‘The bar with no name’, it styles itself – try telling that to a taxi driver. In reality, everyone knows this place by its address, hidden away from the Upper Street hordes on an Islington backstreet. It’s the tiny flagship of bar supremo Tony Conigliaro, noted worldwide for his dedication to the art of the mixed drink: as such, it’s not easy to get a seat here without booking. Punters come for the cocktails, all of which are outstanding. Some of them may push the boundaries of what can be put in a glass, but always maintain the drinkability of the classics. Take the Terroir, for instance, which lists as its ingredients ‘distilled clay, flint and lichen’, and tastes wonderfully like a chilled, earthy, minerally vodka – the distilled essence of a winter mountainside. It’s made in Conigliaro’s upstairs laboratory, which also produces bespoke cocktail ingredients such as Guinness reduction, paprika bitters, rhubarb cordial and pine-infused gin. A subtle jazz-age vibe is adopted throughout, with smartly clad bar staff, vintage advertising posters, black and white checked floor tiles and a pianist belting out swinging standards.
