Crouch End has got itself a cracking wee neighbourhood cocktail lounge here. Little Mercies is a collaboration between Alan Sherwood, late of Scout, and the brothers Venning of Haggerston hit, Three Sheets, and Spitalfields’ Bar Three. It comes complete with knocked-back decor that lets the rinses do the talking.
Seasonal sips are sophisticated, understated, competent and keenly priced. Sample a Flower Sour (marigold, jasmine, Victory gin, lemon and egg white), or perhaps Fig Negroni (evocative of mellow Tuscan autumn days). A Tequila Peach Tea made with clary sage (said to have antidepressant properties) should ward off any dark-night blues. You can also choose from an all-European wine list, French ciders and draught craft ales including Rafiki IPA from Deptford micro Villages. Bar snacks such as bavette steak bun with onions and aïoli, or pimped-up mushrooms on toast, are promised. London’s sybarites should add this place to their bucket list forthwith.