We look at the new and interesting places to eat in New York

London Cocktail Week returns for 2016 – here’s our pick of the best dining and cocktail events.

Vodka and seafood - who could ask for more? That's what's being promised at The Great Chase - a pop up bar coming to Kensington Place this week. The restaurant has teamed up with Chase Distillery, turning the room that's usually a private dining room into a very British bar serving up all manner of the distillery's cocktails.

In addition to their signature drink, The Great Chase, they'll have The Mar-tea-ni (Chase rhubarb vodka, Chase elderflower liqueur, Earl Grey

We got in touch with some of the winners to ask them for their recommendation for the must-have drinks from their lists at the moment.

As if there wasn't enough of a reason to head to New York, a new collaboration between Virgin Airways and Dandelyan – the critically acclaimed bar at Mondrian makes the whole trip a must-do. Awarded Worlds Best Cocktail Menu at Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards last week and Best Bar Team in London by Time Out, Ryan Chetiyawardana has put together a series of cocktails to be served up at Virgin Atlantic's London Heathrow Clubhouse.

Ryan's series of

On the eternal quest for London’s best gin and tonic? Try Bankside this summer. Boutique distillers Little Bird Gin are joining forces with The Distillery bar at the Hilton Bankside hotel to create The Little Garden, a whimsical al fresco gin pop-up.

You might have tasted a Little Bird Gin cocktail at their regular spot at Maltby Street Market, but for those who haven’t had the pleasure - they create London Dry gin in small batches, using botanicals such

We've long had wine pairing and then there was beer pairing - now London is seeing a new-ish trend for restaurants to pair food with cocktails. We recently tried the cocktail pairing menu at the Clove Club Bar. And now there's another intriguing combination in Fitzrovia with Rokas Shochu launching a Kaiseki Cocktail Pairing Menu next week.

The seven course menu of small dishes has been worked on by the ches in conjunction with the bar team. Diners

So Sager + Wilde Paradise Row are launching an Old Fashioned (the drink AND the style) cocktail bar up on their Mezzanine level, and if that wasn't enough to get you down there pronto, just feast your eyes on the cocktail list they've knocked up.

• Classic Old Fashioned
• Olive Oil Old Fashioned
• Toasted Coconut Old Fashioned
• Burnt Maple Old Fashioned
• Tonka Bean & Rooibos Old Fashioned

Alongside

It's been quite a while in the planning but the downstairs bar at Rok in Shoreditch is now officially ready to go. The a new 24 seat bar space will open this month and here's what you need to know:

They have an ace mixologist on the job - the seasonal cocktail menu is designed by Matt Whiley.

The food may have a touch of Ikea about it but it also sounds like perfect bar snacks - such as duck pate with fermented

You may have been reading about White Lyan's revolutionary new 'wine' offering - the revolution being that they don't actually grapes to make it. Instead the team have been creating drinks based on taking the "flavour profile" of wine and deconstructing it, and then rebuilding it.

Now they're planning a five day pop up "wine bar". Lyan Cellars will run run for five days next week at Lantana Cafe in Shoreditch. And they've brought in Doug McMaster of Brighton

JaguarShoes Collective are expanding their empire further north, taking over pie and mash spot Manze on Chapel Market for two months. Every evening the beautiful art deco cafe will transform into a cocktail speakeasy. They'll be serving up prohibition era style cocktails with a modern twist - such as Hanky Panky - Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Fernet Branca Menta. They're also promising plenty of oysters too. If you're heading out after work, head down there

Updated 10/3/16 with a look at the menu

It's all about the whisky at the moment - with incoming news that the same people behind the Worship Street Whistling Shop are opening Black Rock, a whisky bar in Shoreditch. 

In that bar, we're to expect a stripped-back space with "a hip-hop, electro-funk soundtrack". But the centrepiece - in a big reference to the aging process -

Hot Dinners Exclusive

We're big fans of Chick 'n' Sours, Carl Clarke's great chicken restaurant in Dalston and if you haven't been in to try that Szechuan Aubergine, which we