Taste The Orient - ON IN LONDON

Taste The Orient has arrived in London, and after visiting a handful of the 45 participating bars, I’m genuinely impressed. It’s a week‑long celebration (22–28 June) of Asian flavours, craft and culture.

Created by The Orientalist Spirits and the team behind London Cocktail Week — Hannah Sharman‑Cox and Siobhán Payne — the festival works differently: no tickets, no wristbands. You explore at your own pace, whether that’s one venue, five or all 45. Each bar creates its own Signature Serve using The Orientalist Spirits, with its own price point and opening hours.

The Orientalist Spirits — founded by Michel Lu after travelling six thousand miles across Asia — is the world’s first premium pan‑Asian craft spirits house. Each expression is rooted in place and tradition, for example Tibetan barley, Taiwanese honey, Siberian ginseng and regional teas shape the flavour profiles. The range spans triple‑blended Origins Vodka, a 23‑botanical Gunpowder Gin, solera‑aged rum and Dragon Whisky, which draws on Japanese, Taiwanese and Indian whisky traditions. It’s a portfolio built for sipping or mixing — and a perfect match for a festival celebrating Asia’s depth and diversity.

I started my journey at Experimental Cocktail Club, where I went for the Mangosteen Fizz (£13) — Origins Vodka and Gunpowder Gin with mangosteen purée, coconut rum, lemon and egg white. It was exactly like the description- light, fluffy and refreshing. I was seriously tempted by the tropical Red Meridian (a twist on the classic Hurricane using mango, passionfruit, fresh lime and a fiery hit of Naga chilli, £12). I was skeptical of the umami‑rich Black Forest Manhattan (The Orientalist 12 Year Old Dragon Whisky infused with shiitake mushrooms-£14) as I’m not a mushroom fan, but was pleasantly surprised when I had a few sips. We also tasted the spirits neat — which really showed how they anchor each drink.

At Dim Sum Library, I had their full pairing: the Steam & Spirit (£15), served steaming from a bamboo basket alongside their Dan Dan Xiao Long Bao. Here The Orientalist Imperial Solera Rum is infused with pandan then blended with salted caramel, maple syrup and crème de figue. Easily the most theatrical serve of the night. We also ordered a few dishes to share, from sweet, golden barbecue pork buns to delicate prawn dumplings, which was a great way to opportunity to explore even more Asian‑inspired flavours.

We ended at Archive & Myth, where I tried both cocktails. The Pickle Rickey (£16) is made with Orientalist Gunpowder Gin, dill pickle brine, Granny Smith apple juice and Midori. The Pickle Rickey (£16) — Gunpowder Gin with dill pickle brine, clarified apple and Midori — took a few sips to settle into, but grew on me. The Rising Star Martini (£16), a frozen twist on a Pornstar Martini with passion fruit, milk‑oolong vanilla and torched coconut meringue, was the most dessert‑like drink of the evening and a brilliant finale. Or so we thought until we were surprised with icecream with Parmesan shavings!

Together they summed up what the festival does best: bold flavours, unexpected ingredients and drinks that genuinely surprise you.

What I loved is how the festival champions‑owned, Asian‑led and Asia‑rooted venues, from big names like GONG and Hakkasan to hidden gems like Opium and Bar Lotus. Some of the cocktails include:

Martinez, Bar Lotus (£15): a reworked Martinez using house vermouth made with traditional Chinese medicinal botanicals.
Meadow & Woodland Flights, Kioku by Endo (£30): two kaiseki‑style three‑drink flights featuring seasonal Japanese ingredients like katsuobushi.
Omija Tea Collins, Lucy Wong (£12): a gin cocktail built on Korean omija tea, served with pork and prawn siu mai.
Citrus Ritual, Opium (£15): a yuzu gin sour finished tableside with freshly grated Buddha’s Hand.
Pomelo Negroni, Sexy Fish (£10): bartender of the year Sam Page’s gin‑forward twist with pomelo cordial, shiso distillate and sous‑vide sansho peppercorns for citrus‑pepper complexity.

For a full line-up of participating venues please see the official website.

Website: https://www.tastetheorient.com/home

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/orientalistspirits

https://www.instagram.com/londoncocktailweekofficial

#TasteTheOrient