Five places to try absinthe in London

Go green: absinthe is as notorious as it is loved
Getty Images
Sophia E. Lipp3 April 2018

We get it: absinthe seems scary.

There are rumours of hallucinations, of blindness, and the sheer strength of the stuff is daunting.

Still, there’s no real reason to fear the Green Fairy at all, especially when London has such a fine selection of it to try.

Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde and Pablo Picasso swore by absinthe during its heyday and now, decades later, the spirit is making a comeback. Already well on its way to reclaiming the throne of Europe’s coolest drink, stay ahead of the curve by checking out these absinthe bars in London.

Bar Prague

The Czech Republic is one of the most popular places in the world to try absinthe, so why not head over to Prague-inspired bar in Shoreditch for a few sips of the green stuff? Head to the bar for a glass of their imported absinthe before slumping into one of its worn, red leather couches to sip. The lounge’s exposed brick interior and, er, rather unusual artwork is about as authentically Czech as it gets, and the perfect setting to enjoy this spirit.

6 Kingsland Rd, E2 8DA, barprague.com

Baranis

Go green with envy: Bar Baranis boasts some of London's finest absinthe 
Carla Romero

Spice up your absinthe experience by sipping on it while playing in the UK’s only indoor petanque court, thanks to French cocktail bar Baranis. With a wide assortment of tasty French dishes and other cocktails to try, you may never want to leave this southern French hangout.

115 Chancery Lane, WC2A 1PP, baranis.co.uk

The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities

Even though (contrary to the popular myth) absinthe doesn’t actually cause hallucinations, you’ll definitely feel a bit wonky if you choose to sip on it at the cocktail bar in the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities in East London. Travel to Bethnal Green to explore this museum’s oddities and enjoy some of the quirkiest cocktails in London – all full of the fairy.

11 Mare St, E8 4RP, thelasttuesdaysociety.org

The best bars in London

1/48

The Green Bar at Hotel Café Royal

No need to have a room at this Soho hotel to be able to try their luxury bar. Although this bar prides themselves on their botanicals and gin, the staff at the Green Bar is readily prepared to walk you through your entire absinthe experience from start to finish, making this spot perfect for the absinthe virgin.

68 Regent St, Soho, W1B 4DY, hotelcaferoyal.com

Opium

While Chinatown might not be the first place you think of stopping at on your hunt, Opium’s cocktail bar really has it all, including some of London’s best absinthe. Try the Snake cocktail from their Zodiac menu, a delightful concoction of absinthe, suze, spiced apple and more.

15-16, Gerrard St, London W1D 6JE, opiumchinatown.com

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in