Craft Cocktail Co.

2 Reviews on “Craft Cocktail Co.”

• Gingle Lists Everything

  After our visit to Mission we went to the Craft Cocktail Co, brought to you by the same person responsible for the London Cocktail Clubs. They specialise in bottled cocktails (similar to White Lyan in this regard) or cocktails on tap. I was worried the place might be empty but there were a few people buzzing about, even if it wasn’t full and we were able to sit down no problem. I was rather merry by this point so my memory isn’t crystal clear, but I do remember it being quite cold and me not wanting to take my coat off. So I didn’t ‘warm’ to the place the way I might have. The drinks we had were strong enough, tasty enough but not particularly memorable. Having said that, I would quite happily duck in here again for a quick drink, much as we did this night, when spending an evening among the arches of Bethnal Green. A lot of cocktail bars are the sorts of places that you would save for a special occasion but this just felt like a bar that happened to serve cocktails, and that is not meant as a criticism. jaminaward.wixsite.com

  April 13, 2015, 7:27 pm

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• Matt The List

  CCC’s neon sign drew us in to their attractive bar which was sadly rather empty compared to the buzzing Mother Kelly’s & Mission a few arches down. The upside though was full attention from the friendly staff, starting with a quick tour of the site.I should explain – Craft Cocktail Co is no ordinary cocktail bar. Hidden round the back is their own little factory for creating large batches of cocktails. These are either bottled (to be sent away to festivals, sold for takeaway on site, or opened and served up for punters), or put through draft lines to be served in pint glasses on tap.And so we went round to look at the process with words like vats and pasteurisation being thrown around – not necessarily what you want to hear when talking about making cocktails but there you go. Then we moved back to the bar, and were kindly offered samples of all of the pre-made cocktails – much like getting tasters in a pub which I approve, especially if you are going to buy a pint of the stuff.Here’s what we tried:Sparkling Bottled Cocktails:The Southern Fairy – Petit Pois infused Gin, Lincolnshire Elderflower, Hand-Pressed Lemon Juice and Russet Apple JuiceSunset Boulevard – Craft In-House Gin, Aperol Aperitif Liqueur, Blood Orange Juice, Hand-Pressed Lemon Juice and Acacia HoneyLavender Paloma – 100% Agave Tequila, Hand-Pressed Pink Grapefruit Juice, English Lavender, With a subtle touch of Juniper and FennelGeisha – Craft In-House Gin, Rose Water, Hand-Pressed Lemon Juice, Lychee and a hint of RaspberryCult Classic – Craft In-House Amaretto Liqueur, Black Cherry and Hand-Pressed Lemon JuiceDraft:Alcoholic Ginger Beer – Hand-pressed ginger, Raw unrefined cane sugar and a touch of citrus to balanceHard Iced Tea – Lots of cardamom… can’t quite remember the rest!Hot Blooded Mary – Craft in-house vodka infused with Kashmiri chilli peppers, tomato passata, Henderson Yorkshire Relish and smoked TabascoSummer Fruit Cup – In-house Craft Gin, Antica Formula Vermouth, Merlot Triple Sec, Angostura Bitter, Raspberry , Blackberry, Hand-pressed lemon juice and hand pressed gingerFor me, they are were all lacking one thing. Alcohol. Or rather, the taste of it. They were all perfectly drinkable, but not very adventurous, with rather uninspiring base spirits. The slightly more exciting drinks with the likes of Petits Pois infused gin, Lavender and Rose Water failed to sparkle. I hope that they will continue to tweak the recipes and create a few more challenging concoctions, as they’ve got such a great setup. 18 year old me would probably absolutely love it, 6 for an easy-drinking pint of Alcoholic Ginger Beer (effectively a giant Moscow Mule) or Summer Fruit Cup (Pimm’s alternative), but now I’m in my early-mid-late twenties, I go for quality not quantity.In the meantime, you are best off going from the classic cocktails list that includes Negronis, Martinis, Old Fashioneds and Sazeracs. These are made to order by the barmen, though I believe they intend to bottle these too, which would be more up my street. There are also top local beers from Redchurch and Hackney Brewery in the fridge.It’s clearly a work in progress, and I would love to see them succeed as they are trying to do something different. It could be a fantastic place to hangout, especially with the rest of the Paradise Row dream team nearby, but for the moment it is a little disappointing and the house cocktails need a lot of work. When the competition is Peg + Patriot and Satan’s Whiskers, you really have to raise your game. mattthelist.com

  December 15, 2014, 4:38 pm

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