The Best Pub Crawls for Experiencing Craft Cocktails in London

In London, the art of the pub crawl has evolved. No longer just about pints and loud music, it’s now a journey through hidden speakeasies, historic pubs with modern twists, and bartenders who treat gin like fine wine. If you’re looking for craft cocktails in London, you’re not just chasing drinks-you’re chasing stories, ingredients sourced from the Thames estuary, and bartenders who’ve trained in Tokyo or New York but chose to set up shop in Shoreditch or Notting Hill.

Start in Soho: Where Tradition Meets Innovation

Begin your crawl in Soho, where the narrow alleys hide some of London’s most respected cocktail bars. Start at The Connaught Bar, which has held the title of World’s Best Bar twice. Their signature drink, the Connaught Martini, is stirred tableside with a choice of three gins and infused with Earl Grey tea or orange blossom. It’s not cheap-£28 a drink-but it’s a masterclass in precision. Walk five minutes to The Bar at 100 Wardour Street, where the menu changes monthly based on seasonal foraged herbs. In December, you might find a cocktail made with sloe gin from a local Kent orchard and smoked black pepper from Spitalfields Market.

Shoreditch: The Experimental Hub

Shoreditch isn’t just about street art and brunch spots. It’s where London’s cocktail scene goes rogue. Head to Bar Termini for a quick, no-frills negroni made with London-made Sipsmith gin and a twist of orange peel. Then, cross the road to The Clumsy Co., a tiny bar with no sign and a secret entrance. Their ‘Gin & Tonic No. 3’ uses a house-distilled gin with juniper, coriander, and London fog-yes, they capture the actual mist from the Thames in their botanical blend. The bartender will ask you if you want it served with ice, dry, or ‘London wet’-a term they coined for a version that’s slightly diluted with chilled rainwater infused with elderflower.

Notting Hill: Cozy, But Crafty

Don’t assume the west end is all champagne bars and tourist traps. In Notting Hill, The Blind Pig has been quietly building a cult following since 2018. Their menu is handwritten on a chalkboard and changes daily. One week, you might get a ‘Brixton Bitter’-a riff on a bitter ale cocktail with blackberry liqueur from a local farm and a float of single-origin chocolate bitters. The bar’s owner, a former sommelier from Devon, insists on using only British spirits: Oxford Artisan Distillery’s rye, Devonshire apple brandy, and a rare London dry gin made from wild rosehip.

Canary Wharf: Unexpected Excellence

Most people skip Canary Wharf for cocktails, assuming it’s all corporate lounges. But Bar 19, tucked inside the Marriott Canary Wharf, is a hidden gem. It’s open until 2 a.m. on weekends and serves a ‘Thames Tide’-a smoky mezcal cocktail with seaweed syrup harvested from the Thames mudflats at low tide. The bar keeps a log of when each batch was collected, and you can ask to see the tide chart for that day. It’s a small detail, but it shows how seriously Londoners take local sourcing.

Southwark: The Old World Meets the New

Walk along the River Thames from Tower Bridge to Borough Market and you’ll find The London Distillery Company’s tasting room. They run a pub crawl that starts here: a guided walk through five nearby bars, each serving a cocktail made with their own London dry gin. The crawl includes a stop at The Old Vic Tunnels, where cocktails are served in repurposed Victorian gas lamps. You’ll taste a ‘Cockney Mule’ made with their gin, ginger beer brewed in Hackney, and a splash of blackberry vinegar from a family-run orchard in Kent.

How to Do It Right: Tips for a London Craft Cocktail Crawl

• Start early. Most craft cocktail bars in London open at 5 p.m., but they fill up fast. Get there by 5:30 p.m. to snag a seat.
• Don’t rush. These drinks are meant to be sipped slowly. A good crawl is 4-5 bars over 4-5 hours-not 10 bars in two hours.
• Ask for the bartender’s recommendation. Many bars don’t list prices on the menu. They’ll tell you what’s fresh, what’s seasonal, and what they’re proud of that day.
• Wear comfortable shoes. London’s cobblestones are unforgiving, and you’ll be walking between zones-Soho to Shoreditch is a 25-minute walk, but it’s worth it.
• Bring cash. Some of the best spots still don’t take cards, especially the hidden ones.

What to Avoid

Steer clear of places that call themselves ‘craft cocktail bars’ but serve pre-bottled mixes from a dispenser. If the menu has more than three drinks with ‘vodka’ in the name, it’s probably not serious. Also, avoid the tourist traps around Leicester Square-they’re packed with people on stag dos and serve cocktails that taste like syrup and artificial lime.

And skip the ‘pub crawl’ apps that push you to chain pubs like Wetherspoons or Slug & Lettuce. Those aren’t craft cocktails-they’re just cheap beer with a splash of fruit juice.

Seasonal Highlights: What’s Hot in London Right Now

As of December 2025, the big trend is ‘London Fog’ cocktails-not the tea, but drinks that capture the city’s misty atmosphere. Bars are using edible fog machines to release aromatic vapours over the glass, made from rosemary, juniper, and cold-brewed Earl Grey. Bar 19 and The Connaught Bar both have versions. Another trend? Cocktails made with British vermouths. Try the ‘Kent Negroni’ at Bar Termini, made with a vermouth distilled in Ashford using native hops and wild thyme.

Where to Go Next

After your crawl, if you still want more, head to London Cocktail Club in Covent Garden for a late-night snack. Their ‘Pork & Pickle’ plate-slow-cooked pork belly with pickled beetroot and apple chutney-is the perfect end to a night of strong drinks. Or, if you’re feeling bold, book a seat at The Alchemist in Bank, where they serve cocktails with dry ice and liquid nitrogen. It’s theatrical, yes-but it’s also made with ingredients you can trace back to a farm in Sussex.

London’s craft cocktail scene isn’t about flashy lights or Instagrammable garnishes. It’s about patience, provenance, and pride. Every sip tells a story-of a distiller in Norfolk, a forager in Epping Forest, a bartender who moved here from Melbourne because they fell in love with the city’s quiet, stubborn love of quality. If you’re willing to walk a little further, ask a few more questions, and pay a little more, you’ll taste something no tourist brochure can capture.