Famous drinks in London

Ten drinks that define how London presents itself on menus and in tourist and trade writing.

1. 1. London Dry gin

   Gin

   A protected production style: redistilled with botanicals, juniper forward, no flavour added after distillation except water and limited sweetening.

2. 2. Gin and tonic

   Highball

   The city's everyday mixed drink, now served with named gins, tonics, and garnishes.

3. 3. Pint of cask ale

   Beer

   Hand-pulled bitter or pale ale in traditional pubs, served cooler than cellar myth but warmer than lager.

4. 4. Lager pint

   Beer

   The volume leader in many London pubs, especially for after-work crowds.

5. 5. Martini

   Cocktail

   Hotel bars from The Savoy's American Bar onward made the Martini a London luxury pour.

6. 6. Pimm's Cup

   Cup

   Pimm's No. 1, lemonade, and fruit. A summer and sporting-event drink more than a nightclub drink.

7. 7. Scotch whisky

   Whisky

   Single malts and blends from Scotland dominate the whisky shelf even though they are not distilled in London.

8. 8. Port and sherry

   Fortified wine

   Older City dining rooms still pour them; cocktail bars use them in stirred drinks.

9. 9. English sparkling wine

   Wine

   Kent and Sussex bottles now sit beside Champagne on many London lists.

10. 10. Dark rum punch

    Cocktail

    A reminder of the city's port and colonial trade, revived in tiki and punch-house formats.