KWOON by The Woods (CLOSED)

Kwoon is the latest venture from the team behind The Woods, occupying the space that once held their oyster bar, The Walrus, and it serves up canned cocktails. Now, as far as I’m concerned, great things don’t tend to come in cans: roasted scorpions (actually though), whoop ass, whole chickens - I can go on. And a quick Google of ‘things in cans’ took me on a frightening, eye-opening experience, but I digress. Point is, Kwoon, meaning ‘can’ in Cantonese, is serving up craft cocktails in cans, and that can only be a good thing.

The space is tiny and though it’s aiming to primarily be a take-out spot, it’s decent for hanging out and drinking, which happen to be two of my favourite things. Counting Little Bao as a neighbour on the trendier end of Staunton Street isn’t going to do the place any harm either, as well as the outdoor table and stools. The music is bonkers, essentially spanning a very specific era of pop from 1999-2002 Britain, with the likes of Jamiroquai and Sophie Ellis Bexter strewn throughout the playlist. Either way, it worked with the fun ‘cans cans cans’ neon and accentuates the quirky vibe of Kwoon that I definitely enjoyed.

On to the drinks then. We went for the Piña Tang - a concoction of vodka, pineapple shrub and five spice and the Desert Rose, a blend of tequila, vermouth, Aperol and salted plum. When drinking in-store, the drinks are served over ice with garnishes but it’s worth noting each can has its own snazzy design. The Piña Tang can sports an abstract design of a pineapple’s surface and the Desert Rose rocks an agave-esque design.

The Piña Tang is a punchy, sour fellow with a heavy, rice-vinegar kick on the front. This element and the sweet and sour pineapple is mellowed out by the five spice. The Desert Rose is reminiscent of a negroni, another smooth yet sour concoction, this time rounded out by the saltiness from the plum. We thought it’d be rude not to sample some classics, and we’re glad to report that Kwoon’s non-canned old fashioneds and negronis were up to scratch too.

Turns out that Kwoon is on to a good thing, far removed from the ‘scary things in cans’ category. They might not be doing anything groundbreakingly new (M&S are all over their canned cocktail game, but artisanal and craft they are not) but it’s a concept that’ll do well, especially in junk season. These fancy cans definitely quash my disdain for tatty tinnies.