If you were deserted in the still-drinking-alcohol-throughout-January camp, remember to buddy up with us next year. One man on whom you can rely on to poo-poo all this #DryJanuary nonsense is our resident lounge lizard Keith Barker-Main, who has continued to splash about in various watering holes across the capital in a noble quest to bring you the best bars. Thank you, Sir Keith. Here’s where to re-saturate this month… Enjoy.
The Bootlegger (above), Aldgate
Swelling the hackneyed theme’s numbers is this latest tribute to the era when talk of a ‘shooter’ in the mob’s illicit hooch dens implied a deadlier slug than Jägermeister and Red Bull. The Bootlegger, open on weekday evenings-only, is a sepia-toned Roaring Twenties-styled City cellar that makes a decent fist of recreating a gangster-run racket. There’s moonshine aplenty, informing cocktails such as Lucky Luciano and The Informant (a Kahlúa coffee Martini).
Buster Mantis (above), Deptford
A manifestation of Deptford’s burgeoning regeneration, Buster M is a post-industrial, DJ bar/kitchen/arts and events space that anticipates the ‘urban village lifestyle’ to come. The venue is named after Sir Alex Bustamante, Jamaica’s first Prime Minister, and occupies two old railway arches. Phlegmatic young owner Gordon McGowan was raised in Montego Bay, a fact reflected in his concise range of £7.50 cocktails where rum takes centre-stage.
Clarendon Cocktail Cellar (above), Pimlico
Down in the basement beneath Cambridge Street Café (all part of boutique hotel Artist Residence), little has changed looks-wise since this venue’s previous guise as the bar at 64 Degrees. What is new is the array of £10 cocktails inspired by iconic paintings, including the Warhol tribute Campbell’s Tomato Soup, a mix of fiery bacon bourbon, or olive-oil vodka Bloody Mary. South London ales from Orbit and Brew By Numbers are a further draw at this dishy dive in deepest Pimlico.
First Aid Box (above), Herne Hill
Not to be confused with Swedish songbirds First Aid Kit, First Aid Box – a similarly cool, indie outfit – is the kooky follow-up to The Shrub & Shutter, courtesy of cocktail consultants Salts of The Earth. As themes go, clinical (complete with syringes and plasma bags) is not entirely new; Damien Hirst got there first in the 1990s. But FAB’s fab remedial rinses should ensure that this diminutive white box lasts much longer than Hirst’s hubristic Pharmacy.
Ropewalk (above), Bermondsey
The dudes at Disappearing Dining Club have shoehorned a permanent cocktail bar into the Fagin-esque treasure trove that is the London Architectural Salvage & Supply Co. Set amid the foodie enclave of Maltby Street, Ropewalk is furnished in artfully dodgy, dark Dickensian style, incorporating a bar salvaged from a Victorian barge. Accents, tastes and, inevitably, prices are more New- than Old Bermondsey…
Ruby’s Bar & Lounge (above), Stoke Newington
Accessed down the same dodgy staircase as Ruby's, Tom Gibson’s conjoined late-night dive bars are bang on the Dalston dollar. Turn left to find a Peaky Blinder-era, peeling parlour: a sweet snug where deftly made cocktails include anything from daft, ironic Snowballs (advocaat and lemonade) to spot-on Sipsmith Gibsons. Turn right for a larger, booth-lined, party pit where the focus is on craft beers, European wines (from Clapton oenophiles Verden), and street-food residencies.
Thirsty for even more suggestions? Slosh on over to Square Meal's best London bars and pubs by area here
This article was published 27 January 2016