer cocktail menus, such as Speedballers, Hight Street Hustlers, Bad to the Bone and Naughty Li’l Buggers. Oh, and if you want to commit a cocktail crime with something not on the list, they are happy to become your accomplice.
The place itself is tiny but well designed and creates a murderously unique atmosphere. There is a tiny hidden private place sunken into the wall for those want to be totally isolated; a round table for bigger gangs and additional seats with wall-to-wall sofas.
Here, there are two old large mirrors on the two sides, reflecting a rusty brown parallel reality. (Goosebumps…)
You don’t need to book a table, just walk in and commit your cocktail crime.
Eve Bar
“Resist Everything except temptation.” This is what welcomes visitors at the entrance. The entrance is uniquely decorated with books and red apples, representing Eve’s Biblical temptation to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge.
In the bar, under the dim light, you find yourself in the mystical world of Eve the tempted sinner.
Surrounded by twigs, books and apples, and two large painted glass windows of Adam and Eve, you will definitely not be able to resist temptation for one of Eve Bar’s signature cocktails, such as Adam’s Apple that comes with apple oil and cherry bark.
“I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened and I’m not afraid to look behind them.”
Advanced booking is recommended; however, Eve Bar is happy to serve walk-inners.
Cereal Killer Café
www.cerealkillercafe.co.uk/brick-lane
Walking through a corridor of mirrors, you will find yourself in a cereal asylum with iron beds and a framed picture of Hannibal Lecter, made from cereals.
Although Cereal Killer is a café not a bar, you probably did not know that they serve killing cocktails with cereal at their Brick Lane shop.
I went for the weirdest and definitely the most Instagrammable one: Loopy Froot cocktail with froot loop gin, elderflower syrup, apple juice, blue curacao and topped with rainbow cereal. It was total madness.
Book a table in advance or just walk in as I did. Your choice.
Ready for your next adventure? How about a breakfast in a Victorian public toilet?