With the winter months upon us, restaurants and bars across London are embracing the festive spirit by serving up hot cocktails and seasonal cuisine in cozy alpine inspired surroundings. We take a look at the best winter terraces and pop-ups in London for making the most of this enchanting time.
Winter Bar Pop-Up with Moët & Chandon, Sky Garden
Throughout the winter months the Sky Pod at London’s panoramic Sky Garden is hosting a Winter Bar Pop-Up offering alpine toasties and hot cocktails in surroundings complete with Christmas trees, faux fur and highland tartan. As the pop-up has been created in partnership with Moët & Chandon, champagne will undoubtedly be flowing; all champagne drinkers receive a special bauble to take home.
L’Escargot Winter G’Vine Pop-Up Gin Bar
At the beginning of the month, the celebrated French restaurant L’Escargot launched its French gin pop-up bar in partnership with G’Vine Gin de France. The winter pop-up is placing the focus on warming cocktails created by G’Vine ambassador Jamie Campbell, including smoked mulled cider and French 75. Savor these with L’Escargot’s gourmet snacks in the restaurant’s newly renovated library.
Blakes Winter Garden
The South Kensington boutique hotel Blakes has transformed its Matthew Williamson designed courtyard into a Winter Garden for the festive season. Launched in partnership with Laurent Perrier, the Winter Garden will serve a selection of champagnes paired with some of Blakes’ signature dishes such as a sashimi platter with pickled ginger and soy, Maldon rock oysters and Osietra caviar. The space is adorned with seasonal flowers by florist Laura Kuy, alongside Christmas trees and amid twinkling lights.
Veuve Clicquot Le Chalet, The Parlour
In collaboration with champagne house Veuve Clicquot, the Parlour bar on Canary Wharf has launched the alpine pop-up Le Chalet. In a festive space featuring skis and cozy throws for an especially wintery feel, every bottle or magnum of Veuve Clicquot comes with a complimentary charcuterie board of meats, freshly baked sourdough bread and roasted garlic.
Dalloway Terrace
Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, this restaurant and bar fittingly has a literary theme, taking its name from the character created by Virginia Woolf. The indoor-outdoor space has been transformed into a winter wonderland for the festive season featuring snow-covered trees, faux fur, lanterns and twinkling lights, plus a canopy of frosted ferns and pine cones by florist Nikki Tibbles of Wild at Heart. Fondue, mulled wine and hot cocktails are all on the menu.
The Grey Goose Terrace, Le Café De Nuit
You can find this atmospheric space on the fifth floor terrace of Harvey Nichols. Here Grey Goose has set up the Parisian inspired Café De Nuit, which showcases fine single-origin espresso with Grey Goose vodka in the ultimate L’Espresso Martini. Four variations of this martini have been created: the Classic, L’Orange, Le Citron and La Poire. These are best enjoyed with the café’s sweets, which include a salted caramel tart, blood orange macaroon and chocolate fondue.
Lodge d’Argent, Coq d’Argent
Each year this elegant French restaurant turns its bar and outdoor terrace into an apres-ski themed dining and drinking space that’s reminiscent of a traditional French ski chalet with vintage ski props, faux fur blankets and alpine foliage. Winter warming cocktails have been created for the occasion and are offered alongside dishes such as tartiflette, venison burger and chestnut macaroons.
J Sheekey Winter Terrace
This seafood restaurant on St Martin’s Court is among London’s most legendary dining spots, having opened in the late 1800s and having long attracted cast and audience from London’s vibrant theater scene owing to its Covent Garden setting. This festive season the J Sheekey Atlantic Bar Terrace provides a cozy setting for warming seafood plates and hot cocktails with blankets and a crackling log fire.
Coppa Club Igloos
This winter the appealing igloos by Coppa Club are back by Tower Bridge on the riverbank of the Thames. Each timber and perspex dome accommodates six to eight people for the night and is furnished for an alpine feel with blankets, heating and speakers, making each one perfect for al fresco dining or an evening of cocktails.
Monkey 47 Lodge, Rosewood London
In celebration of the festive season, Rosewood London has partnered with the artisanal German gin brand Monkey 47 to turn the luxury hotel’s courtyard into a winter venue. As well as being inspired by the Black Forest and its abundance of juniper, bramble leaves, lingonberries and other botanicals, the pop-up is reminiscent of the lodge where British Commander and producer of ‘Max the Monkey’ Gin, Montgomery “Monty” Collins, used to live; Monty and the gin he created were the inspiration behind Monkey 47. In the Monkey 47 Lodge hot and cold cocktails inspired by German desserts are offered alongside traditional British festive treats such as mince pies.
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