We know that getting away isn’t easy right now, so we’ve put together a blog series helping you to find your own little bit of paradise, right here in London. We’ve got plenty of suggestions, from eating and drinking like you’re on holiday through to entertaining your children and setting up the perfect alfresco dining spot in your garden: enough to make you take a look at your home with fresh eyes this summer.
In our previous blog post “How to eat like you’re on holiday”, we shared some of our favourite restaurants, cafes and delis across the city. We went from France to Spain and Japan to Malaysia, all whilst staying right here in London. Now- the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that we didn’t include what to drink with your meal. Grab your glass, we’re about to tell you where to get the best European pilsner, the smoothest new-world red and the most perfectly balanced negroni to enjoy right from the comfort of your own home.
Wines:
It would be naïve to think that you only drink wine whilst soaking up the sun abroad, but it’s certainly a different experience enjoying a glass of red or white on holiday. You’re often left to try something new– and while that may not go the way you hope– it’s always a chance to learn something new about your holiday destination. Just because you’re not travelling away too far this summer, it doesn’t mean that your taste buds can’t be transported to a faraway land… If you’re a North West London native, it’s likely you’ve visited The Salusbury Wine Store (Queen’s Park). The Salusbury sells a whole host of wines from around the world, along with a delicious range of antipasti ingredients to accompany your choice. For those south of the river, why not try Salon. Located just around the corner from our Brixton office, the restaurant and wine store are delivering a variety of cases (six bottles each) to south London and beyond– perfect for those looking to try something new.
If you’re attempting to recreate the Algarve in your back garden, why not pick up a bottle or two from Bar Douro (London Bridge), who deliver a wide range of Portuguese wines across London. They also do a great range of ports too if you’re looking for a dessert wine to finish off your main meal. Alternatively, for something a bit different, Newcomer Wines in Dalston has an excellent selection of wines from Austria and the surrounding countries. All wines are available with free delivery, so take a look at what they have to offer.
Another Brixton-based wine shop is Specialist Cellars– the perfect place to help create your antipodean evening from home. So why not pick up an Australian Chiraz or a New Zealand Riesling. Take a look at our blog on how to bring the beach to your garden, and recreate Bondi in Barnes this summer.
Beers:
Whilst we love to support the amazing local breweries popping up across London, how about trying something a bit more exotic this summer. A cold bottle of local lager while on holiday is one of life’s little treats- so why not try and recreate that moment at home in the summer sun.
Although their Balham and Tooting shops have been closed during lockdown, We Brought Beer has been supplying the beer aficionados of South London with a fantastic range of drinks on delivery. Their Balham shop is set to re-open in early July so do pop down and pick up a Belgian Blonde beer as a weekend treat. Alternatively, another great online bottle shop option is Seven Seasons in Hackney. They sell a wide variety of international beers from German lagers to Norwegian IPAs and everything in between. Both We Brought Beer and Seven Seasons also have a great selection of low ABV and alcohol-free beers if you’re looking for a lighter alternative.
Whilst Prague may not be an option for a short city break this summer, it doesn’t mean that you need to miss out on great Czech lager. Bohem Brewery in Tottenham was set up by two Czech ex-pats looking to bring their Bohemian lager to London. You can buy five or ten litre kegs on their online store– perfect for a summer BBQ. On the other hand, you can always try to recreate a weekend in Stockholm with a set of supplies from Nordic Bar. The Bermondsey-based establishment has a wide range of Swedish beers and snacks available on delivery.
Cocktails:
Whether it be something sweet by the pool in the late afternoon, something slightly more sophisticated in the hotel bar before dinner or something stronger to finish off a relaxing evening, cocktails will always be a favourite when on holiday. Now Stanley Tucci has reminded us all that we can make cocktails in our own homes this summer, but we wanted to delve into the options available.
Shaken or stirred, a pre-dinner favourite will always be the martini. As well as opening the Covent Garden bar on the 4th July, Dirty Martini has started their ‘at home’ delivery service– offering a bottle of one of five different options of their famous martinis on delivery. If a negroni on the Amalfi coast is more your style, you may want to visit www.sendanegroni.co.uk to have the classic cocktail delivered to your door. Similarly, you may be interested in the Skywalker Cocktail. Whilst not strictly a holiday drink per se, The Skywalker Cocktail is a fantastic initiative set up during lockdown by two London Bar Managers. All proceeds of the gin (or Seedlip)- based cocktail go to the Under One Sky charity supporting homeless people in London– a very worthy cause.
Unless you’ve got a fully stocked liquor cabinet, what you may be missing from that beach bar on holiday is the variety. If that is the case, we’d like to introduce you to Liberation cocktails. You can book liberation and their ‘Cocktail Cruiser’ van to visit your London home for 30-minutes of continuous cocktails. They have a range of classic drinks to choose from including Mojitos, Aperol Spritzes and Strawberry Daquiris.
We hope that this will have inspired you to make the most of staying in London by drinking like you’re on holiday this summer. If you’re looking for something to culinary options to match with your wines, beers or cocktails– take a look at our blog on “how to eat like you’re on holiday”.
Enjoyed this article? Head over to the Marsh & Parsons blog for more suggestions on bringing your summer holiday home. If you’re making the most of a summer in London, we want to see- tag us using @marshandparsons #mylittlebitofparadise
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