A fellow blogger recommended Callooh Callay to me as a must try cocktail emporium in London… how could I resist an endorsement like that? Down Rivington Street, and barely a sign outside… I’m learning that in this city the best bars are always inconspicuous. Inside it is much smarter, moody lighting and glittery candles illuminating the alluring bar. We were led through to a more superior room, where the customers who have made a booking can enjoy table service and a sophisticated place to sip their cocktails. This room is decorated divinely with art deco style ornaments, I felt like I was sitting in an elegant cabaret venue.
The menu, which looks rather like an Ikea instruction leaflet, is titled ‘How to construct your perfect night out’. Compiled by the mixology experts, this guide explains the cocktails and their unique recipes. The drinks are wildly inventive, each title is a humorous play on words… they are certainly not conventional and it would be frowned upon to order a classic. So I relished the eccentricity and ordered the most bizarre concoctions on offer!
Forty Chew and Blow £8.50
Yum Yum, Bubble gum. 42 Below vodka with a dash of Campari and home-made Hubba Bubba syrup.
A dangerously translucent liquid with a curl of orange peel… I knew this was going to be a strong one. This unusual drink is made with Calooh Callay’s very own bubble gum flavoured syrup which miraculously works quite well specially mixed with this high quality vodka. I still don’t know what ‘Yum Yum’ is, or whether it is simply a suggestion of it’s taste (?!) but either this ingredient or the Campari gave the cocktail an unpleasant bitter aftertaste that rather spoiled it for me.
Gooseberry Fool £9
A grown-up take on a childhood dessert. Beefeater gin with Aba pisco, Swedish gooseberry jam, fresh lemon juice, Bob’s vanilla bitters and egg white. Dusted with nutmeg.
This was delicious. Sweet and aromatic with a spicy touch of nutmeg, the flavours combined well. The inclusion of egg white made the whole cocktail much smoother with a silky texture.
Anise and Nephew £9
A punchy daiquiri style drink using Wray & Nephew rum, Velvet Falernum, fresh pineapple and lime juice with Pernod Absinthe.
I love daiquiris, when made well they are perhaps my favourite cocktail, in fact anything rum based usually pleases me! Conveniently the daiquiri recipe lends itself to being customised with different flavours and ingredients. Falernum (a sweet syrup from the Caribbean) and pineapple juice add the sweetness to this drink contrasting with the harsher acidic lime. The Absinthe adds a lovely kick to the aftertaste.
Top Hat £8.50
An Autumnal glass of Bacardi Superior rum with lime juice and ginger cordial. Sweetened with a Breton Cidre and honey reduction and Bob’s Abbotts bitters with a Crème de Myrtille float.
The ‘Top Hat’ was the only long cocktail we tried… a fabulous adaptation of the mojito. Fruity and exotic and wonderfully refreshing. Unlike the mojito, this cocktail is sweetened with natural honey which gives the taste a satisfying warmth.
Callooh Callay is stylish and exclusive though the environment is a tad pretentious. If you are a cocktail fan it is definitely worth a visit… the cocktails are imaginative, artistic and original, and most of them taste really good too. Callooh Callay change their menu bi-annually and in April a new list of concoctions arrives, so be sure to check that out. Oh and I should mention ‘popcorn of the week’ on the bar menu… perhaps a snack to try with your cocktail?
Ps. Be sure to check out the cassette tape decorated toilets.