An early-evening book launch in London meant I was still in town at 9.30 in the evening – a bit early to be giving up on the day and go home, so I decided to visit a nearby bar for something to complete the evening.
I was ten minutes away from The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, and being in possession of the special set of words that should allow entry, thought I would head over to see how the bar was on a Thursday evening.
The bar is on Artillery Lane in London, but in respect to it’s speakeasy vibe, I’ll only say that you need to look for a café with a large ‘fridge to find your way in.
Downstairs, the room is all wood and low lighting. The bar sits in one corner of the room, and is well tended by a pair of barman, occupied well enough on this evening but still found time to chat with me as they passed. I drank their Blood & Slander, which was their long version of the traditional Blood & Sand, then moved onto a Manhattan, made perfect. The room was busy and the tables full, but sitting at the bar meant I felt pleasantly at the centre of a confident and happy space, run by people who know and like what they’re doing. My Manhattan was precisely mixed, neatly served, and just the right side of bitter that a rye Manhattan should be. The design is low key and pretty dark, but if you are looking at the room, then something’s not right with either your drink or your companion. Definitely a place to find just to recreate that Prohibition-era hidden drinking place adventure.
Ice & Bitters 