Accessed through an anonymous wooden door just of the Old Street roundabout, this highly rated speakeasy bar was opened by husband-and-wife team Edmund Weil and Rosie Stimpson back in 2010. Since then, it’s become an enduring hit with the Shoreditch crowd.
Continuing the ornithological theme, the couple went on to launch Oriole and Swift, although Nightjar was key to establishing their trademark style: a mix of seductive surrounds, cutting-edge drinks and live music harking back to the Jazz Age and the first golden era of cocktails.
No surprise then, to find a long and eclectic list that divides its mixes by historical era, including Prohibition and post-war. Recommendations include the Saratoga, a punchy Martini-style drink that features Woodford Reserve Rye Bourbon, Hennessy VS Cognac and Macchia Vermouth among its ingredients.
Elsewhere, the selection of Nightjar signatures includes the Kyrö – Napue Gin with pine-sap infusion, sweet vermouth, Linie Aquavit, cloudberry jam and grapefruit juice, served in a tree-bark beaker. Take it from us: Nightjar’s left-field ingredients and crazy drinking vessels are a gift for your Instagram account.
An impressive collection of vintage spirits is also on offer (think sloe gin from the 1940s), while tapas-style nibbles include ham croquettes and bourbon BBQ chicken wings. One caveat: Nightjar is strictly table-service only, bookings are taken online, and you will be charged for a no-show.