The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureFood & DrinksRestaurant & bar reviews

The Cocktail Trading Company in Smithfields

The Cocktail Trading Company in Smithfields | Bar review
10 November 2015
Daniel Masters
Avatar
Daniel Masters
10 November 2015

Food

Daniel Masters4

The Cocktail Trading Company

BarQuick & easyCasual foodFine dining
QUICKCASUALFINE DINING

Concept

Highlights

Snapper's Delight

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Links

WebsiteMap

There are no signs, no outward indication anything of note is even there. Yet hidden in the corner of this packed restaurant, there lies a narrow staircase so inconspicuous it’s almost missable. And this isn’t 1920s Chicago – it’s a stone’s throw from Smithfields meat market, in the heart of London.

The second branch of the highly successful Cocktail Trading Company, this remarkable little bar somehow manages to be even better than its predecessor, combining old-fashioned charms with an incredibly intimate space. Its deep, muted palette speaks of members only clubs, all dark wood and sophistication. The bare concrete and sloppily painted walls tell a different tale, hinting at something a little more rough and ready, cobbled together to serve those escaping the tyrannies of prohibition. It actually feels like a speakeasy, albeit one with some curiously framed photos of old Daily Mails, and of Churchill.

It’s a place where tradition meets creativity, as is soon evident from the cocktail list. We start safe, opting for a Ford Cocktail. With a fair amount of innovative and, in some cases, downright wacky drinks on offer, a relatively tame offering like this is often a good indication of the staff’s skill. Made from Ford’s gin, dry Vermouth, Bénédictine and bitters, it is, strictly speaking, a Cabaret. There is something different about this though, something about the measurements that’s more like a dry martini with a twist. Elegant, simple and refreshing, it’s one of those drinks that doesn’t needlessly stray too far from tradition.

Which is more than can be said for many of the other offerings, the amusingly named Citizen Kane being one of the one chief examples. A cheeky nod to the iconic scene from Welles’ classic, it consists of an upturned globe, filled with cocktail, a flurry of coconut “snow” and a small model of Big Ben in the centre. It’s visually breathtaking, a brief whirl of liquid and coconut that’s soon upturned to reveal a cocktail of Cachaça, cardamom and vanilla infusion, lime juice and sauvignon blanc. It tastes as good as it looks, a sweet affair where coconut and vanilla dominate, their sweetness prevented from being cloying by the citrus and white wine. Our only criticism is that the cardamom, a delightful if difficult ingredient, seems only to lend mild citrusy notes and little else. If it were only a little stronger, this could be a truly excellent drink.

Snapper’s Delight finishes us up, and it’s a delightfully weird conclusion. Served in a squeezy ketchup bottle, with “fries” and a gherkin, it really does look like something that has been plucked from an American diner. A fusion of bourbon, chili and peach jam, lemon juice and ginger, it is a punchy yet surprisingly deep cocktail made all the better by its accompaniments. Solo, it would have been good, but a bout of odd genius sees it paired with salt and vinegar chipsticks. The punchy cocktail and sour crisps bounce off each other perfectly, elevating this from a great drink to an absolute must-try.

Special mention must go to the staff. Table service is in effect here, which is essential for such an intimate venue. Staff diligently monitor tables needing their next order without hovering incessantly, as is so often the downfall of such a method. The bar staff themselves are informative, charming and enthusiastic, their obvious love for the job and for their drinks coming through at every turn.

Creating a speakeasy in a grey street outside Smithfields market is not an easy task, yet here it feels effortless. From the brilliant drinks to the intimate venue to the excellent staff, everything just works. It’s the kind of place where you can genuinely leave all your troubles at the door and be lost in the fantasy of it all. In a city as hectic and demanding as London, bars like that are few and far between.

★★★★★

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Daniel Masters

To book a table at The Cocktail Trading Company, 50-52 Long Lane Smithfields London EC1A 9EJ, call 0207 427 6097 or enquire here.

Related ItemsCocktail Trading Companyreview

More in Food & Drinks

Layering masters: How to make authentically delicious lasagne

Food Desk
Read More

The Princess of Shoreditch in Shoreditch: “Ruth Hansom will only cook with the freshest and finest”

Ashiana Pradhan
Read More

Albert Adrià reopens Enigma on 7 June as a “fun-dining” restaurant and cocktail bar

Food Desk
Read More

Three-Michelin-star restaurants L’Effervescence and SingleThread announce first post-Covid collaboration in Tokyo

Food Desk
Read More

World’s 50 Best to announce 50 Next list of young people shaping the future of gastronomy on 24th June in Bilbao

Food Desk
Read More

Cinco de Mayo 2022: Where to celebrate in London

The editorial unit
Read More

Fiend restaurant to host guest chef supper clubs with Ollie Dabbous and Gareth Ward

Food Desk
Read More

World’s 50 Best announce 2022 Champions of Change

Food Desk
Read More

Colette and Manon Lagrève team up for limited-edition chocolate cake in support of Save the Children in Ukraine

Food Desk
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Food

Daniel Masters4

The Cocktail Trading Company

BarQuick & easyCasual foodFine dining
QUICKCASUALFINE DINING

Concept

Highlights

Snapper's Delight

Drinks ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Service ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

Links

WebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Father and the Assassin at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Plan 75
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • More than Ever (Plus que Jamais)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Lykke Li – EYEYE
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Moonage Daydream
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Stephen Fry enters the Radio Times Hall of Fame in conversation with Alan Yentob at the BFI Imax
    Cinema & Tv
  • Layering masters: How to make authentically delicious lasagne
    Food & Drinks
  • The Five Devils (Les Cinq Diables)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • “Love is a relationship between two people where they show who they really are”: Press conference with the team behind Decision to Leave
    Cannes
  • Moonage Daydream
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Crimes of the Future
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Decision to Leave (Heojil Kyolshim)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • Boy from Heaven (Walad Min Al Janna)
    ★★★★★
    Cannes
  • The Princess of Shoreditch in Shoreditch: “Ruth Hansom will only cook with the freshest and finest”
    Food & Drinks
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Husbands and Sons at the National Theatre | Theatre review
Kwaidan at the New Diorama Theatre | Theatre review