Lately everyone has been raving about a little bar called Happiness Forgets in Hoxton Square. The revues praised the cocktails and the atmosphere. I love a good cocktail. A much needed catch-up with my bestie from home was in the diary. We both had been dying to go to Happiness Forgets so we took the opportunity to finally head over to Old Street and give it a go.
Coming into Hoxton Square
there is no sign pointing you to the bar. I have to admit that I was a bit lost
and it was only because I knew which house number I was looking for that I
actually found the bar – someone with a better sense of direction might have
headed straight there and managed to look slightly less lost.
Located in the basement
under the Ruby Cafe, Happiness Forgets is a rather small, very Shoreditch
cocktail bar. You are greeted with a “Don’t worry, be Happy” sign on the wall
by the door. The lighting is dim, the furniture warehouse style and a booking
is hard to get. You can book by emailing them; they take bookings for up to 6
people but there are only a few tables that can be booked in advance. If there
is, like us last night, only two of you and you get there before 8pm you shouldn’t
have a problem getting a seat at the bar during the week. The weekend might be
a different story.
Because I got there
before U. I sat down at the bar and examined the menu. Next to me a couple of
guys were discussing Tinder and how much it was like a game show. And how much
time they had wasted on it but that they were determined to stop. The bar maid
commented that a few of her friends had met their boyfriends/girlfriends on
Tinder. I smiled to myself and got back to my menu. (I have been meaning to
blog about Tinder for a while even though I felt that the craze was kind of
over now – maybe I was wrong!)
The menu is small and
unconventional. I have to say I was a little lost on what to order because I hadn’t
heard of any of the cocktails before. My love for gin led me to order a Tokyo
Collins and I have to say I was not disappointed. Potent, slightly sour and
delicious I was very happy with my choice. U. ordered an Adams Apple and we
started chatting away.
The menu of mixed drinks & mischief
What to order? Decisions, decisions....
We quickly befriended our
German bartender Julian and for our second round of drinks he made us two
cocktails not on the menu but based on things we liked. Both were delicious and
out of tradition those were followed by a round of Cosmopolitans and another
order of a Tokyo Collins and an Adams Apple.
My beautiful Tokyo Collins
My bespoke cocktail... A gin variation of a Daquiri
Cosmopolitan anyone?
Clearly excited about her drink...
4 cocktails in each we
ordered the bill and tumbled towards the bus/tube stop. I have to say that at
first I was a little underwhelmed after Happiness Forgets had been so hyped.
But we both had a really good night: which was probably partly due to the great
company, and then a third each for great drinks and lovely staff. Personally,
the tipping point was when I discovered that they had my favourite Penhaligons scent as soap in the
bathroom. Its sad and a little geeky but it is the small things like that that
really make the difference to me. And if you haven’t ever smelt Quercus you really ought
to – its like the best smell in the world after Lavender and Amor Amor!
If you are looking for a cosy
little bar near Old Street with great drinks may it be for an evening with your
best friend or for a date, I would recommend heading to Happiness Forgets. It
might not be the best venue for a big group because it is so small but you
might be lucky during the week and if you book a long while in advance. Drinks aren't cheap but definitely not outrageously pricy. We like that, don't we?
You can follow them on Twitter here.
A bill with a personal note in German from Julian
P.S.: Sorry about the terrible quality of the pictures, my camera tends to get forgotten at home or is out of battery whenever I seem to need it. Going to try and be better with it in the future! But I would rather use my own pictures than steal someone's really.
P.P.S.: Two posts in two days... seems a bit excessive, so don't get used to it! I am going to try and make an effort to post more regularly because I definitely think I have been neglecting my blog, silly social life getting in the way.