If you're getting table service, you might as well go the whole hog and get your drinks mixed for you there as well. Here's our guide to London's best cocktail and drinks trolleys for tableside action.
The Connaught Martini
Carlos Place, London W1K 2AL
Having just celebrated their 15th anniversary and with a new book being published this year, The Connaught Bar has never been more in demand. For pure theatrics, it's hard to beat a martini by Agostino Perrone and his team when the process involves not only picking your bitters but also witnessing the metre-high pour of vodka into the glass, spritzed by a lemon.
See also: Dukes Bar. Alessandro Palazzi’s martinis are legendarily lethal (we can attest to this), so you’re only allowed to order two of them on any visit to his St James bar.
Irish coffees at Whiskey & Seaweed
92 Kensington Park Rd, London W11 2PN
While all the cocktails (and bar snacks) are on point at the bar in the three Michelin-starred Core by Clare Smyth, you really shouldn't pay a visit here without asking for a trip to Irish coffee nirvana. Let bar manager Vincenzo Ciacco talk you through the various whiskeys and bourbons on offer, along with the bitters and choice of toppings before he puts it all together for you. It's more tray service than trolley service but let's not nitpick.
Champagne trolley at Atelier Robuchon
6 Clarges St, London W1J 8AE
If you're thinking of checking out the new-look Atelier Robuchon in Mayfair then you really should start your meal by calling over the Champagne trolley. With a strong focus on small producers, there's a genuinely interesting option of fizzes to choose from.
See also: The Stage Bar at The Londoner. This central Champagne bar's trolley features all the usual hits along with some petite maisons supporting independent producers too.
Cocktail trolley at Blacklock
Soho, Shoreditch, Canary Wharf and The City
What better way to end a meal of excellent chops and ladles of cheesecake at Blacklock than summoning one of their vintage cocktail trolleys? Choose from a generous Negroni or Old Fashioned made tableside for you before you toddle off into the night.
The Bloody Mary trolley at Berners Tavern
10 Berners St, London W1T 3NP
Jason Atherton's always-glam restaurant in the London Edition goes full tilt for Sunday lunches. In addition to great roasts, there's also the lure of the Bloody Mary trolley with top types of Marys made with either Ketel One vodka or Don Julio tequila blanco and your choice of seasoning.
ALL the drinks - the digestifs trolley at The Ritz
150 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9BR
Nothing at The Ritz is done half-cocked and the final element of any lunch or dinner there will be when this groaning cart of drinks is rolled up to your table. Fancy a rare glass of Armagnac, or a particularly hard-to-source tequila? Well, this is where to have it.
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