Just this morning, the London-based bloggers behind British Airways’ best of NY/LON guide, Metrotwin met up with the 5 transatlantic bloggers we sent over to London (and later this week, Glasgow).   Among the London reps was  Metrotwin’s Anya Driscoll,  Beauty and the Dirt, and Urban Junkies.

What happens when 10 bloggers collide at the Arch Hotel’s Martini library at 9:30am?

They exchanged notes on top travel spots and random fun facts. Here’s a sample of Anya’s takeaways:

* ‘Bubble and Squeak’ is a sort of cabbage and mashed potato concoction that is nowhere near as exciting as it sounds.

* The best place to get a Guinness in New York is probably at Molly’s.

* Park Slope is a bit like the Crouch End of New York.

*If you happen to be born on Burns Night – even if you are American and not remotely Scottish -  you will be subjected to a lifetime of haggis jokes.

For the full list of learning’s, check out Anya’s post on Metrotwin’s blog.

Of course – the question on every one’s mind really was:

“@refinery29 –  Heading to a martini bar at 9:30 am. How early is too early for a stiff one? #BloggingUK”

You can follow this blogger trip by watching out the for #BloggingUK hashtag on twitter or by following updates from Jeremy Viray on @BritainInUSA.

Usually, in winter I get a hankering for a dark rich porter.  But this winter, I find myself craving cocktails.  Maybe it’s the hidden bars, or rash of artisan infused liquors springing up, but I’m longing for that nostalgic bootlegger era when virtually all of the classic cocktails that we now drink are named. “I’ll take a Tennessee Williams and Gibson for the Misses, barman, and make it snappy” 

With my at home martini experiments, well… failing (pepper spiced pickle brine does not a good “artisan” martini make), I’m think it’s time to travel for my next drink.  If cocktail tourism is the next big trend – one item on my travel list would definitely be Rick’s Bar in central Edinburgh, Scotland.

This cocktail bar with rooms was voted by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the coolest hotels in the world.  I’d think their 20 page drink menu would have something to do with that.  It is inspired by some solid research and classic cocktail havens like prohibition-era Havana, Manhattan, New Orleans, and interestingly, the outposts of the British Empire (The Pegu Club cocktail was invented in the 1920s in Burma).  There’s even a fascinating section on Punch Bowls-evidently the earliest form of cocktail.

My favorite from the list has to be the Alamagoozlum Punch (try saying that three times fast after a few cocktails) or as it’s known by it’s full name, J.Pierpoint Morgan’s Alamagoozlum; the Personal Mix Credited to that Financier, Philanthropist & Banker of a Bygone Era” (or that!).

So you’re visiting London. The obligatory work meeting/frantic dash around as many tourist attractions as possible all the while cursing your inappropriate footwear/dull dinner some aged relative is done and now you want to have some fun.

There are listings magazines bursting with rave reviews of hot clubs, cool bars and burlesque shows held in ex Working Men’s Clubs (actually, only one: Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club but it’s pretty ace, check it out); but is a bit of blurb, the praise of some Brit bloke you’ve never met and a photo of a good looking girl pouting in said venue enough to go on?

If only you knew the Big Smoke as well as the Big Apple.  Fear not! Metrotwin is here to help. Yes, all our London recommendations are written by die hard, River-Thames-pulsing-through-their-veins Londoners -  still a lot of Brits you don’t know – but thanks to our twinning feature, the Buffalo Bar isn’t just ‘an underground club near Highbury and Islington tube’, it’s the Market Hotel of London. If you’re longing for Max Fish’s cheap beers, artistic patrons and battered pool table, get thee to The Dolphin in Hackney.

Why not check out our list of the best places to go out on the lash (that’s British for ‘a sufficient number of alcoholic beverages, possibly with some dancing thrown in for good measure) in London.

Contributor – Anya Driscoll