Sometimes in life it’s good to come together and bond - at least that’s what HR seem to think. If we nail one thing, it's team bonding.
You probably don’t have a clue what a Shuffleboard is – that’s probably ‘cos it’s a retro game American sailors used to play on their battleships way back in the 1940s. It involves sliding discs (known as Biscuits) with a fork thing (called a Tang) along smooth wooden boards and landing them in chalked up targets. The stuff of team night out dreams. Once you're stuck into all the booze that is. Prosecco served from a a vintage motorbike and sidecar? PA's will be happy. Opening: 12th October Courts: £40 an hour, no limit on the number of players Open 7 days a week The London Shuffle Club. 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL
Plonk Crazy Golf Time to get that hole in one. Taking over Dalston’s renowned snooker hall Efes, Plonk is a 200ft crazy golf course that is made up of reclaimed materials, random totem poles and Tiger-fuelled dreams. Grab a club, get involved and you could find yourselves as tournament champions. The prize may or may not involve Red Stripe. You can now go play in Viccy Park in Hackney and Brixton baby too. £7.50 per player for a nine-hole round, groups of 4+ Efes Dalston, 17B Stoke Newington Road, N16 8BH The People's Park Tavern, 360 Victoria Park Road, E9 7BT The Duke of Edinburgh, 204 Ferndale Road, SW9 8AG
Bounce Perfect place to get your ping pong freak on and party at the same time. With pizza, pumping music and banging cocktails, hell they’ll even organise a tournament for you and crown one of you king. Prices start at £18 / hour (off peak) 121 Holborn, London EC1N 2TD
All Star Lanes The closest you’re going to get to The Big Lebowski in these parts, if you wanna flex your bowling muscles then this is the place to play. It’s retro, cool and they serve up a decent steak and banging cocktails alongside the usual strike. Take your mates down. Prices start at £6.95 / person off-peak Holborn / Bayswater / Brick Lane / Westfield
Portobello Star – The Ginstitute The Ginstitute is a gin lover’s Mecca, and the ultimate afternoon for any gin loving gang. This small Victorian gin palace has got a staggering amount of the good stuff for you to nose and learn about before you’re let loose making your own bottle. Take home a bottle of your brew and your recipe will be kept on file so you’ll never have to drink Tesco gin ever again. Up to 10 in a group. £100 / person The Portobello Star, 171 Portobello Road, London W11 2DY
Opium – Cocktail Masterlass This former Chinatown gambling den has got an all-star bar cast and excellent dim sum. The chef’s table style academy bar upstairs is where the bartenders get busy creating wildly theatrical cocktails - these are the best seats in town for the cocktail curious. Get experimental and take your homemade cocktails to the next level with a three hour masterclass for 5-12 people. 15-16 Gerrard Street, London W1D 6JE
Boat Trip to Meantime Brewery Hop on the boat to Greenwich and get your beer freak on. Learn the brewing process, meet the expert team and drink beer. You’ll have a tour of the brewery and then will get a tutored tasting. Good one for the lads. £20 / person Blackwall Lane, London SE10 0AR
The Ice Bar Not the best option if you want to see how hot your colleagues look on a night out, but definitely a good excuse to warm some of them up. Get christened with a kickass thermal cape and enter London’s most Googled bar. It’s fresh, it’s cool, the bar is ice and it’s a good excuse for a photo op. £13 - £17 / person 31 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BN
The London Eye There’s more to The London Eye than good views and a dry ride around in the skies above London. These guys do cocktail tastings in the clouds and even dinners. Get high for some landmark spotting, cocktail in hand. Starts from £30 / person The London Eye, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7PB
Vestal Voyages If a pirate’s life’s for you, this is the ultimate way to chug around the capital. Captain Willy Vestal invites you aboard his 50ft cruiser for the ultimate booze cruise, with cocktails made using his delicious Vestal Vodka and fun times along Regents Canal. Make it fancy dress and go to town (or canal). 8-12 people. £30 / hour - tickets available here On the Tow Path, Granary Square, Kings Cross, London
Swimming in London Fields Lido If you’re built like the Hoff you might want to dare a group of mates to join you for a dip. Olympic sized and heated, go all out and organise some relay races and a booze filled picnic for afterwards or hit the Cat and Mutton for cocktails and pub grub. £5 / hour London Fields West Side, Hackney, London E8 3UE
Swimming in the Ponds - Hampstead Heath We double dare you. Hit the heath and dive on in to one of the ponds (mens / womens / mixed). Nothing makes you feel better than getting this close to nature in the big bad smoke. You won't regret it, once you can find the balls to dive in. The Spaniards pub have plenty of warming drinks to help you get over the cold. Hampstead Heath, London NW5 1QR
Lucky Voice Karaoke Everyone pretends they hate karaoke, but when you’re in the right place, with the right people, and above all have enough booze to sink a small boat – it’s gonna be nothing but fun. Lucky Voice is the place to hit; there’s no standing around, no stage humiliation and no waiting for drinks – hello ‘thirst button’. This is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. And you can plenty more places to embarrass yourself at these other top karaoke bars. Prices start from £20 each Soho / Islington
Riding in Hyde Park Sadly we’re not talking riding with the hot Household Cav lads, but hey the local riding school will do just fine. Don’t expect to strut your stuff on Black Beauty, you’ll probably end up on some scruffy pony, but at least he won’t gallop off with you into the traffic. Leg up a gang and race the cyclists. Prices start at £89 / hour Hyde Park Stables, 63 Bathurst Mews, London W2 2SB
A few more ideas to top you up... Where to book a party venue in London If it's a scorcher: London's best roof terraces And if the party vibe's still going strong: Where to grab a drink after midnight in London