The Metropolis

City Skills: The best places in London to drink alone

Mike Pollitt | Friday 17 February, 2012 15:06

_{Monet obviously took his hipflask with him. This is just how it looks after a couple of swigs}

Drinking alone is not for everyone. Those of a depressive or addictive personality might want to give it a miss. Those who secretly enjoy being maudlin for romantic effect however…well, you know who you are. Just don’t make a habit of it unless you’re an artistic genius. In which case do whatever the fuck you want.

The Sun, Drury Lane (recommended drink: pint of IPA)

This pub has three regulars who are great friends to the solitary drinker: decent ale, a big mirror, and live cricket on TV. The first and last of these are commonplace, their appeal self-explanatory. The mirror’s the real hook. For what is drinking alone but an opportunity for self-reflection? Sitting before the glass you watch your pint diminish in your hand, draining slowly and inevitably away like all your youthful hopes and dreams. You see yourself as you really are: an ape who’s evolved just far enough to recognise yourself drinking a pint in a pub on your own. That’s all there is. That’s all you are. What you do with this knowledge is up to you. I recommend you watch the cricket.

Fitzroy Tavern, Charlotte St (pint of sovereign)

You’re exactly like Dylan Thomas.

Hoxton Square (can of Red Stripe)

Watch the pretty young people form their reciprocal social bonds. Mock them for their interdependence. Envy them their swagger. It could be both better and worse – you could be one of them.

A boat, the Serpentine (white wine)

Who says drinking alone has to be depressing?! Sometimes you’ve done a job and done it well. Sometimes you did it all yourself. You need a moment to celebrate with all the people who made it possible: You. Relax, feel the breeze in your hair, the water on your finger tips. You did it. You’re the king of the world!

Charing Cross/Hungerford/Golden Jubilee Footbridge (hipflask – contents of your choice)

Halfway across Hungerford footbridge is located the precise centre of London. Not the geographical centre, or the administrative centre, the entertainment centre or the transportation centre. The real centre. Suspended above the Thames, with St Paul’s to the East, Westminster to the West, the arts to the South and the pubs to the North, here is where the essence of the city resides. Toast it. Toast the city from its own heart. Listen to the waves rise and fall, like cities do.

See also:
Five best places in London to break up with someone
Five useful phrases that mean you’ll never lose an argument again
Five charlatans, eccentrics or otherwise notable personages buried at Kensal Green

Picture – Charing Cross Bridge by Claude Monet from Wikimedia Commons

Follow Mike
Twitter: @MikPollitt
Email: michael.pollitt@snipelondon.com

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