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Slideshow
Top 10 London Alpine bars
With a trend for aprés ski-themed bars currently sweeping the capital, we round up some of the best spots for hot cheese fondues and winter warmer cocktails.
The thirst for alpine bars seems to have sprung up from nowhere with London now awash with watering holes adorned with antlers, fur rugs and steaming mugs of mulled wine.
Pop ups prepping hot cheese fondues, mulled cider and Schnapps are springing up at a rate of knots.
So give the frosty Christmas markets a swerve this year and get a taste for the Alps at one of London’s most seasonal aprés ski cabins.
Click through for our pick of the best…
Valhalla Vodka Bar at Skylounge
Overlooking Tower Bridge, The Shard and The Gherkin, the Valhala Vodka bar has taken up residence at Skylounge at the DoubleTree Hilton in Tower Hill for the winter. A cosy, wooden-clad retreat, Valhalla offers weary city-dwellers vodka cocktails and Scandi-style food befitting of its Viking theme. Bespoke winter cocktails (with authentic Viking names) have been developed by Snow Queen Vodka including the Glapsvidr, a fruity serve with Aperol, passion fruit puree and apple juice, and the Ginnarr, a blend of orgeat, lime juice, passion fruit and pineapple juice. It is open Wednesday to Sunday from 4.30pm until late until the end of January.
Skylounge, DoubleTree Hilton, 7 Pepys St, London, EC3N 4AF
Lodge d’Argent
Once again Coq d’Argent has mocked up its outdoor terrace to resemble a traditional French ski chalet complete with winter terrace. Located on a rooftop in The City, the bar is accessed via an elevator. Inside, the bar boasts vintage ski props, luxurious fur rugs and miniature polar bears tucked inside snow-globes. Dine on holiday favourites like tartiflette and cheese fondue while warming your hands with a glass of mulled wine. Lodge d’Argent will run throughout winter until the end of February.
No 1 Poultry, EC2, 020 7395 5000
St Moritz Restaurant
For those looking to experience the cuisine of Switzerland, then look no further than St Moritz. Despite its Soho location you will feel as if you have just stepped off the slopes dining on its bubbling cheese fondue among its cow bells and Swiss-chalet style décor.
161 Wardour Street, London, W1F 8WJ
The Ski Lodge at The Montague on the Gardens
The Ski Lodge at The Montague on the Gardens claims to be London’s “original ski lodge and winter party venue”. From mid-November the Garden Grill is transformed into a winter wonderland complete with with pine trees, falling snow, reindeer, snowmen, ski racks, piste maps, fairy lights and lanterns. Tuck into candied pecans, mulled wine, hot spiced cider and 12 different varieties of Scnapps while wrapping up in its luxurious wooly rugs.
The Montague on the Gardens, 15 Montague Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 5BJ
The Lodge, Balham
Jimmy Garcia of Jimmy’s Pop-Ups, is bringing a touch of the Alps to Balham this winter with The Lodge – a ski lodge-themed pop-up boasting communal fondue pots, venison burgers, pigeon and a mean Sunday roast. Announcing the project Jimmy said: “The Lodge will be serving up fondues, hot cocktails and a selection of our signature dishes, featuring pigeon, wild mushrooms, scallops and venison… all just a minute’s walk from Balham Station”. It will run Tuesday through to Sunday. Booking is recommended.
The Lodge, 9 Hildreth Street, London, SW12 9RQ
WigwamBam at Queen of Hoxton
The Queen of Hoxton has erected a giant teepee atop its roof to house its magical, woodland-themed Wigwam Bam pop-up this year. Indulge in a hot buttered rum or “egg snog” while perched on a upturned tree stump in a candlelit tent.
The Queen of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Rd, London, EC2A 3JX
Soho Ski and Rum Chalet at Floridita
Located in a Soho basement lies this Patagonian-inspired rum chalet pop-up – a secret world of mountain vistas, glowing fires and cosy rugs. Tucked away in a corner of Latin American hangout Floridita, it will run in the evenings until the end of February serving up “après-ski” empanadas, hot punch and a dangerously delicious rum-fuelled hot chocolate.
Floridita, 100 Wardour Street, London, W1F 0TN
Piste Bar
Archer Street in Soho has transformed its basement bar into an Apres Ski lodge for the festive season. Surrounded by reindeer skins, vintage ski’s and a cosy fireplace you will feel like you are in midst of the Swiss Alps’ snow-capped mountains.
3 – 4 Archer Street, W1D 7AP
Bodo’s Schloss
A renowned haunt for the well-heeled Chelsea crowd, Bodo’s Schloss is an underground club that provides all-year round aprés ski chic. Decked out as an Austrian ski lodge with its signature ski lift bobble booth, its Lederhosen-wearing staff will serve you traditional Austrian cuisine while its mixologists provide bespoke cocktails.
2a Kensington High Street, W8
Le Chalet at Selfridges
Located on Selfridges fifth floor, Le Chalet offers a candlelit sanctuary from the hustle of Oxford Street. Sip a glass of mulled wine while perusing its Alpine-inspired barbecue menu, served from its log cabin porch on the terrace, before indulging it its hot chocolate cocktail bar. Signature dishes include air dried beef baked raclette, Cornish crab served with pickled celeriac and Colman’s mustard and roasted pumpkin “hummus” chilli with parsnip crisps. It is open daily from 11 to 11pm.
Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London, W1A 1AB