The Cocktail Trading Co.
22 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7HU (map)
Take three of London’s most imaginative bartenders, give them bar space in central London and some time to experiment. This is what you get…
Andy Mil, Elliot Ball and Olly Brading are the bartender/owners of The Cocktail Trading Co in the heart of Soho. The basement venue can be found below Central & Co a few minutes walk from Oxford Circus. Capacity looks to be approximately 50 people.
L-R: Andy Mil, Olly Brading, Elliot Ball
Cocktails are expectedly eye-catching and full of puns. The “Urn-Aged Corpse Reviver No.2” is served with a pair of zombie hands; the #FestivalChic (yes, it is spelt complete with hashtag) is served in a mini wellington boot with instructions to “upload to Instagram”; while the Bols Genever based “For Whom The Bell Bols” is served in an upturned bell.
If you have visited the previous incarnation of this bar the layout looks similar. However the island bar near the front of the venue has been replaced by a regular bar which gives a little more space to the seating area. The walls are now adorned with framed celebrity caricatures and gramophone horns act as light shades over the bar. For those of you who have an addiction to monkey nuts, bewared… they are supplied as free flowing bar snacks on every table!
The three bartenders behind Cocktail Trading Co. have had careers which include stints at London Cocktail Club, Covent Garden Cocktail Club and Steam & Rye. They have also acted as bar consultants for Diageo Reserve and Pernod Ricard. This is their first venture together and their business is not just a bar… the team will also act as a specialist team providing bar operations, “and consulting in every aspect of the drinks industry, from menu and cocktail design, to consumer training, brand creation, and much more.” Interestingly, The Cocktail Trading Co has been set up as a cooperative with 25% of the profits belonging to the team that operate each outlet.
NOTES: The Cocktail Trading Co opened on Mon 19 Jan 2015, as is currently in ‘soft launch’ phase.
Photography: The lighting conditions are extremely low. All photos here have been taken without the use of flash… Hence the softness of the images!
The Cocktail Trading Co.
Opening Times: 16h00-24h00 Mon – Sat
Ad: 22 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7HU (map)
Ww: www.thecocktailtradingco.co.uk
Fb: TheCocktailTradingCo
Ig: the_cocktail_trading_co
Tw: @cocktailtradeco
@wilkes888 - London based Food & Drink-o-phile 