Drink London: The 100 Best Bars and Pubs

Whether it’s a recipe book (of sorts) like Polpo, which perfectly portrays the soul of Venetian cuisine - or Hamburger America, which somehow turns a roadmap of ‘mom ‘n pop’ burger joints into a genuinely touching account of changing America - a really great food or drink book has a feeling to it, a point.

Drink London is one of those books.

What I really like about it is the imagery. Every photograph has a soft, intimate feel to it that is almost surreptitious – as if shot through a documentary film maker’s eye.

The book has the difficult task of weaving its way through the many types of watering holes that a city as diverse as London is bound to have, but it manages to keep a consistent feel to each entry and nothing feels forced or out of place.

From prohibition styled cocktail joints and swanky champagne bars to traditional London ale houses and craft beer mecca’s, all of the places it’s worth drinking in are covered well and shot in that consistent beautiful, soft-focus style.

Some descriptions could be slightly improved for the beer bars, and the drinks recommendations can be a little vague - “a pint of something dark” springs to mind – but overall it really is an excellent guide to the cities best places to drink.

Written with care and shot beautifully, Drink London is a coffee table book that is small enough to fit in your coat pocket, yet has a scope and diversity that is equally ambitious and well executed.

Very much recommended.