February saw us drop a brand-new initiative at The Sun Tavern. Whisk(e)y Wednesdays are no more – from now on we’re dropping a brand new Whisk(e)y Cocktail list every single month.

Not too long ago we figured: why let Wednesdays get all the whisk(e)y-soaked fun? So we’ve decided to share the love and open it up to the rest of the week.

So from now on, you’ll have a regularly-refreshed roster of whisk(e)y-based mixed drinks to get your lips around in Bethnal Green, available every single day at £7.50 a pop – with a different distillery under the spotlight each month.

Master Irish Whiskey blenders, the county Clare-based J.J. Corry, held the distinction of being the very first producers featured.

We featured their award-winning flagship liquid, The Gael, in each of our serves. The Gael is a blend of single malts (aged for 11, 15 and 26 years) with seven-year-old grain whiskey. The result is a fresh and juicy spirit with notes of citrus fruit and spice.

Take an admiring glance back at the mixed-drink goodness that awaited our guests in February:

The Gael – J.J. Corry | Banana | Cacao Blanc | Montenegro.

Cooraclare – J.J. Corry | Fino | Apple | Lemon | Macadamia Orgeat | Egg White.

Big J.J. – J.J. Corry | Suze | Vanilla Honey | Mandarin Sherbet | Lemon | Orange Blossom | Soda.

International Poitín Day – the 24 hours we set aside each year to honour the rebellious souls who kept the spirit alive through its forbidden dark days – returned for its fourth rendition on 18th November. 

First celebrated right here at The Sun Tavern, this year it expanded its reach far beyond the streets f Bethnal Green, across the Irish Sea, and into the finest drinking holes of Dublin, Belfast, Cork & Galway.

We ourselves hosted four Poitín brands at the forefront of the illicit spirit’s revival – Micil Poitín, Glendalough, Mad March Hare & Ban Poitín – who were all heavily featured on our £6 bespoke cocktail list for the eve.

And what a line-up it was: we had classics in the form of Cold Brew Irish Coffee, featuring a healthy glug of Ban Poitín, and our twisted take on the Bloody Mary – the Bloody Murphy, with Glendalough Poitín doing the legwork.

Besides this, we had the decidedly more contemporary Poitín Mule – made using a healthy measure of Mad March Hare Poitín, topped with alcoholic ginger beer courtesy of our mates over at Umbrella Brewing.

And our offerings for the puritanical amongst us were the Plain & Simple – a measure of Micil Poitín and a good ol’ pint of stout – and straight-up Flight of Four, a shot from each brand, to get punters where they needed to go.

We also had a Poitín tasting earlier on in the day, absolutely free on a first-come first-serve basis. So you could say the pure drop was certainly flowing, and it went down a treat with our guests who damn near drank us dry.

Beyond Bethnal Green, and beyond the Irish Sea, there were plenty more raucous celebrations for those passionate about Poitín. A big thanks to One Goose Entry in Belfast, Jimmy Rabbittee’s in Dublin, Micil Distillery & Oslo Bar in Galway, and Cask Cork in.. erm, Cork, for taking part and helping boost the profile of this most boozy of holidays.

So that’s another year gone by, and another day of Poitín appreciation under our collective belts. We had a cracking time raising a glass of the pure drop with ya all, and hope that you did to.

‘Til next year. Slainté.

The crew from serial ‘World’s Best Bar’ winners – The Dead Rabbit – crossed the pond from New York to Bethnal Green for one night only, to take over our taproom and kick off London Cocktail Week in serious style.

As soon as The Dead Rabbit sawdust went down at 6pm, the doors were swung open and the crowds started streaming in.

Cocktails were slung out by the dozen in trademark fashion all night long, and so too was the Dead Rabbit’s ubiquitous Guinness pints, which found itself onto our taps just for the occasion.

By the time 7pm rolled around, and the crowd had been warmed up a little, Genesis, Jessica & Anna got behind the stick to show us how it’s done in the Big Apple, serving out a three-serve-strong cocktail list curated by their fantastic beverage director Jillian Vose – all showcasing their brand new Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey.

Among the stellar line-up was the Lone Oak, – a heady mix of Irish Whiskey, Green Chartreuse, Curry Leaf, Lemon & Bitters – the ever-so-smooth Sweet Talker, – featuring the same Whiskey base, Passionfruit, Peach, Lemon & Orange Bitters – a classic Whiskey Highball featuring ginger beer courtesy of our mates over at Umbrella Brewing, and of course their world-famous Irish Coffee to round things off.

It was a special evening for the Umbrella boys, as their latest label art collaboration with the famous bar was also unveiled on the night. The new-look bottles drew their inspiration from the iconic comic-book style of The Dead Rabbit’s famous menus, and the exploits of the eponymous Dead Rabbit protagonist within. Fittingly, it coincided with the release of their 6th – and final – rendition, so it was indeed a special and poignant occasion.

The Musical soundtrack was provided by Dublin’s finest – Arveene – who took to the decks with a NY-heavy DJ set.

Plenty of Ramones, LCD Soundsystem, Beastie Boys, and other crowd favourites graced our airwaves during the course of his turntables stint.

Meanwhile, The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey was flowing like The Liffey, The Hudson, and the Ol’ Thames combined a the crowds revelled the night away and stuck around right ’til the bitter end.

One hell of a night all round then, and it was an absolute pleasure as always to work with the Dead Rabbit crew. Looking forwards to next year, and many more collaborations to come. Sláinte!

London Cocktail week is now in the rearview, but there was a veritable smorgasbord of cocktail-soaked mayhem to look back upon here at The Sun Tavern.

Starting from the top, then. We kicked off in style by hosting a Slane Sunday Session on the Sunday.

Three cocktails were on offer, all made with the unique, triple-casked blend, Slane Irish Whiskey, and patrons could also get stuck into our iconic Beer ‘n’ a Bump. The night was accompanied by live music from our residents, playing classics from legendary Slane Castle gigs – which kept the Cèilidh cheer alive until the wee hours!

Tuesday saw us keep spirits high, with three top ‘tenders from serial ‘World’s Best Bar’ winners The Dead Rabbit gracing our taps for one night only.

Once the sawdust was down, the whiskey flowed like the Linney, Hudson and Ol’ Thames combined. Guests were also treated special line up of cocktails – all featuring their new Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey – curated by The Dead Rabbit’s wonderful beverages director Jillian Vose.

Special guest DJ Arveene soon followed, and took to the turntables to throw out the bangers ’til late.

As there were more than a couple of us nursing a bit of a hangover the following morning, we decided to team up with our mates at Bán Poitín to put on big Bartenders’ Breakfast. We had a restorative tasting of the notorious Irish liquid while tucking into some delicious sausage butties, and paired them with some beautifully sweet and peppery Poitín Bloody Marys for all our hairy dog needs.

Then on Thursday 4th, following on from the 50 Best Bar Awards the night before, we had three cocktail creations on offer showcasing the legendary triple-distilled Irish Whiskey, Tullamore. A traditional Irish Band soundtracked the early evening, all followed by a DJ set to welcome in Friday in jovial fashion.

Camden Town Brewery’s summer seasonal – Strawberry Hells Forever, landed once more this July, and we decided to team up to celebrate, as part of our Takeover Tuesday initiative.

Every summer since 2015, the folks at Camden have journeyed to Cammas Hall Farm on the Hertfordshire/Essex border to plunder their ripened, red strawberries.

Once they’ve returned to NW5 with their haul, the strawberries are added to their famous Camden Hells, to deliver a cloudy straw-tinted brew, slightly tart on the entrance, developing into a well-rounded, refreshing finish that deserves a bit of celebration.

With a nod to Strawberry Fields Forever – the song behind the name, we played host to a big Beatles-themed blowout, to mark this year’s resurrection on 24^th July.

From the get go at 6pm, there were healthy £3 pints of the Strawberry Hells to wet our guests’ whistles. On top of this there were a limited run of cans, exclusive to the night, that we flung out for free while they lasted.

Beer flowing and rock ‘n’ roll filling the air, the time came for the night’s centrepiece.. with Umbrella Radio’s John Robinson and his mates clambering onto the roof to serenade those in attendance with a few choice Beatles bangers – Apple Building-style.

Bethnal Green Road was well and truly shut down, and it certainly got the party started – even the Old Bill turned a blind eye, it seems.

Although this was a very tough act to follow, our resident DJs duly did and did not disappoint, with Beatles hit after Beatles hit – mixed in with some other non-specific favourites – being thrown off the turntables with aplomb.

Guests twisted, shouted, and worked it all out ’til the small hours, and a great time was had by all.

If you missed out then never fear. Take a peek at the video below and soak in some of that Beatles (and lager!) drenched atmosphere.

https://www.facebook.com/thesuntavernbg/videos/2024738977786477/

Let me take you down, ‘cos we’re going to…..