Where to Find Pan-Asian Cocktails in London (and How to Make a Pandan Negroni at Home)

Want to taste London’s Asian-inflected cocktail scene — fast? Start here.

If you’re travelling to London and short on time (or staying in an Airbnb and missing a proper cocktail bar), you’re not alone. Finding up-to-date bar recommendations, understanding nightly logistics, and figuring out how to reproduce a restaurant-level cocktail in a tiny kitchen are common pain points. This guide solves all three: a curated Shoreditch-centric bar crawl that highlights the best places serving Asian cocktails in London — led by Bun House Disco’s much-talked-about pandan negroni — plus a compact, traveller-friendly recipe you can make in an apartment or Airbnb.

The evolution of Asian cocktails in London — why 2026 is different

By 2026 the London cocktail scene has moved past tokenised ingredients and one-off gimmicks. Late-2025 menus and early-2026 pop-ups show a maturing trend: bartenders are blending traditional Asian flavours (pandan, yuzu, shōchū, baijiu) with European techniques and sustainability standards. Expect:

• Fermentation and terroir: house-made rice spirits, fermented shrub bases and small-batch rice gin are more common.
• Lower-ABV and no/low options that use Asian botanicals for depth without heavy alcohol.
• Ingredient transparency — menus now note origin and production methods (rice gins, artisanal shōchū, locally foraged yuzu).
• Pop-ups and collaborative residencies — established bars hosting pan-Asian guest bartenders, especially in Shoreditch and Soho. If you’re tracking the lifecycle from short events to long-term spaces, see From Pop-Up to Permanent: Converting Hype Events into Neighborhood Anchors.

These shifts make London a prime city for travellers who want authentic Asian-inflected mixology — not just gimmicks.

Bar-crawl roadmap: a 3–4 hour Shoreditch + nearby route (walking + short rides)

Focus: modern pan-Asian flavours, small-batch rice spirits, and playful takes on classics. Start at Bun House Disco and weave eastwards. This crawl is optimized for travellers: minimal tube changes, easy walking, and Airbnbs nearby.

How to use this crawl

• Plan for 3–4 hours: 20–40 minutes per stop, plus travel and a snack.
• Book ahead where possible — many London bars now use timed booking windows to reduce queues.
• Respect Airbnb rules: no loud groups, clean as you go, and check local transport after midnight.

Stop 1 — Bun House Disco (Shoreditch)

Why go: Their pandan negroni put pandan-forward cocktails on many radars. Bun House Disco channels 1980s Hong Kong late-night energy with rice gin, Chinese spices and playful presentation.

“Pandan leaf brings fragrant southern Asian sweetness to a mix of rice gin, white vermouth and green chartreuse.” — Bun House Disco recipe as published (adapted).

Tip: order the pandan negroni first — it’s a great benchmark for flavour balance. If they’ve got a rice gin or house-infused bottling, ask to taste a small measure to appreciate the base spirit.

Stop 2 — Izakaya-style or Japanese cocktail bar (nearby)

Shoreditch and nearby Hoxton have several small bars with clean, sake- and shōchū-forward cocktails. Look for bars that list shōchū, umeshu and yuzu — these give a bright contrast to pandan’s roundness. Many of these spots also offer sharing plates, which are perfect for a mini-food crawl.

Stop 3 — Southeast Asian-inspired cocktail room

Seek out bars with Thai, Vietnamese or Malaysian tasting notes: tamarind, lime leaf, gula melaka, fresh herbs and aromatic chiles. These places often compost kitchen waste and highlight sustainable sourcing — a 2025/26 trend that’s reshaping menus.

Stop 4 — Modern Chinese or pan-Asian restaurants with drinks focus

Many modern Chinese restaurants now run full cocktail programmes that pair to dim sum and roasted meats. If you want to keep the night efficient, split a snack and try a signature cocktail made with baijiu or rice spirit.

Stop 5 — A late-night speakeasy or pop-up

Check local listings (Time Out, resident Instagram pages) for rotating pop-ups. Since 2024, pop-ups have been a reliable way to discover rising bartenders experimenting with regional Chinese and Southeast Asian recipes — and if you’re curious how small events turn into anchors and sustained neighbourhood programming, read micro-event monetization playbooks and the pop-up conversion guide above.

Exact logistics & timing (traveller-friendly)

• Start: 7:00–8:00pm at Bun House Disco to avoid peak queues.
• Walking + short rides: most stops are within a 10–25 minute walk of each other in Shoreditch/Hoxton; use short TfL bus rides if weather is poor.
• Night transport: by 2026 the Night Tube and extended weekend services are more consistent than in the pandemic years — still double-check TfL updates for strike days or maintenance. For how micro-events and demand patterns interact with transport schedules, see How Micro-Events Reshape Demand.

How to order and what to ask for — bartender-friendly language

Ask for the base spirit first: “Do you have rice gin / shōchū / baijiu?” If you’re curious about pandan flavours but don’t want something too sweet, ask for profile guidance: “I like dry, herbal drinks with a hint of tropical leaf — can you recommend?”

Use these quick phrases:

• “Is the gin house-infused or commercial?”
• “What’s your low-ABV pandan or yuzu option?”
• “Can you pair that with a small plate?”

Beyond Shoreditch: other London neighbourhoods to explore

While Shoreditch is a hotspot for edgy experimentation, central London and Southbank offer large-scale examples and refined takes. Look in Soho for intimate cocktail dens, Southbank for design-forward bars that highlight craft rice spirits, and Chinatown for late-night, food-focused drinks. Always check recent reviews — the 2025/26 bar scene moves fast with residencies and seasonal menus.

Make a Pandan Negroni in an apartment or Airbnb — traveller-friendly recipe

This recipe is adapted from Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni (Linus Leung) and tuned for small kitchens and limited gear. It uses simple gear, substitutes for hard-to-find bottles, and a no-blender option.

What you need (apartment-friendly kit)

• Measuring jigger or two shot glasses (25ml and 15ml)
• Fine strainer or a clean tea towel / coffee filter (for fine straining)
• Short tumbler or rocks glass + large ice cubes if available
• Small bottle (200–350ml) to make pandan-infused gin ahead
• Fresh pandan leaf (available at Asian grocery markets in London) or 3–6 drops pandan extract as fallback

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 25ml pandan-infused gin (recipe below)
• 15ml white vermouth (if you only have dry vermouth, that’s fine)
• 15ml green Chartreuse (if unavailable: 10ml herbal liqueur + 5ml absinthe or 5ml Benedictine works in a pinch)
• Large ice cube(s)
• Optional garnish: pandan leaf or orange twist

Pandan-infused gin — two easy methods (20–60 minutes active time)

Method A — quick-blend (if you have a small blender):

1. Trim a 10g piece of fresh pandan leaf (green part only). Chop roughly.
2. Place pandan and 175ml gin (rice gin is ideal; standard London dry is fine too) in a small blender. Blitz for 15–20 seconds.
3. Strain through a fine sieve lined with a coffee filter or muslin. Let sit 10–15 minutes for the green oil to settle, then decant into a bottle. Use within 2–3 days for freshest aroma.

Method B — no-blender cold infusion (best if you need to make this in a rush without equipment):

1. Bruise the pandan leaf with the back of a spoon, roll it up and stuff it into 175ml gin.
2. Seal the bottle and leave for 1–2 hours at room temperature, gently rotating every 20–30 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter. This gives a softer pandan lift.

Notes: if fresh pandan is impossible to source, use 3–6 drops of pandan extract and let it rest 10 minutes. Reduce extract if you prefer subtler notes.

Build the Pandan Negroni

1. Measure 25ml pandan-infused gin, 15ml white vermouth and 15ml green Chartreuse into a mixing glass or directly into your rocks glass.
2. Stir with ice for 20–30 seconds (or shake briefly for a slightly colder, more diluted finish).
3. Strain into a tumbler over a large ice cube. Garnish with a pandan leaf or an orange twist. Sip slowly — pandan is aromatic and lingers.

Substitutions and scaling

• If you can’t find green Chartreuse: try a blend of 10ml herbal liqueur (e.g., Benedictine) + 5ml anise-forward spirit.
• For vegans or if you can’t get pandan, use a splash of yuzu + pandan extract or a lemongrass syrup to echo the herbaceous edge.
• To make a batch for 4: multiply ingredients by 4 and infuse pandan in 700ml gin. Keep refrigerated and use within 3–4 days.

Practical safety & etiquette for cooking and mixing in a short-term rental

• Check your Airbnb rules about hosting and noise — many listings explicitly prohibit parties.
• No open flames: if the kitchen isn’t well-ventilated, avoid flambé or torching garnishes.
• Clean as you go: most hosts appreciate minimal mess. Dispose of strained pandan leaves with food waste where possible.
• Travel with essentials: a pocket jigger, small silicone funnel, spare coffee filter, and a micro-mesh strainer fold flat in luggage and are useful for cocktailing on the road; for compact kit ideas see the traveller gear roundups linked in our related reading.

Where to buy ingredients in London (2026 notes)

Shoreditch and East London host several excellent Asian grocery stores and markets where you can find fresh pandan leaf, bottled rice gin and pandan extract. Since late 2025 more neighbourhood delis and speciality spirits shops stock small-batch rice gins and shōchū. Ask staff for freshness dates and origin (it matters for pandan aroma!). For finding markets and community-sourced listings, community discovery tools can help — see resources on neighbourhood discovery and community calendars.

Advanced traveller tips and mixology travel hacks

• Pack a foldable jigger and small Boston shaker lid — they don’t take luggage space and make cocktailing simple.
• Use local markets to source leaves and fresh herbs — they’ll be cheaper and fresher than supermarket substitutes.
• Follow bartenders on social — many announce residencies and pop-ups on Instagram; and if you’re documenting or monetizing those short clips, the creator income guides can help (Turn Your Short Videos into Income).
• Use timing to your advantage — arrive just before last orders if you prefer a quiet bar; otherwise, book for prime time to secure a table.
• Take notes — snap the menu and jot the ratios; London’s cocktail scene evolves quickly and you’ll want to recreate winning combos back home. If you’re building a personal map or recommender, consider lightweight micro-app approaches (Build a Micro Restaurant Recommender).

Final takeaways

• Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni is a practical introduction to pan-Asian mixology — bright, fragrant and a perfect gateway for travellers.
• 2026 trends favour sustainable sourcing, fermented bases and lower-ABV creativity — ask bartenders about origin stories and waste-reduction practices.
• You can recreate a credible pandan negroni in an Airbnb with minimal tools: fresh pandan, a gin, vermouth, Chartreuse (or a substitute) and a fine strainer.

Call to action

Try the pandan negroni tonight and tag your shot with #PandanNegroniLDN — we’ll feature the best photos and the most inventive home adaptations in our next newsletter. Want a downloadable Shoreditch bar-crawl map and a printable pantry checklist for apartment mixology? Sign up to our newsletter or drop your email below to get the free PDF — curated for travellers and night owls who want authentic Asian cocktails in London. If you’re mapping or curating neighbourhood listings, the micro-restaurant recommender and community-calendar tools linked below are good starting points.

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