There’s nowhere better to get Blitzed than Cahoots, the Underground-themed bar where the clocks stopped in 1946.
Hidden deep beneath the streets of Soho, an underground den invites scoundrels of all stripes to drink cocktails and dance along to swing music. The shadow of war has left Europe, and in Cahoots, rations are shared amongst friends, the liquor flows freely, and music fills every corner. With three separate bar areas for scallywags and rabble-rousers to explore, there’s plenty of room for a jolly old knees up here.
An air-raid shelter in a previous life, Cahoots pays homage to the Londoners forced to seek shelter underground during the Blitz. As in the 1940s, liquor will be handed round, and singalongs will take place in order to keep morale high. It’s perfect for dazzling dames and dapper gents, so we’ll see you there old bean.
The bar’s original and most iconic space is The Underground, a bar is modelled on a Bakerloo carriage. Fear not: you won’t be disembarking at Elephant & Castle, and unlike the real Bakerloo line, drinking is positively encouraged on board.
With rickety wooden escalators, wartime radio, and inspirational posters, Cahoots really does look rather spiffing. Honouring the stiff upper lip resourcefulness of wartime London, the drinks are served in tin cans, milk bottles, and whatever else will hold booze. Amongst them is the ‘Vera Lynn’, dedicated to the Forces Sweetheart herself, made with gin, elderflower, and ginger wine. Equally excellent (and pun-loving) cocktails include the ‘Sip For Victory’, made with Grey Goose vodka, lemon verbena liqueur, grapefruit and basil soda, and Rosie’s Riveter, where rosé gin meets vermouth, grape, lime, and pomegranate & hibiscus soda.
Elsewhere, Cahoots houses The Ticket Hall, which promises more “tipples & treats” along with an outdoor seating area on Kingly Street. Finally, you’ve got The Control Room, a speakeasy-style area that’s adorned with industrial equipment and old switchboards.
It’s an atmospheric spot, and also houses Cahoots’ very own escape room adventure: Bootlegger Breakout, which blends mind-scrambling challenges with cocktail-making. Looks like the police have cleared out the hooch overnight, and with the next delivery due any moment, you’re being roped in to help mix up a new batch, whilst solving tricky puzzles along the way.
Yes, it’s a risky business to be involved in, but let’s face it: from the moment you stepped through the door, you’re in Cahoots…
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Also published on Medium.