We’ve highlighted a selection of our favourites for summer below, all of which provide an insight into London’s history, diversity and creativity – as well as refreshment!

SW4 London Dry Gin and Tonic: Graphic Bar, Golden Square
London may have a chequered history when it comes to gin consumption, but there is something of a renaissance happening at present and you have lots of fantastic, independent London-made gins to choose from. Try Clapham-made SW4 gin at Graphic Bar in Soho, which is excellent in a G&T.

Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew: The Hawksmoor, various locations
For anyone that likes ginger beer, this refreshing grown-up version is an absolute delight. A mix of gin, ginger syrup, lemon juice and London Pride, it was invented by “Shaky Pete” – the Hawksmoor‘s bartender par excellence – and will have you fizzing at any time of day.

Ocho Curado Tequila: La Perla, Covent Garden
Tequila may not seem like the most obvious choice for London summer drinking, but then Ocho Curado might just change your entire perception of the drink. Produced by Tomas Estes, the man behind London’s popular Café Pacifico chain, Ocho Curado is made by infusing Estes’ own Ochotequila with cooked agave. This results in a delicious, sweet and complex drink that is perfect to sip on its own – leave your salt and lime at home and head down to La Perla to find out for yourself!

Sipsmith Summer Cup: National Theatre Propstore
This modern version of a traditional English fruit “cup” – usually a flavoursome gin-based spirit designed to be mixed with a soft drink – is produced in Hammersmith at the acclaimed Sipsmith distillery. As it is packed with summery fruits and flavours, it inevitably attracts comparison with Pimm’s, but is well worth savouring in its own right on a sunny day. The National Theatre‘s playful riverside pop-up, Propstore, is a great venue in which to do so.

Meantime London Pale Ale: The Old Brewery, Greenwich
You can’t go wrong with a cool beer on a hot day, and if you head to the Old Brewery in Greenwich you’ll get an extensive history lesson along with your pint. Not only is it located in the beautiful surroundings of The Old Royal Naval College, but its well-stocked bar allows you to sample a range of different beer styles from the Meantime Brewery. Many of these, including Pale Ale, have been drunk by Londoners for hundreds of years.

Do you have any other favourite London tipples to add to our list? Let us know in the comments below…

It took two years for Sipsmith to obtain permission to set up their distillery in London. The licence, issued on 9 December 2008, looks more like an Etsy invoice than the grand, gold-embossed affair you might expect to honour the fact that this is London’s first copper distillery in nearly 200 years. But no matter, one year on and 9,00 bottles of lovingly produced London dry gin and barley vodka later, Sipsmith founders Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall are upbeat and enthusiastic.

This morning’s sparkling weather made for a pleasant journey from VL Towers to Hammersmith. The copper still, named “Prudence”, is housed in a garage with perfect pedigree – it was originally a microbrewery for a local pub, then home to beer and wine writer Michael Jackson. The weather wasn’t the only thing sparkling; my tour coincided with cleaning time and, as Sam and Fairfax shared the Sipsmith story with me, I watched Prudence go from the deep auburn she turns after a batch is made to a georgeous, gleaming pinky-gold.

The two friends’ idea for Sipsmith germinated in the US, where they were both living and working in the drinks industry, and where the trend for small artisanal distilleries is well established. Inspired to do something similar, a mutual love of London, and gin, sealed the deal. While waiting for that licence, the two commissioned their copper still from a German family firm that has been making them for generations. Each one is different but Sam says, naturally, Sipsmith’s is the best. In fact, the “swan” pipe – a crucial part of the machinery – was the inspiration for Sipsmith’s swan logo.

Sipsmith claims its flavours are particularly fine because they make it with a one-shot process that doesn’t require re-filtering or diluting the spirit with anything except pure water from the source of the Thames. And of each batch made, only the finest “heart” section of the spirit is used (read londonist’s explanation of the process).

Spirits before noon are generally a no-no, but Sam and Fairfax’s passion and excitement about their product meant I couldn’t resist trying it. First, the vodka, which is a lot more flavoursome than most, smooth and doesn’t burn. Then it was the London Dry Gin — with a lovely “proper gin” nose of juniper and citrus, it was absolutely lovely, rounded and with a pleasant, lingering aftertaste.

London is the inspiration and gin is the spirit of London, so to speak. The whole ethos of Sipsmith swirls around both the London of yesterday and the city of today. It’s a new brand that draws on the oldest traditions of gin-making. A product that’s sophisticated, yet neighbourly (a local wine shop sold more than 1,000 bottles),  made with the old-fashioned, yet thoroughly modern concept of hand-crafting something fine, and supporting local produce and producers.

It may have taken a few years to get here, but Sipsmith feels, and tastes, exactly right right now. Cheers!