The revival in gin that has been prevalent throughout the last decade shows no signs of stopping courtesy of venues like Graphic bar in Soho. If you look at overall spirits sales, vodka still exceeds everything else by a mammoth margin, but it is a sign of the growing popularity of gin, that bars such a Graphic can advertise itself as a quirky gin bar and be filled with satisfied imbibers nightly.
Set in Golden square in Soho which is popular with media companies, it has a charming, quirky vibe. There are comfortable Chesterfield sofas combined with exposed brickwork and a revolving display of urban artwork. The bar is frequently filled with after work drinkers from the local media workers, yet from my experience it is still relatively easy to find seating in the venue.
The charming decor includes the urban-inspired graffiti art shutters and on our visit they had a video wall display of retro video games on loop. The atmosphere is vibrant and energetic over the weekends with hip funky house music playing. It might not be a place for a quiet date, but definitely a top choice for post-work drinks with colleagues and friends.
The highlight is undoubtedly their gin offerings with over 300 options. The best way to experience it is to attend their monthly gin social where you can find out about small batch gins and premium brands.
Their house specials are gin cocktails served in cool looking paint tins. A very refreshing option I tried is the green paint tin, which had Hayman’s London dry gin, cucumber, mint and cloudy apple juice. They also execute classic cocktails with expert perfection too, like the corpse reviver, which is a great ‘hair of the dog’ hangover cure and first found in Harry Craddock’s cocktail bible, the Savoy Cocktail Handbook.
They also have their house creation section where they are open to experimenting with new ideas. Zapiro’s Whit has delectable fruity flavours to match with the Whitley Neill gin; using crème de peche and manzana verde, which are peach and wild apple liqueur. They are also open to using different spirits too like the tequila cocktail I tried with pineapple, coconut and creme de cacao and serving their drinks in imaginative receptacles.
They also offer bar food too for those who need some solid food prior to enjoying their cocktails, such as jerk wings, baja tacos and rib of beef. If you want to explore the best gin cocktail creations in town in a central, convenient location, then you must head to Graphic Bar in Golden Square.
baldwin@townfish.com