8 Unforgettable Drinking Experiences in London
London has no shortage of places to grab a cocktail. But if you’re looking for a night that feels like more than simply sitting at a table with a well-made drink, the capital has plenty of alternatives.
From secret prisons and Wild West saloons to Victorian adventures and subterranean cocktail dens, the best drinking experiences in London turn the act of going for drinks into the event itself. You might be asked to smuggle in contraband, solve a mystery, interact with actors or step into a completely different world – the choice of adventure is totally yours when you pick an immersive drinking experience over another night at the same old bars!
We’ve rounded up eight of the most memorable drinking experiences in London for anyone who wants their next night out to be a little less predictable…
1. Alcotraz, Shoreditch
If you’re looking for an immersive drinking experience in London that genuinely blurs the line between theatre and nightlife, start with Alcotraz.
Launched in 2017, Alcotraz has established itself as one of the UK’s best-known immersive cocktail experiences, with thousands of reviews from guests who’ve served their time inside its prison walls. Its Shoreditch venue, Cell Block Two-One-Two, isn’t simply a cocktail bar with a prison theme. The entire experience is built around the premise that you’ve been convicted and sent to prison, with you becoming part of the story from the moment you arrive.
The most unusual part is the BYOB concept, which is woven into the storyline itself. Rather than choosing a bottle from behind the bar, you’re instructed to smuggle your own spirit into the prison and keep it hidden from the Warden. Getting your contraband through the door can be part of the fun, but who knows – maybe there are crooked guards willing to help you out…
Once inside, your smuggled spirit is handed over to the inmate mixologists, who create a series of bespoke cocktails based on what you’ve brought. There’s no conventional cocktail menu to work your way through – instead, the drinks are created specifically for you and your personal tastes.
Sit back in the theatrical penitentiary set and let the story unfold around you, or get involved with the actors and mysteries and see how much trouble you can cause. This is what separates Alcotraz from a typical cocktail bar Shoreditch has to offer. You’re not simply drinking in a themed environment – you’re participating in an immersive theatre production where the cocktails, characters, setting and audience participation all work together. For anyone searching for the best drinking experiences in London, it’s difficult to find a more complete combination of cocktails, storytelling and interaction.
2. Hexmoor, Hackney Road
Hexmoor takes the concept of an immersive prison in a completely different direction. Instead of being locked up for ordinary crimes, guests are processed as inmates in a hidden fantasy prison where dark magic is strictly controlled.
The experience combines live actors, cinematic set design, magical special effects and three handcrafted cocktails or mocktails (included in the ticket price), which arrive as magical contraband potions during the story. Guests can interact with guards and inmates, investigate what’s happening inside the prison and work with their group to uncover hidden secrets.
It’s one of the more unusual interactive bars in London, particularly if you’re looking for something that feels closer to fantasy roleplaying and immersive theatre than a conventional night at the bar.
3. Cahoots Underground, Soho
Cahoots Underground – part of the Cahoots brand of 1940s-inspired London cocktail bars – takes its inspiration from post-war London and hides its cocktail bar beneath the streets of Soho in a set mimicking a disused tube station. This Underground-inspired setting features vintage tube carriages, ration books, bootleg spirits, period signage and a distinctly 1940s atmosphere, complete with tiled Northbound and Southbound platforms.
Its weekend events add another layer of interaction, from live music and black-market cocktail parties to Bootlegger Breakout, an experience combining escape-room-style puzzles with cocktail making. It’s a strong choice if you want themed bars in London with plenty of atmosphere but without committing to a full role-playing experience.
4. Mr Fogg’s Society of Exploration, Covent Garden
Mr Fogg’s takes guests into the eccentric Victorian world of fictional explorer Phileas J. Fogg, with richly decorated spaces, unusual cocktails and storytelling woven throughout the speakeasy-style experience.
The Society of Exploration in Covent Garden is particularly suited to anyone who likes their drinking experiences with a touch of theatricality. Its drinks menu draws inspiration from Fogg’s travels, whilst events such as Murder on the Fogg’s Express combine cocktails with an interactive murder mystery set aboard a Victorian train carriage.
It’s less immersive than a story-driven prison or fantasy experience, but you can enjoy imaginative cocktails and elaborate surroundings whilst deciding how deeply you want to get involved.
5. Avora, Shoreditch
What if your night out didn’t take place in London at all?
Avora begins in a laboratory hidden beneath Shoreditch before sending guests through a gateway to a bioluminescent alien world. You’re recruited for a research mission, issued a jumpsuit and introduced to a world of glowing forests, strange inhabitants and secrets that your employers aren’t necessarily telling you…
Three handcrafted cocktails or mocktails are incorporated into the journey, with each drink tied to a different stage of the experience. Live actors, theatrical sets, projection technology and the surrounding otherworldly environment make it feel considerably more like stepping into a film or book than just visiting a cocktail bar. The result is one of the more visually spectacular drinking experiences London has to offer, particularly for anyone who wants their drinks accompanied by a healthy dose of science fiction.
6. Moonshine Saloon, Houndsditch
For a drinking experience with a Wild West twist, head to Moonshine Saloon in Houndsditch and trade London’s streets for a secretive American frontier.
Guests become recruits in Clyde Cassidy’s bootlegging operation, with actors, games, Western attire and a fully themed saloon helping to create the atmosphere. Like Alcotraz, the experience has a BYOB element: smuggle in your own spirits and the barkeeps will transform it into three personalised cocktails using bitters, syrups, liqueurs and garnishes.
You can also try your luck at cards and dice whilst keeping an eye out for the Sheriff. The whole experience lasts around 1 hour 45 minutes, making it a particularly good choice for groups looking for a structured night out rather than simply booking a table somewhere.
7. The Lost Estate, London
If cocktails are only one part of what you’re looking for, The Lost Estate offers a more expansive form of immersive drinking and dining. Its productions combine live performance, music, elaborate sets, food and themed drinks to transport audiences into another period or fictional world.
Depending on the production, guests might find themselves surrounded by jazz-age glamour, Parisian cabaret or a festive Victorian setting. The experience is much longer and more theatrical than a conventional bar visit, making it a good option for celebrations or occasions where dinner and drinks need to become an entire evening.
8. The Cocktail Trading Co., Shoreditch
If you want your cocktails to be as memorable as the night itself, The Cocktail Trading Co. is one of Shoreditch’s most entertaining places to drink. Tucked away on Bethnal Green Road, this intimate bar has built its reputation around inventive cocktails, playful presentation and a willingness to do things a little differently.
The Cocktail Trading Co. puts serious thought into its concepts and flavours, with cocktails served in unusual vessels and elaborate presentations that make ordering a drink feel like an event in itself. The menu changes regularly, so there’s always something new to discover, whilst classics are available for anyone who’d rather keep things familiar.
For anyone exploring cocktail bars in Shoreditch or looking for unusual drinking experiences in London, The Cocktail Trading Co. is a strong choice if you want the cocktails themselves to be the focus of the evening.
Which drinking experience in London should you choose?
The best drinking experiences in London depend on how immersive you want your night to be. For a fully interactive theatrical experience where you’re part of the story, Alcotraz is the standout. Its combination of audience participation, live characters, a convincing prison set, bespoke cocktails and the unusual challenge of smuggling your own alcohol makes it much more than a themed bar.
Hexmoor and Avora offer similarly immersive experiences with completely different worlds, whilst Moonshine Saloon brings the same spirit of participation to a Wild West setting.
If you’d rather have cocktails alongside atmosphere and entertainment, Cahoots, The Cocktail Trading Co. and Mr Fogg’s offer a gentler approach. And for a full evening combining immersive theatre with food and drink, The Lost Estate is a great choice.
Ultimately, the best immersive drinking experiences are the ones where the drink isn’t the only thing you’re there for. When the setting, story, characters and cocktails all become part of the same experience, a night out becomes something you’ll truly remember.
FAQs
What are the best drinking experiences in London?
Some of the best drinking experiences in London include Alcotraz, Hexmoor, Avora, Moonshine Saloon, Cahoots and Mr Fogg’s. These venues combine cocktails with immersive theatre, themed environments, live entertainment or audience participation, offering something beyond a conventional night at a bar.
What is an immersive drinking experience?
An immersive drinking experience combines drinks with elements such as theatrical sets, live actors, storytelling, audience participation or interactive activities like puzzles and games. Rather than simply visiting a themed bar, guests become part of an environment or storyline whilst enjoying their cocktails.
What are the best immersive bars in London?
Alcotraz, Hexmoor, Moonshine Saloon and Avora are among London’s most fully immersive bars, each placing guests inside a fictional world with live actors, theatrical sets and cocktails woven into the experience. Cahoots and Mr Fogg’s, for example, offer a less story-driven approach to immersive drinking, relying on their themed, speakeasy-style atmospheres.
Do you have to bring your own alcohol to Alcotraz?
Yes. Alcotraz has a unique BYOB concept where guests bring their own spirit and attempt to smuggle it into the prison with the help of crooked guards. Once inside, inmate mixologists use the spirit to create bespoke cocktails based on the bottle you’ve brought and your tastes. Just don’t let the Warden catch you!
Are immersive drinking experiences suitable for groups?
Yes. Immersive drinking experiences are particularly popular for birthdays, hen and stag parties, team socials and other group occasions. Experiences such as Alcotraz, Hexmoor, Avora and Moonshine Saloon are designed around groups experiencing the story together, making them a more interactive alternative to a standard bar booking.