Bar: Happiness Forgets

It's not for nothing that I will venture into East London, but this drizzly Friday evening I did just that, to go to a bar that I had been hankering to try for a while. Happiness Forgets in Hoxton is a lovely little basement bar with very low lighting, pumping music, and great, great drinks. It has a certain speakeasy vibe that I really like, and is most similar out of the bars that I have been to to Satan's Whiskers over in Bethnal Green (another East London bar that I rate very highly).

Happiness Forgets is a great bar. The cocktail menu is not too slim but not too large (with around 10 listed), but the bartenders are knowledgeable enough to be able to whip you up something to meet your expectations. 

I had three drinks, the first of which was a Cinder sour (pictured above) based on whiskey with lemon and egg whites. It was a deliciously crisp and fruity drink served in a coupe glass, and really the type of drink I vibe with.

I then had something a bit different, a Garden Gimlet based on vodka with tomato and herbaceous notes, along with olive oil that set on the top of the very cold liquid. A savoury drink that was - again - not pulling any punches with regards flavour.

My final drink (for I needed to stop at 3 since my vision had started going awry) was at the behest of the bartender Keelan. I asked for something crisp and fruity, clean and not necessarily sparkling, giving Palomas and Penicillins as a reference. He recommended the Jimador's Remedy, similar to a Penicillin but with agave (pictured above). This was right on the money, gingery and sweet, with enough kick to tickle the back of your throat nicely.

For me, Happiness Forgets stacks up with the best of the London bars, fond as I am of the simplicity of the menu and the willingness of the bartenders to offer up something off-menu for a good price. I'd happily go back, and probably will at some point in the near future. Top tier.