NOTE: VOC has now closed.
Introducing you to London’s first 17th Century Punch House: VOC.
Brought to you by Fluid Movement – the forward-thinking group of molecular mixologists behind Marylebone speakeasy Purl and Dickensian drinking den, the Worship Street Whistling Shop – VOC’s cocktails have been ageing in wax sealed bottles and oak casks in order to ensure the richness and ripeness required to replicate 17th Century drinking.
Last night Tom from Fluid Movement explained the inspiration for many of the cocktails and drinks on the menu here – a book called “Lobscouse & Spotted Dog” that he uncovered in a charity shop. Further research gave this new bar its name, by uncovering the ways in which 17th Century East Indian punch houses were influenced by trading routes between Europe and Asia – routes that were dominated, at the time, by the Dutch East India Company (or, Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie: the“VOC”). From there the concept grew, leading to the VOC as it now is – a bar that fuses maritime drinking culture with the Indian herbs and spices typically traded by the VOC.
The Dutch East India Company itself was the world’s first multi-national corporation. Amid a sea of corruption, and after almost 200 years of trading, it declared bankruptcy.
While some might consider this a bad omen for VOC, we rather consider it to add to the bar’s appeal – candlelight, cocktails and corruption: a perfect way to spend your Thursday evening…
NOTE: VOC has now closed.
VOC | 2 Varnishers Yard, Regent’s Quarter, King’s Cross, London N1 9AW
Like cocktails? Check out our guide to the best London cocktail bars.