Inside The Ned’s Exclusive Library Bar with Woodford Reserve

There are bars you go to for a drink, and then there are bars you go to for a moment. The Library Bar at The Ned is firmly the latter, a room that feels like a secret, usually reserved for members and those who know exactly which door to push.

But for a limited time, in celebration of Old Fashioned Month, The Ned quietly opened its Library Bar to the public in collaboration with Woodford Reserve. And naturally, I went to see whether the experience lived up to the mystique.

Spoiler: it did. Completely.

The Setting: A Library You Want to Live In

Nestled inside the former Midland Bank, the Library Bar looks like somewhere Gatsby would have kept his private conversations - soft lighting, floor-to-ceiling books, rich marble, leather armchairs deep enough to vanish into. Even the silence feels expensive.

It’s the kind of room where you inhale before you speak.

Stepping inside as a non-member for once felt almost illicit, like being allowed behind the velvet rope of someone else’s world. But that’s exactly what made the night special: a rare glimpse into The Ned’s inner circle.

A Menu Rewritten for Bourbon Lovers

To mark Old Fashioned Month, Woodford Reserve and The Ned curated a limited cocktail menu, each drink designed as a miniature tribute to the layers and flavours within Woodford’s signature bourbon.

But one cocktail stood out immediately, Sunday Morning Call.

I ordered it because the name felt like a poem, and because coffee-meets-bourbon is my Roman Empire.

The Drink: Sunday Morning Call

If you go for one thing — make it this.

A smooth, velvety blend of Woodford Reserve, cocoa, coffee and amaretto, it arrives in a cut-glass tumbler with a single slow-melting cube. The first sip is rich and deep, the cocoa lingering like a whisper while the amaretto softens the edges. The coffee gives it that warm, familiar comfort — the feeling of waking up slowly on a winter Sunday with nowhere to be except exactly where you are.

It’s the definition of a luxury winter cocktail: indulgent without being heavy, elegant without trying too hard.

Why This Collaboration Works

Woodford Reserve’s craftsmanship paired with The Ned’s old-world glamour is a match made in mixology heaven. This isn’t a gimmicky pop-up or a flashy “experiential moment”. It’s quieter, more thoughtful — a celebration of flavour, heritage and place.

And perhaps the most remarkable part?The menu is accessible to everyone for a short window of time, no membership required.

For The Ned, that alone feels like a Christmas miracle.

The Experience: Personal, Polished, and Surprisingly Warm

While I’m used to luxury settings feeling a little performative, this night had a different energy — intimate, relaxed, almost conspiratorial. A bartender who clearly cared about his craft talked me through each ingredient. The guests around me were a blend of members and newcomers, all equally spellbound by the room.

I sipped my Sunday Morning Call slowly, letting the cocoa and coffee unfold as jazz murmured through the speakers. It was one of those rare London evenings that feel perfectly composed.

Who It’s For

If you love:

• bourbon

• interiors that make you whisper

• winter cocktails

• moments that feel quietly exclusive

• a date night with atmosphere

…this is your place.

Final Word

The Ned’s Library Bar opening its doors for Old Fashioned Month is more than a collaboration — it’s a limited-edition luxury moment. And the Sunday Morning Call deserves to sit in the hall of fame of London’s winter cocktails.

If you want to try something genuinely special this season, go now, before the doors close again.