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Short orders: Why London will be slamming shots this summer

Pocket rockets: above, Del74 in Clapton serves mezcal and tequila shots with chilli
Pocket rockets: above, Del74 in Clapton serves mezcal and tequila shots with chilli

In an age of being bombarded by information from all angles, there is a need to cut through the superfluity and get straight to the action. That means shots. If you have work the next day or need to get home to your family, frontload your evening so that you can leave early and be in bed at a sensible hour. With this in mind, we’re micro-dosing alcohol and super-charging our nights by drinking tiny glasses of spirits, sometimes following longer drinks or combined with coffee. So what sort of hot shot are you?

The tactical drinker

Master mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana can’t resist adding ingredients to shots. He thinks of them as mini-cocktails. When he opened his bar, White Lyan, he wanted shots “that still had the sense of camaraderie but didn’t get you loaded. People engage in them as they have the fun of a toast (even on a school night) without getting you messed up. It’s the speed and sense of community without worrying about outlay — buying a round of shots is collective fun that won’t break the bank.”

Felix Cohen, who runs Manhattans Project and new Hackney bar Every Cloud, is seeing a rise in lower ABV shots, like Giffard’s Menthe Pastille. “They aren’t too punishing; they can work as a palate cleanser or a quick way to get a sugar rush without having too much extra alcohol.” These drinks are popular on the north London dinner-party circuit, where executives have to pack in a whole night’s fun before they return to the babysitter.

Fully caffeinated

​Corretto is Italian for “corrected coffee” (not to be confused with a Cornetto). And the correction comes in the form of a shot. At Padella in Borough Market, you can have your espresso with Grappa or Sambuca. It’s the thinking Londoner’s way to have a hearty dinner then muster the energy for a night out — the combination of coffee and alcohol dispatches with any pasta and red wine-induced lethargy. If alcohol and caffeine have student-on-a-bender-with-an-energy-drink connotations, a sip of velvety coffee will sort that out.

Padella co-founder Jordan Frieda says the drink is inspired by waiters: “When I was a young waiter, if you worked a double shift you’d normally be flagging just before dinner service — a corretto would do wonders to put the smile back on your face. In Italy it’s not unknown to start the day with a corretto (or a brandy!) and it makes me smile when I see an old-timer point at the bottle of grappa at 7am.”

Firestarters

Del74 in Clapton serves potent shots. Cabrito Reposado tequila and El Recuerdo de Oaxaca mezcal don’t come with the traditional lime and salt but with a slice of orange and Del 74 chilli mix. Downing one instantly impresses but be cautious — the chilli is as punishing as the alcohol.

Drink clean

Pizza Pilgrims in Soho likes shots so much it has made its own — Pococello, a take on limoncello made with lemons from Amalfi. The restaurant’s founders say: “It’s a post-meal shot, served best in an ice-cold glass, ideally around four degrees celsius — cold enough for a palate cleanse yet above freezing to ensure the citrus shines.”

Scandi shots

Along with hygge and its successor, lagom, Scandinavia has brought us shots. No smorgasbord is complete without shots of Aquavit, a grain-based spirit, spiced with caraway, dill and fennel. It’s hardcore. Bronte Aurrell, owner of Scandi Kitchen, warns: “Take it easy,” says Aurrell. “Aquavit tends to get you drunk from the waist down, so take it easy. It also makes you sing Swedish songs (most people find they are fluent in Swedish after three shots.)” It’s served at the London branch of New York Nordic restaurant Aquavit.

Activity shots

The best way to enjoy golf? Add a few shots. At crazy golf club enterprise Swinger’s, in the City, whether you’re toasting success, commiserating failure or refuelling, shots are de rigueur. Chose from The Birdie: Ciroc pineapple, raspberry liqueur, lime and pineapple or Sex on the Green: Ketel One, raspberry purée and Red Bull Tropical. There’s also coffee or honey tequila.

At Queens Skate-Dine-Bowl in Bayswater you can tell how a game is going by looking at the drinks. Peak performance comes after a few shots and you’ll need more when it goes well. Try The Pipe Dream, devised by burger masters MeatLiquor

Hard chasers

Don’t go straight into getting the pints in — whet your whistle with a shot before your beer. Ladies and Gentleman in Kentish Town’s finest converted public toilet serves Boilermakers — that’s whisky then beer. There are also pickle backs, where you mix it with a shot of pickle juice after the whisky, to really shake off any cobwebs. The Royal Oak on Columbia Road, Bethnal Green, does a roaring trade in this briny classic. Little Bird in Maltby Street Market serves tequila with its pickle backs.

Post-meal shot: Pococello, served at Pizza Pilgrims
Post-meal shot: Pococello, served at Pizza Pilgrims

Posh shots

Pippa Middleton and the Duchess of Cambridge are partial to a Crack Baby, the signature shot of South Kensington haunt Boujis, passion-fruit juice, vodka and raspberry liqueur, topped off with more champagne. It’s the perfect tonic to a day looking after naughty page boys. Try Balans Soho Society’s take on it, a Porn Star Martini with a prosecco shot.

Shots of virtue

Shots don’t end on your night out, they just change format. The morning after, a quick release dash of virtue is called for — think turmeric and ginger shots with lemon.

This is a booze-free zone. The pocket rockets of super ingredients will make you feel as if you are taking anti-hangover action. Some bars even serve them alongside the stronger stuff, if you want to alternate drinks.