We assumed we were in the wrong place… a tiny deserted juice bar open later than expected, surely not the location for London’s newest prohibition cocktail bar? Well in fact this isn’t a cocktail bar, because the venue doesn’t have a liquor license. BYOC is a new, fabulous kind of ‘bring your own’: pay your £20 entrance fee, bring a bottle and the expert bartender will magic you an exquisite drink (or four), using just the ingredients on his trolley.
This is the kind of basement bar you dream of. Pete Urch, mixologist mastermind, weaves through the tables, making round after round of cocktails for the guests… It is a tiny cramped venue, reached only through a mysterious and inconspicuous trap door at the back of the juice bar, down a rickety staircase and into a small candlelit room with a claustrophobic low ceiling and a hushed excited atmosphere. The place oozes character with a gramophone pumping out lazy tunes and a hint of incense in the air. You are surrounded by bare brick walls and with no sign of natural daylight or the outside world, you are easily transported back in time.
Pete wheels a beautiful silver antique Italian drinks trolley, laden with fruit and vegetable juices from upstairs, fresh fruits, herbs, spices, flavoured salts, bitters, syrups and cordials. Then he looks expectedly to you as you produce your oh-so-important bottle which will determine which flavours he picks and ultimately what drink you will receive.
We originally planned to take something annoyingly obscure, violet liqueur for example, but not surprisingly I ended up buying a bottle of rum last minute from Morrisons. My friend had bought a flask sized bottle of gin that morning from Tescos on her way to work and had to put up with various onlookers’ disapproving looks. Luckily, despite our predictable alcohol choices, Pete was on hand to make them into very interesting drinks. Beginning with a simple short cocktail with gin, cucumber, mint, lime and sugar, strong but refreshing, and moving onto more eccentric concoctions like the rum based creamy chocolate orange drink.
Brilliant, Yummy, Outstanding, and Creative – I want a bar like this in my basement.
For £20 you are given a two hour slot at BYOC.
Book at reservations@byoc.co.uk, and check their twitter for regular updates @BYOClondon