Secret location of Pocket Square
If you didn’t know it was here, you’d probably walk past. Only two minutes from Aldgate East Tube, this new bar is on the rooftop of the Hyatt hotel, with the mouthful of a name: Hyatt Place London City East. Just take the lift to the top.
The bar is new and stylish, pleasingly filled with modern art by local artists. A big feature of the bar – apart from the well-mixed cocktails – are the far-reaching views of the City. I had won a cocktail masterclass lesson as a prize, so I dragged my surprisingly willing husband along to check it out.
Our masterclass in cocktails
Jan Luca was our amiable host. He kicked off with the history of spirits, which was fascinating and not a bit boring. He kept upping our interest by asking us questions. Although we both thought we knew a lot about cocktails, it transpired we actually know very little, apart from how to drink them.
We covered the globe, from Russia to France and The Colonies to the States and Mexico. I helped to make a non-alcoholic cocktail with raspberry vinegar and fresh cherries. We learned how to measure, jiggle the cocktail shaker correctly and pour properly. Our attempts were pretty good but imagine doing it at speed in a busy bar, which is what Jan Luca does. Paul learned to make a Cocoa Negroni. He wasn’t sure if he liked it, so had to make another one to check.
Conclusion
All in all, it was a fun late afternoon activity and set us up nicely for our planned celebration meal later. As we were finishing, the first punters started to arrive to enjoy an after-work treat.
Booking information: The Cocktail Masterclass runs from 3pm most days (not Sun or Mon). It lasts about ninety minutes, includes two cocktails each and costs £100. Ask for a quote for more people.
Disclosure: I was hosted by Hyatt Place London City East.