Murder, Inc.

If you could murder a good cocktail, then we have good news.

The people behind the eminent Cocktail Trading Company have come to ruthlessly assassinate your thirst with an all-new drinkery slapped right in the middle of town.

You’ll find it tucked away on Hanway Place which – despite being a few yards away from the corners of Oxford Street & Tottenham Court Road – manages to feel like a strangely peaceful island of secluded calm. Here, sandwiched both physically and figuratively between the classic dive that is Bradley’s Spanish Bar and the sleekly upmarket Hakkasan, is Murder, Inc.

The dark & moody basement space has been fixed up like a gangster noir dive bar, with a ceiling covered in matchbooks & beer mats, barstools scattered across the floor, and walls hung with striking artworks and pictures of famed tough guys (plus a signed picture of Charlie Sheen which they “don’t feel requires explanation”), all bathed in red neon. According to the owners, it’s been designed to come across as the kind of basement bar “where you can pretty much get away with murder”. But they do draw the line at putting chewing gum under the tables.

In contrast to the elaborate liquid showstoppers on offer at the Cocktail Trading Company, the drinks here are more stripped-back & simple, pouring all their creative powers into the taste rather than the presentation. A few of the notable numbers include:

• Death in the Afternoon – An on-draught blend of Pernod Absinthe, agave-ginger sherbet and Moët Champagne.
• Rusty Nail in the Coffin – Smoky whisky, Drambuie, and barbecued marmalade vermouth.
• Cannonball Collins – Flor de Cana 7, Hennessy VS, triple sec, and some clarified sweet pineapple soda.
• Banana Ramos – their personal favourite, perhaps because it’s a calorie-festival of banana milk, coconut cream, custard, stout, and Jaeger.

The drinks start at just £9, and there’s regular live music every week.

It would be a crime not to check it out.

NOTE: Murder, Inc. is open now. It’s walk-in only, and you can check out the latest going on at their Instagram account right HERE.

Murder, Inc. | 36 Hanway Street, W1T 1UP

Like great £9 cocktails? Head to Little Mercies