Present Company

Present Company is a cocktail bar and a pretty good one at that. Not only does it have the seal of approval from us lot here at Confidential Guides, but it came at number 20 in the UK’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2023 and in 2022 it made the final five in the GQ Bar of the Year Awards. Decent.

Despite the awards, Present Company isn’t snooty at all. In fact, quite the opposite. There’s a chasm between how down to earth the bar is and how out of this world the cocktails are. You don’t go to see and be seen. You do go for excellent drinks and a good time. There’s revelry, but it’s not raucous. Just really, really nice.

We love the Paddington Squared with Ford’s Gin, Italicus, Dry Vermouth, Grapefruit and – of course – marmalade. The Cinemascope with Martel V.S.Cognac, cherry wine, amaro, golden syrup, plum and vanilla is rather special too. In fact, they all are. It just depends what floats your cocktail boat.

Considering the quality of the cocktails, this spot is not overpriced. In fact, during happy hour, you can get two cocktails for £15.