Hokus Pokus, the London ‘underground apothecary bar’ with a hugely creative repertoire of craft cocktails and botanical concoctions, officially marks its first anniversary. Located where Bloomsbury meets King’s Cross and led by the dynamic mixologist Greg Chudzio, Hokus Pokus offers drinkers a bit of imaginative alchemy and escapism. The drinks repertoire features a series of evocative sections – Throughout the Seasons, Tea Potions, Sippers, Flamed Potions, and Smokey Potions – as well as Recipes from the Past and Tempered Prescriptions.
Greg Chudzio brings a lot of expertise to Hokus Pokus. He and his brilliant team pay great personal attention to the people’s mood and personality, as well as their drinking preferences – from which suggest drinks they may like as well as additional flavours, ingredients and infusions. This is next level mixology and such an immersive experience.
We spoke with him to find out more about Hokus Pokus.
How did it all start?
With a phone call. One of the important ingredients was already there – the amazing design. And the owner, Mr. Megaro, needed someone to follow up with bespoke beverage offerings and service style.
Hokus Pokus celebrates a milestone first birthday. What has been the highlight of the last year?
I think the fact that we managed to assemble a very competent team of young eager-to-learn and hard-working people allowed us to build a substantial base of regular guests, not only from London but across the UK and internationally.
Tell us about your special concept at Hokus Pokus with your botanical concoctions, craft cocktails and fine libations?
The goal is to let our customers explore their taste palates through unique beverage offerings. And in my humble opinion, the only way is to use very high-quality base ingredients and enhance them further through numerous processes, including infusions, fat-washing and extraction, among others, to produce unique house-made cocktail ingredients.
Among over 30 different ingredients, you will find our house-made: Orange, Hazelnut, White Chocolate, two different Coffee Liqueurs, lots of herbal infusions, and pure fruit extracts which are all immaculately prepared, often to be used in only one of our cocktails.
How has the London bar scene changed in the last 10 years?
In the most recent and significant post-pandemic time, the customer’s expectations have skyrocketed to the roof, and equally the workforce has become limited, which leads to two different approaches to running the bars. Some would significantly simplify their offering, and the others will take the opposite path. The latter has presented the London bar scene with a significant uplift in creativity and often unusual methods to attract new clientele.
Can sustainability in mixology ever become the norm?
It certainly will. It’s the new norm across multiple industries and it’s the trend that attracts more ever-growing aware customers.
If you could award a Michelin star for mixology right now, whom would it be to and why?
That’s too complicated a question to just give you one definitive answer. But if I have to pick one, it would be Dick Bradsell, for creating one of most iconic cocktails ever.
What is the strangest drinks order you have ever prepared?
Don’t know where to begin. If I have to pick one, I guess it would be the twist on a Vesper Martini, using garlic Eau de vie and pepper Vodka.
What are your top tips for home bartenders in particular those smoking and infusing enthusiasts?
Don’t ever be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and take a wander walk from well-known paths you might have learned in literature or other media, commit to research and experiment utilising weird ingredients, and never give up on your ideas!
What is next for Hokus Pokus?
I suppose it’s time for Hokus Pokus to be more recognised in the London bar scene, for our unique approach to crafting beverages and aiming to deliver personalised service to every guest.
To discover more, visit: hokuspokus.co.uk
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All imagery courtesy of Hokus Pokus.