I suspect you may not all have been to Apres London, I hadn’t. In fact I hadn’t even heard of the place despite the fact it’s nestled basically next door to Selfridges! Quite how you keep a cocktail bar located smack bang in the middle of Bond Street secluded and chic is anyone’s guess but these folks have managed it marvellously. After a brief rendez vous at Harvey Nichols for the Oliver Sweeney x Oliver Proudlock my partner in crime, Metro’s Fashion Editor and founder of The Fash Pack, Naomi and I paid a visit to Apres London last Tuesday and thoroughly enjoyed every sip of it.
The first thing that struck me about Apres London was how much less glossy it was than I expected. Don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of swank but sometimes all that W Hotel esque, high shine decor can get too much. This place is nice, and I mean really nice, but in a cool, laid back luxe kinda way that doesn’t make you feel that Herve Leger and Louboutins have to be worn by all who enter. Admittedly I was trussed up to the nines in leather and sequins because y’know, why the hell not, BUT I could have rocked jeans n’ tee and felt appropriately attired. Inside Apres London is a small but stylish affair, all white washed walls and bar, exposed pipes and brick and one particularly striking Jimi Hendrix mural. I’m an absolute sucker for fancy loo and the ones here – accessed via narrow stairs flanked by fairy lights – are seriously awesome. But enough about the decor, let’s talk cocktails.
I know I’ve said this before but boringly enough I’m going to say it again, there are few things more dire than a bad cocktail but a good one is just heavenly. As you may have already guessed, Apres London’s mixed liquor confections fell firmly under the latter category. Being the creature of habit I am, I decided to kick things off with a Lychee Martini. The charming (and rather handsome) waiter informed me that they didn’t have any lychee than night and suggested one of their specials instead. This, it turned out, was a stroke of luck as otherwise I may still remain oblivious to the sheer deliciousness of the Passion Flower. Passion fruit and vanilla Koskenkorva vanilla vodka mixed with fresh passion fruit, passion fruit juice and gomme then shaken and served with a flourish. Loyal though I’ve been to my time tested tipple of choice, I suspect lychee sales in Soho may fall dramatically from now on. Naomi went for a Capirinha, we naturally embarked on a cocktail swapping session (lethal, always) so I can confirm that it too was scrumptious. I’m ashamed to admit that neither of us were brave enough to go anywhere near the “Zombie”.
As the evening wore on we were persuaded to try another Apres London special, the Pink Panther. With watermelon and white chocolate, chocolate curls Vodka and Mozart white chocolate liquor it wasn’t the kind of thing I’d usually go for and I have to admit I was dubious. It turned out to be amazing in a totally indulgent kind of way, although I wouldn’t recommend making a habit of these babies if you want to keep fitting into your J Brands.
All in all, Apres London gets a thumbs up from me. Not a wild, dancing on the tables kind of place (although to be fair it was a Tuesday) but absolutely perfect for a girly cocktails and catch up session. We also met the God amongst men who INVENTED the Porn Star Martini. Apparently he’s a regular so if you needed any more incentive to check the place out, there you have it!
You can find Apres London at 31 Duke Street, London, W1U 1LG and check out the website here
Love Ella. X
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