B.Y.O.C.

The concept here is that you bring your own booze and the mixologist here will make you drinks. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros:
— The mixologist makes some pretty dang great drinks. Maybe it’s because the juice bar upstairs provides him with all the fresh fruit/​ingredients that he needs.
— Cozy environment with an intimate feel. The downstairs basement can hold a total of probably 10 – 12 people max.
— The more alcohol you bring, the more options you get, so don’t be like my and bring one expensive bottle of whiskey. Bring your whole bar… champagne, gin, whiskey, vodka, and rum. It’s going to be a good night and a bad morning …
Cons:
— It is a bit expensive. 25£ per person is pretty much $ 38 per person. Depending on the quality of alcohol you bring, it can get quite expensive. Note: Your not going to be coming in here with a crap bottle of whiskey/​gin/​rum/​vodka/​etc anyway because why would you want to kill yourself?
— I noticed the bartender may «borrow» your bottle of liquor for someone elses drink so be aware of that. I’m sure it goes both ways, but if you decide to bring… let’s say a $ 80 bottle of whiskey, and other patrons are bringing crapier items, you may be getting the wrong side of the deal. However, all of this doesn’t matter because you’ll be so drunk by the time you’re done that you’ll end up taking shots with everyone in the room and becoming friends anyway lol
Despite the small cons, this place is still an amazing place to visit. If you’ve got the cash to shell out, do go to their website and book yourself a 2 hour timeslot. It’ll be an experience unlike any other.
4 stars.

Loved this place! It truly is a hidden gem. Our mixologist was wonderful and provided us with a great variety of cocktails. Our party brought tequila, gin, and Irish Whiskey and you wouldn’t be able to tell that he used those drinks or a mixture of them. The 2 hour slot was a good amount of time to try all the tasty cocktails. I enjoyed the ambiance and the service was superb!

Well hello, you hidden gem.
This was such a cool experience. We came here after seeing a West End show, and were their absolute last reservation at 10:30pm. I was afraid of this, because that’s when establishments tend to stop caring. If anything, I think it worked in our favor.
The entrance is for a juice shop, and then when you get in, they walk you down a narrow staircase into the space. Nick greeted us, and he was really great with getting us transitioned, and also hung back a bit afterwards to give us some London tips. The space is very small and intimate, built into a cellar with about 5 or 6 tables and a moody atmosphere.
So, it works pretty simply: You bring your own liquor, and they will make you cocktails with it. In the end, we each got 6 cocktails plus a shot to celebrate the end of their day. We brought a bottle of Konik’s Tail vodka and Fighting Cock bourbon, and left with a little more than half a bottle of each left. See, since it’s your liquor, you never have to worry about weak drinks.
We were tended to by Jill, who made us amazing drinks. She actually got my wife to drink bourbon! See, they try to make each round with the same liquor, so as not to have to mix two drinks in two separate shakers. So, the challenge was to get me to drink vodka (blecch) and my wife to drink bourbon. She did an amazing job! She asked us our preferences, and used that information to craft our cocktails. She also blended the flavors so well that I was shocked to see how much liquor was going into these drinks. She always added a scented garnish and explained how olfaction plays into the experience. She was an open book about her recipes, which I will try to replicate at home.
Overall, £50 for the both of us still haunts my wife a bit, but I’m comfortable with it. I’ve dropped more than that for sub-​par drinks and over-​priced alcohol at a dive bar. If I lived in London, I’d only check in maybe every few months. But when I return to London, I will return to BYOC.

My bestie and I killed the best part of a bottle of Bulleit here. This not just the bourbon talking; it was the best night. Ev-​er? Well, kinda.
In the cozy (mind the steep steps! Especially *post* drinks!) basement of a juice bar off Covent Garden is BYOC. The rules are these:
— book a 2 hour timeslot
— arrive with unopened bottle (/​s) of your choice
— let the (amazing) bartender on duty know if you have any dislikes or allergies (PRO TIP: we were a little tipsy and proceeded to try to tell him our medical histories. «ALLERGIC TO PENICILLIN I THINK!» «yeah, I think I could be, too? That one time I had mono…». Dude does *not* need to know these things in order to mix an expert cocktail, trust. Sample list of relevant allergies, guys: nuts, bananas, eggs)
BAM. ENJOY THE RIDE (we tackled 5 drinks in 2 hours).
The music was great, the bartender was a hoot (shout out, Matteo!) and he had a magic sixth sense enabling him to intuit what our preferences were. Coconut mixed with beetroot? What? AMAZE. Artichoke bitters with orange? Stop it, you genius. Salted caramel and chocolate? Gulp, all of this, neverstop.
25 per person for 2 hours. Well, well worth it. Everything worked smoothly here: from the headsup when we had 25 minutes left to the reservation, to the coat-​taking, and the small bathroom (referred to as «the office»). On point. I’m thirsty all over again.
Unilocal note: 2 other locations of BYOC; one in Brighton, and one in Camden, which is reported to be much larger (pros/​cons, I suppose, but it’s hard to beat the intimacy of the vibe tucked away at 28 Bedfordbury).

The perfect little bar. Was taken there on a date, it’s a lovely atmosphere and always has a great mixologist the cocktails are beyond amazing and always very creative — worth the money just wish you could stay longer than 2 hours!

Great little speakeasy with inventive cocktails depending on your taste and the bartender’s mood for the evening. Love the concept!
We try to bring different, unusual choices along with a bottle of a plain vodka, gin or whisky as the base. Would recommend going to Gerry’s in Soho to pick up some specialties before heading over to BYOC. They will take care of you!
You get about 4 – 5 cocktails each and you’ll definitely feel the alcohol in your way out! It’s now £25 (used to be £20) but think it’s still worth it.
There are about 4 tables for 2, 1 table for 4 and 1 table for 5 so it’s a tiny place. Book ahead! Oh and it does get warm down there, just a warning!

LOVE this concept! You bring your own alcohol (any and as many types as you want), and the creative barmen make you fabulous cocktail creations! You reserve for a two hour time slot and they make you 4 – 5 drinks in that time (6 if you’re lucky and on a mission…). You can ask for your favourite concoctions or just have them make up something delicious on the spot. I was delighted by all their creations. The only only reason I give it 4 stars is because the lady who checks you in wasn’t the friendliest and didn’t give the most pleasant customer service, but maybe she was just having a bad day. Great 20s feel atmosphere too complete with hanging chandeliers and roulette tables.

Absolutely exceptional.
Myself & my wife could politely be described as having done a lot of «field research» on cocktails. One thing which sets a quality bar apart is ordering off-​menu giving the bartender a few ideas and seeing what they come up with. We love seeing truly creative & innovative cocktails being created on the spur of the moment by specialists. This is the essence of BYOC and they truly delivered.
We came armed with Yuzu Liqueur and Artisan Gin and over the course of two hours the barman created some exceptional drinks. Each one was completely different to the other showing real range. The Gibson Martini was one of the best we have had.
I have one regret — I simply can’t remember the barmans name — but he was lovely, spending lots of time talking with us and other tables while working his magic.
The venue itself is fantastic — I can’t add to the comments below although I did wonder if I’d make it back up the steep staircase after 5 cocktails !
If you’re going here invest in some real quality spirits & maybe an unusual liqueur. With Gerry’s nearby on Old Compton St you have no excuse ;-)
I’d go hear again in a heartbeat

Sempre legal conhecer lugares novos, e com eles, novos conceitos. Assim foi a minha visita ao B.Y.O.C, um bar speakeasy bem localizado no meio de Covent Garden.
Para chegar, você deve procurar por uma loja de sucos chamada «The Juice People» e lá perguntar sobre sua reserva. Daí você passa pelo balcão, desce uma escadinha e encontra o bar, que fica no porão da lojinha de sucos.
Este é um bar para quem aprecia cocktails. Não há cervejas, cidras, sucos nem comida alguma a venda aqui (ok, você pode comprar umas castanhas e umas pringles no andar de cima, mas c’mon, isso não é comida).
Neste bar também não se vende bebidas alcoólicas. Você traz as suas de casa e o bartender prepara os cocktails usando as bebidas que você levar e usando os ingredientes que eles possuem. Basicamente eles fornecem o ambiente, que é muito legal diga-​se de passagem, o expertise do bartender e os seus 72 ingredientes, entre eles muitos sucos, frutas, xaropes e bitters artesanais.
Porém os cocktails preparados aqui são incríveis. Você não escolhe o drink, só é questionado se tem alergia ou não gosta de algum ingrediente específico, ou também se prefere drinks mais fortes ou diluídos. A partir disso você recebe o seu cocktail e você prova para descobrir o que ele contém. Eu gostei da experiência, mas caso você prefira escolher um cocktail, ele também prepara o que você pedir.
As miniaturas que eu levei renderam: Levei um gin sipsmith, um gin monkey 47 e um bourbon four roses single barrel. A primeira rendeu um cocktail com suco de beterraba e bitter de laranja, a segunda virou um cocktail com limão, xarope de pepino e um toque de pimenta, e o último um old fashioned com bitter caseiro de chocolate e figo e casca de laranja que foi o melhor drink que eu tomei em Londres.
Recomendo uma visita, porém vale avisar que é necessário fazer reserva com alguns dias de antecedência pelo site: (
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When everyone wanted to go to BYOC I was a little hesitant and displeased with the suggestion. Why would I go out of the way to hit a drink bar that demands you brink your own alcohol? I didn’t see the point. The appeal, I was told, is what the bar will do with your alcohol. Patrons pay for the service but the extras (fruit, syrups and so on) are provided.
Since the reservations were made far in advance I begrudgingly followed my mates and tried it. I have to say I liked it almost straight away– for the environment and ambiance alone. With the staircase leading down to its stone walls and low lighting it felt intimate and special. However, its small size limits your group size.
The bartender went back and forth between our and the other groups making different drinks — all delicious and interesting. I ended up having a marvelous time. I am so please I went and cannot wait to return.
The Pièce de résistance: since you bring your own alcohol –which is always significantly cheaper than at any bar– you come away with many more amazing, unusual and unexpected drinks for much less than you would have spent elsewhere else.

Bring your own alcohol? A speak what? I haven’t been too adventurous in exploring the bar scene because I didn’t really know what a speakeasy was until I heard about BYOC.
The first step is to somehow land reservations. You need patience and pick a date far in advance. I didn’t realise how small the place was until my first visit. If you’re looking for a table for 2 there are usually tables available. If you’re going for the table for 4 or 6 — there’s only one of each so you might have to plan it out months ahead of time. I’ve roughly gotten reservations about 3 months ahead.
Second step is to pick the kind of alcohol you’re going to bring with you. Definitely bring one type of all around mixer — vodka is usually quite good as it mixes well with most drinks. Then you can go nuts with others. I’ve brought gin, baileys, prosecco, plum wine and crème de cacao.
Third step is to find the place. I was a little confused at first but yes, just go right on in!
Fourth step is to have some idea of the type of drink you want — but also be open minded and trust that the bartender will do his/​her magic. I’ve had some of the best (and strongest!) cocktails and you can tell them roughly what you’re in the mood for — fruity, bitter, sour etc. The first time I went we only got around to 3 drinks within the 2 hour reservation — which resulted in us reaching for the bottle of prosecco for us to drink while we wait for our next cocktail. 2^nd time we got 4 cocktails plus a mixer shot at the end! … and finished the rest of the prosecco. The only food they have are nuts and olives so plan to eat before or after.
Highly recommend going… if you can get reservations!

Oh my head this morning was a mess. Bring your own cocktail? I brought my own bar. 6 little bottles of spirits and a bottle of champagne gave the cocktail maker quite the selection to go about creating some beautiful drinks for the 4 of us.
I loved the fact that we didn’t really know what we were having until he brought it to our table and I really liked all my drinks. My dark rum based one was amazing. No name for it, it just was.
So quick summary — £20 entry and bring your own booze and your cocktail guy will whip up something for you with his magic* trolley of bitters, syrups, juices, fruits and herbs. As I brought quite a selection there was no need for us to swap with other tables but you can do this should you wish and find others who are willing to do the same.
In two hours I drank about 4 rather strong cocktails along with a glass of leftover champagne. I’d recommend going down the ‘lots of little bottles’ route as the cocktail guy will love you.
*it’s not really magic.

When I told people I was going to a bar in which I’m paying £20 on top of bringing my own alcohol, they looked at me with raised eyebrows. «You’re a bit of a chump huh?»
But essentially, you’re paying for the experience: your own bartender and a cozy underground bar behind a juice shop for 2 hours. The night we went was our bartender’s first night, and it was evident in the speed at which we got our rounds. We were able to fit in 3 rounds, but it really should have been 4. The drinks themselves were okay. They can pretty much do anything with the convenience of having the juice shop connected, but I was craving something with more innovation when I left that night.
Make reservations in advance, I made mine 2 weeks in advance. And make sure your bottle of liquor has not been opened before.

5 huge stars for BYOC, the newly opened speakeasy in Covent Garden. Without the slightest hesitation, let me say that BYOC is one of the coolest bars in London. Hidden underneath a dark staircase in the back of a juice club is an oasis of turn of the century drink. The concept is unique — pay a £20 cover charge per person, bring at least 1 unopened bottle of spirits and you are provided with a bartender and unlimited mixers. That’s right, this is a bar where you bring your own drink — hence the name BYOC, which stands for Bring Your Own Cocktail.
The intimate setting is perfect — candle lit, dark, and accented by well selected 1920s era décor (think phonographs and an antique drink trolley for starters). The Bartender and staff were super friendly, offered countless drink recommendations and were eager to engage in banter. We brought 3 bottles — Sipsmith Vodka, Gordon’s Gin, and still unclear, why, but also a flask sized white-​labeled bottle of Brandy from Spar. That said, if the bartender can make Spar Brandy into a delicious cocktail with fresh nectarine juice, you know he must be talented. It’s handy that the bar is beneath a juice club, as pretty much any type of fresh fruit mixer can be arranged.
There is an interesting additional twist to the concept — as most parties will only bring a bottle or 2 (and the bar has no license to keep bottles of its own), swapping between tables becomes commonplace especially for drinks requiring different types of spirits. Indeed, when we entered the basement, immediately and without prompting, the adjacent table offered us, some of their cinnamon flavored Polish vodka (Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka) to try. The bartender also helped broker an exchange with another table, swapping some of our gin for their 7 year aged Cuban Rum so we could all have mai tais.
All in, this is one fantastic bar/​concept. If you can get a booking… GO!!! Note you must book in advance for a 2 hour slot and the owners claim they are booked through May… so good luck!