William Borrell, the owner of Ladies and Gentlemen up the road in Kentish Town, has repurposed a similarly decrepit WC outside Camden Road station as another subterranean cocktail bar. Up-cycled furnishings and distressed original Victorian features make for an altogether more inviting type of public convenience.
Dive downstairs and bag a snug booth or sit up at the buzzy bar for sophisticated sips knocked up for fair prices. Modern Manhattans such as Barnacle Goose (Ardbeg Ten whisky, Borrell’s own-brand vintage Vestal Pomorze vodka, white port, Bénédictine and samphire) and egg flips (made with Bruxo X mezcal, honey, coconut, chilli, coriander and bitters) are typically refined rinses while Sallows embraces the trend towards ‘healthier’ drinking by using Borrell's low-alcohol Willow spirit as the bittersweet base for a subtle, botanical hi-ball.
Star bartenders from some of London’s better bars and premium drinks brand ambassadors guest on Tuesdays at an appealingly low-key local that should leave Borrell flushed with similar success to his Kentish Town original.