Bars & Pubs

By Ben McFarland

You'll find this boozer perched on a corner at the crest of the Pentonville Road, equidistant between Angel and King’s Cross. A bourbon whiskey lounge and speakeasy with an ambitious indie-kid haircut, it's all velvet drapes, armchairs and muted glowing lampshades that tickle the slightly barren bar with a burlesque, boudoir feather. It’s warmed by a couple of open fires that flicker rather than roar.

Downstairs, there's an impressively stocked jukebox. Upstairs, there’s a live music venue that stays open until the early hours and attracts a lot of daft barnets, hipsters and easy-going Islington types.

There are more than 50 American whiskeys here, including single barrel (unblended), wheated and rare varieties of Kentucky’s celestial liquor. As any beer lover knows, the US is currently brewing some of the best beer in the world and much of it is here – Sierra Nevada on draught, Rogue Dead Guy Ale from Oregon, Goose Island from Chicago and Flying Dog – the late Hunter S Thompson’s favourite.

Time Out London Issue 2012: March 12-18 2009