Winter calls for classic cocktails and warming serves at ECC Chinatown
As the weather cools and frost sets in, Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC) Chinatown’s general manager Timothy Falzon is seeing guests turn from mint-leaf drinks back to spirit-forward cocktails and warming serves. This is part of a broader trend towards “nostalgia and simplicity”, with classics like the Negroni and Martini back in business. Looking to 2026, he predicts hyper-local ingredients will gain traction.
“Moderation or teetotalism, but with craft” is Timothy Falzon’s response when asked what trends he’s currently seeing at Experimental Cocktail Club, Chinatown. The bar relaunched in Soho in October, 15 years after it first opened its doors. “We see more and more people wanting to have a great-tasting cocktail, even though they might be having no or low alcohol nights,” he continues. Londoners are looking for a blend of “nostalgia and simplicity,” with classics like the Negroni and Martini resurging in popularity.
“Winter always brings its staple cocktails,” he goes on. “We start to shed the mint leaf cocktails, and we see the stirred down and spirit-forward cocktails pick up the mantle, going from Paloma’s and Mojito’s to ubiquitous Negronis and the perhaps rarely seen Toronto cocktail, along with a nice winter warmer, such as a Hot Buttered Armagnac.”
Overall, he’s seen the guest mood shift away from “maximalist Instagram-only theatrics” toward drinks that “taste exceptional and have an authentic story or ingredient provenance.” He also thinks drinking trends are spreading quicker than before: “last year Cosmopolitans made a big comeback, only to be quickly replaced by the Dirty Martini within a matter of months.”
Cocktail list
The cocktail programme, led by Falzon, forks into four chapters. It opens with revived house signatures in ‘ECC Classics’, including the Saint Germain des Prés and the sparkling Old Cuban. ‘Design & Place’ follows with site-inspired creations such as Turmeric is the New Black and Hay Jude, while the seasonal rotation features drinks like the Sundowner Society and the You Make Miso Happy. The menu culminates in the ‘Vintage Collection’, showcasing aged and rare spirits through serves like the De La Louisiane and a richly layered Vintage Negroni.
Complementing the drinks, ECC will introduce a late-night food menu featuring Brunswick House chef Jackson Boxer’s two signature sandwiches – the French Onion Soup Croque and a Mortadella & Stracciatella – as well as charcuterie from Authentique Épicerie and cheeses from Neal’s Yard Dairy.
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The venue’s parent company Experimental currently operates seven ECC bars in Paris, London, New York, the Cotswolds, Venice, Val d’Isère and Verbier. Falzon admits that not everything at the London Bar has hit the mark. ECC’s Coffee & Tonic cocktail, while trending in other European cities, hasn’t quite taken off in England’s capital. “Perhaps it’s not its time yet.”
Operating challenges
Looking forward to 2026, Falzon thinks hyper-local trends will gain traction. “Not only do local ingredients offer incredible freshness and flavour, but they also reflect a growing awareness around sustainability – reducing reliance on products from far-flung locations and minimising our carbon footprint. It’s a trend that combines both taste and responsibility.”
Challenges facing hospitality, of course, are well-documented and exaggerated by rising wage costs and further tax pressures announced in the Autumn Budget last week. Falzon identifies the bar’s biggest struggle as “an increasingly competitive market where only venues with a strong identity or great economics survive,” echoing Chez Antoinette’s co-owner Jean-Baptiste who told the drinks business that there’s currently “less demand” and “a lot more offers”.
In that case, especially with more than half (53%) of consumers willing to pay more for competitive quality drinks if there’s a competitive socialising aspect involved, is it enough to be simply just a bar in 2025? For Falzon, it’s a strong yes: “There is a strong appeal in the idea of ‘just a cocktail bar,’ he says. “A venue doesn’t need to be everything to everyone – it’s perfectly valid to excel at one thing, whether that’s crafting the best Ramos Gin Fizz, serving the city’s finest Martini, or simply executing classic cocktails flawlessly. Guests are drawn to consistency and expertise, and a bar that masters its craft in a focused way will naturally attract those who appreciate quality and reliability.”
The sound of music
Despite this, ECC is not ‘just a bar’, but a ‘listening space’ with a music programme at its heart. The weekly schedule spans sundown disco and ambient grooves, to live acoustic sets midweek, to electro house, French Touch and rock. Weekends turn up Afro House, Amapiano and house music, while Sundays close with an analogue-inspired ritual featuring curated playlists in the spirit of vintage vinyl, celebrating hip hop, soul and R&B classics.
“Experiential bars are booming because there’s an inherent appeal in cocktail bars that offer a sense of escapism,” according to Falzon. “Guests aren’t just coming for a drink – they’re looking for an experience that transports them, whether that’s through the atmosphere, music, storytelling, or interactive elements. The degree of escapism varies by venue, but at its core, it satisfies a desire for something beyond the ordinary.”
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