CLASS

29/07/2026

Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown share their pick of the leanest season’s finest.

Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown share their pick of the leanest season’s finest. Bring on the flavours of afternoons spent sipping under a café...

21/07/2026

CLASS SUMMER EDITION - INTO THE WILD - LAUNCHES
Fronting our Summer edition of CLASS is Angelos Bafas, whose hyper local, ingredient-led cocktails, make him a modern architect of the British cocktail scene.

He says it was the industry’s cocktail homogeneity over recent years – and an increasingly narrow spectrum of flavours – that helped to define his style.

He’s not alone. There have been countless accounts in recent editions of CLASS that cocktail minimalism – the clarified, ungarnished, block ice serve – is now in retreat after a decade of dominance.

Bartenders are looking to make their drinks more visually expressive again but this is not a return to the baroque masterpieces of Marian Beke in his Nightjar heyday. It’s more so a signal of intentions – no longer is perfection sought by the removal of superfluous elements. Addition is the new subtraction.

This uniformity of taste and texture was also the inspiration behind Iain McPherson’s new densing technique which brings added mouthfeel to cocktails – something he demonstrates in this summer magazine.

Drinks writer Ellen Manning is also investigating a more layered approach to cocktail presentation – ‘plating’ isn’t just for restaurants she says.

It’s the height of summer so there’s a seasonal leaning to this edition too. Once again Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown sift through the earth to find the best of summer’s ingredients, while Clinton Cawood comes with the best seasonal drinks in bars right now.

Our pieces on bars see an emotional return for Monica Berg, who writes about the temporary closing of her Tayer + Elementary, while Satan’s Whiskers’ Kevin Armstrong pens a piece on the importance of ex*****on in drinks making.

This edition also includes the much-anticipated CLASS Report, our analysis of the products prized most at the UK’s Best Bars.
CLASS magazine will be back in autumn, but alas without Donna ‘the Donnanator’ Callaghan, who is off to pastures new after the best part of a decade.

As commercial director of CLASS, she helped build a strong brand and, ultimately, made this slightly eccentric profession of drinks writing viable. CLASS won�

20/07/2026

CLASS SUMMER 2026 - INTO THE WILD - LAUNCHES TOMORROW. FEATURING .ungarnished 🌿

16/07/2026

The CLASS Report 2026 - our annual guide to the bestselling drinks brands in the UK’s Best Bars - is now LIVE.
Now in its third edition, the Report takes in the insights of an elite set of venues - those that impressed voters in the CLASS Bar Awards.

The CLASS Report delves into the branded drinks products that sell best, those that are bartenders’ favourites and the spirits categories that are most frequently used.

LINK IN BIO

30/06/2026

Eagle Bar at The Chancery Rosewood has opened the doors of its second terrace bar, extending its capacity to more than 200.

Eagle Bar at The Chancery Rosewood has opened the doors of its second terrace bar, extending its capacity to more than 200. The Upper West bar...

26/06/2026

Claire Warner has today launched Good Measure, a new research platform that aims to measure the social value of hospitality venues and to make the case for protecting them.

Claire Warner has today launched Good Measure, a new research platform that aims to measure the social value of hospitality venues and to make the case...

17/06/2026

🚨 NEXT WEEK 🚨

Don’t miss your chance to join us for a special two-part CLASSROOM X Código 1530 Tequila experience taking place next week in Shoreditch.

Acclaimed drinks author and Código’s will lead two immersive tasting sessions exploring the craft, character and complexity of tequila through guided tastings, expert insights and exceptional food from . 🌮

📍 Código Tequila Penthouse, Aethos Hotel, Shoreditch

24 June | Terroir, Production & Flavour | 11am–2pm
25 June | The Influence of Ageing | 11am–2pm

Secure your free spot for one or both sessions via the link in bio.

16/06/2026

Giorgio Bargiani, the assistant director of mixology at the Connaught Bar in London, has been named the first winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award for Europe’s 50 Best Bars.

Giorgio Bargiani, the assistant director of mixology at the Connaught Bar in London, has been named the first winner of the Altos Bartenders’...

10/06/2026

We’re delighted to be named a Top 4 Finalist for Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication at the 2026 Spirited Awards. This is our sixth time in the Top 4 and our ninth in the Top 10. 🎉

For more than two decades, CLASS has championed independent drinks journalism, telling the stories that shape bar and cocktail culture around the UK. We’re proud to see that work recognised.

A huge thank you to our team, writers, contributors and readers who make CLASS.

Congratulations to our fellow finalists and cheers to great storytelling.

08/06/2026

Not all of the UK’s best hotel bars made the final shortlist… 👀

The latest CLASS Commended highlights the venues that came remarkably close. One is hidden inside a former intelligence headquarters, another is helping put a city outside London firmly back on the hotel-bar map and many more with world-class hospitality🍸✨

Want to know who made the commended? https://classbarmag.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/2270/The_Class_Commended_-_revealing_the_bars_beyond_the_Hotel_Bar_of_the_Year_finalists.html