This speakeasy-style bar is the brainchild of mixologist Carl Brown, who brings a highly individual perspective to the art of cocktail making. Tincture is hidden under plant-based eatery Simplicity Burger and can only be accessed by entering the restaurant, finding your way down some stairs and then going through a discreet-looking door.
Once you’ve made it, there’s a sense that you’ve stepped back in time, without lapsing into hackneyed Peaky Blinders territory of bartenders dressed in baker-boy caps and three-piece suits. The understated decor has a real 1920s feeling to it, with a retro soda syphon in one corner and the booths upholstered in dark brown leather. It’s just the sort of cosy place you want to come to enjoy a few drinks.
The interior design, however, is where the traditional aspects of Tincture ends. All of the drinks on the zero-waste cocktail menu are made from just five seasonal ingredients. On our visit, that meant pears, blackberry, cinnamon, parsnip and chestnut, every part of which found their way into Brown’s creations.
We were amazed by the ‘Nips’ cocktail made from parsnip rum and apple; the distinct vegetal taste provided a wonderfully soothing note, and the parsnip skin crisps served on the side further demonstrated Brown’s commitment to zero waste.
An aromatic ‘Spice’ cocktail also impressed. The glass was presented alongside burning cinnamon husk and chestnut, which gave the cocktail a whole new immersive dimension for all the senses.
The non-alcoholic offering is equally impressive, with Brown’s own product Crossip providing a spirit-like edge. We couldn’t quite believe that the bitter end note to the booze-free spritz wasn’t Campari.
In Tincture, Carl Brown has managed to create a bar which can be enjoyed in equal measure by drinkers and non-drinkers. This, combined with the fact that they produce no waste at all, is no mean feat.