HOKUS POKUS is a London underground bar serving botanical concoctions, craft cocktails and fine libations, inspired by the history of King’s Cross, Bloomsbury and Camden.
The name and design narrative take inspiration from the many 19th century quack doctors who eagerly embraced the latest chemical and technological discoveries, to produce ‘miracle cures’. One of the most famous was a James Morrison who in 1828 opened the ‘British college of health’ , just a couple of doors down from us.
He claimed to have found a universal cure for all ailments based on botanical compounds that he prepared in pill forms, to be swallowed with lemonade.
Today, our team led by Sergio Jimenez Reyes still practice alchemy but we prefer our botanicals to be distilled, infused, pickled or smoked for their own palatable pleasure. While we make no claims of health benefits we are confident that our potions and elixirs will do wonders to your mood, whatever the weather.
Henry Chebaane, the British artist and designer, has once again imagined a uniquely stylish and fantastical destination. Here, he has juxtaposed an audacious mix of retro-futuristic steampunk, apothecary furnishing, theatrical lighting, Victorian engineered details, and two centuries of British esoteric literature to create a truly ‘out of this world’ destination.
If you have been looking for a local place to date, meet friends or just hang out, that is totally out of the ordinary but with surprisingly good mixology and hospitality…
THIS MIGHT BE THE PLACE.