As the late-summer sun sets over Bedford Square Gardens and autumn settles across London, we look back on an exceptional August edition of Cocktails in the City.
Our August festival brought together top mixology talent, sun-soaked garden atmosphere, and thousands of guests under the trees. Across a lineup of 20 pop-up bars, three stands captured the crowd’s imagination and served the most drinks over the weekend.
Here is a review of the three most popular stands from August, celebrating the craft, spirits, and recipes that defined the late-summer garden.
STEAK & COMPANY WITH KETEL ONE VODKA
Taking the top spot for overall volume, West End favourite Steak & Company teamed up with Ketel One Vodka to deliver crisp, fruit-led serves tailored for warm outdoor afternoons.
Operating under a striped pavilion, the Steak & Company team brought central London dining flair into the garden setting. Crafted in copper pot stills by the Nolet family since 1691, Ketel One Vodka provided a smooth, refined base across their festival menu.
Featured Menu Highlights
Kiss Me Guava: A balanced, refreshing serve of Ketel One Vodka, lime, guava, rose, and foamer.
Sundial Pillar Slush: A chilled summer option combining Ketel One Citroen Vodka, passion fruit, lemon curd, vanilla, and soda.
LAKI KANE WITH CROSSFIRE HURRICANE RUM
Bringing tropical warmth and island spirit to the garden, Laki Kane ranked as our second most popular stand by volume, which is impressive as it was simply Georgi Radev on his own and seated throughout due to the low ceiling height of the very cool Hurricane Crossfire Rum truck.
Based on Oxford Street, Laki Kane is known for theatrical drinks and tropical flavour combinations. For the festival, they partnered with Crossfire Hurricane Rum—a small-batch Jamaican rum blended from four historic island distilleries. Served from their custom wooden truck, their vibrant rum cocktails proved an instant favourite throughout the weekend.
Featured Menu Highlights
Old Nutter: A complex rum cocktail blending Crossfire Hurricane Reserve Rum, Lillet Blanc, Laphroaig, amaro, Re’al Mango, Re’al Agave, and peanut butter.
OGNISKO BAR & RESTAURANT WITH KAVKA VODKA
Combining South Kensington heritage with traditional Polish distilling techniques, Ognisko Bar & Restaurant claimed third place in total volume served and is always in the top three thanks to their high energy and engaging bartending style combined with great drinks and a delicious vodka.
Ognisko showcased Kavka Vodka, a spirit produced using historic Polish methods that blend fine rye and wheat spirits with small quantities of pot-still apple and plum fruit spirits. Their botanical stand setup in the garden offered a ideal backdrop for sampling their signature serves.
Featured Menu Highlights
Kavka Passionfruit Martini: The stand’s most popular serve of the weekend, freshly shaken and poured over ice.
Kavka Pickle Martini: A savoury classic featuring Kavka Vodka, pickle juice, white vermouth, and orange bitters, garnished with cornichon and dill.
LOOKING AHEAD TO OUR NEXT SEASON
While the summer garden canopy has closed for the year, the bar talent and spirits featured at Cocktails in the City continue year-round across London.
We invite you to visit Steak & Company, Laki Kane, and Ognisko at their permanent London venues to experience their full cocktail menus firsthand.
