Going underground

Anticipation is like the secret ingredient that makes a good cocktail great. At Archive & Myth it starts building as soon as you book your table. (Which is definitely the way to go, btw, over chancing a walk-in on the night.)

The confirmation email comes with a code, three symbols to press in sequence and thereby gain entrance through a mysterious door just inside the foyer of the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square.

Now I realise no self-respecting Londoner will go within 200 metres of this address if they can avoid it. “Hippodrome? Leicester Square?! What do you think we are? Tourists?” But trust me: in this case it’s worth it. As you descend the stairs you enter a different world, and the drinks that await you there are imaginative and delicious.

In a city where most booze is consumed at street level, going underground can deliver a strangely heightened experience. If this sounds appealing then you’re in luck. London has a lot of basement bars.

As you approach from the street they can go one of two ways: steps to door or door to steps. This may not seem like much of a distinction but it leads to two entirely different vibes.

The street-steps-door type of basement bar usually has windows somewhere on its street-facing wall and so maintains a connection to the city outside. (Type A Basement Bar in the Gladman Taxonomy of Bars.) Perhaps the best examples are Freud on Shaftsbury Avenue or Happiness Forgets in Hoxton Square. Bars like this can be hard to find even if you know about them.

Stepping off the pavement and down a short flight of unassuming stairs is a journey into the unknown. Will there be room for you inside? And if there is, what will it be like? It’s a tiny adventure that ends with a delicious reward. These bars are often unpretentious and cosy — everyone is hunkered down together, hidden away in a prime spot, unnoticed by the schmoes passing by just a few feet above.

The other, street-door-steps type of basement bar (Type B) is even more concealed at street level, often offering just a small sign above a door. Within this lurks a clipboard-wielding, radio-headset-wearing guardian, like Cerberus at the gates to a boozy underworld. Once you’re in, it’s often entirely devoid of natural light. It is its own world, womb-like and all encompassing.

Archive & Myth is Type B. Drinking in places like this — further examples of which include Nightjar, Soma or Bar Lina — can feel like the surface-dwelling realm has winked out of existence along with the mobile signal to be replaced, like a shared dream, by the here and now of the bar, your drinks and your companion. Only when you climb those stairs again will London and all its inhabitants roar back to life.

The first drink I tried down in the depths of A&M was a Sazerac de Nata. It was very good indeed: a mix of Burnt Faith brandy, which had been fat washed with laminated pastry, absinthe and bitters. This came served over a quail’s egg yolk (perhaps infused with something?) that I was instructed to leave until there was just enough drink left to cover it, at which point you down the lot and pop the yolk with your tongue. This results in an explosion of custardy deliciousness that is as surprising as it is satisfying.

If you fancy checking out a few basement bars for yourself, then October is a great month to do it. London Cocktail Week is nearly upon us. It runs from the 9th to the 19th of October and all you need to do to take part is buy a wristband for £20. Then, at participating bars, you flash the band to enjoy discounted specials on their menu: £9 for a standard cocktail, £6 for a non-alc or a ‘tiny’ cocktail, or £12 for some bollocks with fizz in it. (I am not a champagne fan.) There are also events, masterclasses, parties, international bar takeovers and all that jazz.

At London prices that means the wristband pays for itself after maybe seven or eight cocktails. I reckon that’s not too much to fit into 11 days, plus it’s a great way to check out the city’s amazing bar scene. Even if you’re a regular Soho fiend or Hackney Wanker, it’s the perfect excuse to check out bars that have been lurking on your to-do list for a while.

Seven bars worth the descent

Here are a few recommended basement bars. Click through on each to see what your wristband will get you:

As Above, So Below is a hot new spot that’s only open Thursdays to Saturdays. It promises house cocktails and old-school tunes “somewhere in Hackney” (i.e. below 57 Stoke Newington High Street). WhatsApp for group bookings on 07404407813. The website is very clear that they will NOT answer phone calls — so that’s us told!

Scales in Mayfair has been on my to-visit list for a shamefully long time. Sit at the bar and enjoy minimalist cocktails with an experimental twist. Just don’t try to go the same night I’m trying to get a space there, OK?

Seed Library in Shoreditch is a safe choice perhaps but also a bit of a classic. It’s low-fi, low-key and stylishly cosy. It’s also a Mr Lyan venue so you know the drinks will be top notch.

Found, also in Shoreditch, isn’t showy or try-hard. Its vibe is more neighbourhood bar — one with excellent drinks where London’s bartenders like to convene.

Trailer Happiness in Notting Hill has been part of LCW since its inception (the week’s, not the bar’s). This “notorious party-bar” serves tiki drinks and lots of rum.

Leaf & Cane near Blackfriars serves Latin American inspired cocktails in a former women’s prison hidden behind a secret door.

Basement Sate has comfy sofas, decadent desserts and candle-lit tables. And tasty drinks too, of course. Perfect for a date night.