London cocktail bars: Satan’s Whiskers voted number one cocktail bar in the UK in top awards

Satan’s Whiskers, located in Bethnal Green, has been voted the number one cocktail bar in the UK in this year’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars, sponsored by Franklin & Sons. The unassuming cocktail bar has jumped up four places from last year, serving up its ever changing cocktails to its loyal customers for over a decade.

Satan’s Whiskers changes its cocktail menu on a daily basis, with a focus on exceptional classic cocktails with a twist. Tripadvisor reviews rave about the quirky cocktail bar, with one reviewer stating it’s their “favourite bar in London”, while others claim that it’s the “best spot in town to have fun”.

London dominates this year’s list with 23 bars in the Top 50 spots including the highest new entrant Soma, based in Soho in London. This modern and minimalist cocktail bar serves up Indian influenced cocktails and is set around a magnificent sleek stainless-steel island where bartenders shake up drinks all evening.

In third is Tayēr + Elementary, based in East-London. Established in 2019 and set up in two parts, Elementary serves up classic cocktails from a draught system and Tayēr is where the theatre of bartending takes form, with a menu of drinks that focus on seasonality.

Outside of the capital, last year’s winner, Cardiff’s Lab-22 just missed out on the top spot. The standout bar is known for its innovative and daring cocktail menu.

Yorkshire claimed five of the Top 50 spots including Public in Sheffield. Scotland also secured five spots on the 2023 list, with Panda & Sons, a prohibition-style speakeasy set in Edinburgh – coming in at number six on the list.

Chris Lowe, publisher of Top 50 Cocktail Bars, said: “Whilst London continues to dominate this year’s list, it is very exciting to see other major cities across the UK make their mark. The ever-growing interest in cocktails and bartending within the UK means we are spoilt for choice on where to go, and this list allows for the best of the UK bar scene to have a spotlight placed on them – and for consumers to find these hidden gems.”

The Top 50 Cocktail Bars in 2023

1. Satan’s Whiskers, Bethnal Green, London 
2.  Lab 22, Cardiff 
3. Tayēr + Elementary, Shoreditch, London  
4. SCHOFIELD’S BAR, Manchester 
5. Swift, Soho, London
6.  Panda & Sons, Edinburgh 
7. Three Sheets, Dalston, London  
8. Speak in Code, Manchester 
9. Bar with Shapes for a Name, Hackney, London  
10. The Connaught, Mayfair, London 
11. Little Mercies, Crouch End, London 
12. Couch, Birmingham 
13. Bramble, Edinburgh 
14. The Pineapple Club, Birmingham 
15. Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth  
16. Disrepute, Soho, London 
17. Artesian, Oxford Circus, London 
18. Hideout, Bath 
19. Nightjar, Shoreditch, London 
20. Present Company, Liverpool 
21. Publiq, South Kensington, London  
22. Scarfes Bar, Holborn, London  
23. Lyaness, South Bank, London 
24. Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum, Chinatown, London  
25. The Absent Ear, Glasgow 
26. Happiness Forgets, Hoxton, London  
27. Hey Palu, Edinburgh 
28. Filthy XIII, Bristol 
29. Homeboy, Islington, London 
30. Soma, Soho, London 
31. Coupette, Bethnal Green, London
32. Passing Fancies, Birmingham 
33. Bar Termini, Soho, London 
34. Seed Library, Shoreditch, London 
35. Murder Inc, Soho, London 
36. Penny Royal, Cardiff 
37. Callooh Callay, Shoreditch, London 
38. Silverleaf, Liverpool St, London 
39. Public, Sheffield 
40. Fox & Chance, Birmingham 
41. Blinker, Manchester 
42. Below Stairs, Leeds  
43. Milk Thistle, Bristol 
44. Gungho!, Brighton 
45. Hedonist, Leeds 
46. Amaro, Kensington, London 
47. Cottonmouth, Nottingham 
48. Tabula Rasa, Leeds 
49. Lunar, Glasgow 
50. Bench, Sheffield