I'm back in London so it's only natural I should... go to a cocktail event.

Tonight it's at the Reunion Bar in The Grosvenor Hotel and is titled 'A genteel tipple through gin in literature' so educational as well as enjoyable....

The bar is in Victoria, known in my mind as a grotty part of London, so when my friend suggested it I didn't have high hopes so was pleasantly surprised when I got there. The hotel and bar are lovely and well worth a visit. One of the best things about all these cocktail events (apart from the free booze of course) is the places I end up visiting and the secret, or just new to me, parts of London I get to see.

During the event we learnt about what Kingsley Amis had to say about dealing with the two different types of hangover (a condensed but still rude version is here), learnt all about a martini shot (hopefully this also applies when you finish writing a book right) and sampled drinks favoured in Oliver Twist.

Then it was back home to get on with beading the hand.