The Shrub And Shutter

Great place to start our date night! Awesome cocktails at a decent price compared to some other cocktail bars I have been to and the staff were chatty, friendly and happy to recommend places move on to.

We went for the food rather than the cocktails, although the cocktails all looked pretty good and very elaborate! The food was great. Squid and Kimchi cakes were fresh tasty and spicy. The beetroot barrisia was heavenly, as we're the potatoes with anchovies. We shared buttermilk chicken with chickpea chips, the sea bass and mackerel! All in all a more than surprisingly good local restaurant. Booking is definitely necessary. I loved it.

They say Brixton is gentrified, but I have my doubts. Located on the Southern end of the Victoria line, 15 minutes or so from Oxford Circus, it is a world away from central London proper. Emerging from Brixton station I’m instantly hit with noises and smells, freshly popped corn from a street seller mingling with the clinking of steel drums, and through this I’m buffeted by the insistent thrum of undulating bodies. Whilst there is heaps of character and a fervour of life that cannot be denied, Brixton still has the general feel of being bit tatty and downtrodden, and the path leading to our cocktail bar this afternoon is littered with neglected carpet shops, poundlands, and butchers. It may be unfair to compare the area to the West End, but even a side-by-side comparison to Clapham doesn’t do this little pocket of Lambeth many favours, a state of affairs that is poles apart to the bar itself.

Promoting itself as a cocktail bar, we were more impressed by the food, with in our view dishes standing out well against the vast majority of local restaurant competition by the quality ingredients, expert cooking and professional presentation. Well done, keep it up and we are definitely returning soon.

First look at the soft opening: 

We were warmly welcomed with a Nuclear Daiquiri of sorts (with an apple sour ice cube / sweet at the bottom) and an impressive plate of snacks, a hint of small plates to come once fully open.

After a quick skim of the menu, we ordered our first round.

Bandage of Brothers (snow queen vodka, poppy liqueur, wolfschmidt kummel, sherbert, sweetener, gunpowder) came with a little army man attached via a plaster, and a banger to throw on the floor at any time - the element of surprise and all that. All good fun, though I'm not entirely sure how the super sweet drink connects to the title.

The Shrub & Shutter intrigued Luke with blowtorched fennel & chlorophyll bitters garnishing a glass of gin, green chartreuse, maraschino, cucumber shrub and toasted fennel sugar.

Lauren opted for a No Stone Left Unturned - effectively a sour with a choice of spirits and rotating flavour based on the stone fruit of the day (cherry in this case).

However, I feel I made the best choice with Does A Bear Shit in the Woods? - St George's Terroir Gin (made with pine), Akvavit (distilled Scandinavian spirit), pine bitters and mancino ambrato vermouth served with smoked salmon on the side. I can't resist a "spirits-focused" drink and this Scandi gin martini twist was right up my street, and the salmon (working well with the pine) was an added bonus.
For round two, Caroline ordered pudding in the form of Wonka Bar - gin, vanilla ice cream, chocolate soil, truffle, gold leaf and truffle bitters. The finer ingredients seemed to get lost in the mix but it was a very drinkable boozy milkshake.

Luke's Little Miss Sunshine was one of the more conventional drinks on the menu - an attractive sunny Bloody Mary with Beluga Vodka, Isle of Wight yellow tomato, tomato water, roasted balsamic shrub, celery, spice & seasoning - very tasty at all times of the day.

Vegetarians should steer clear of The Deer Hunter - woodford bourbon, orange, romeo y julieta bitters and birch sap, with a hunk of venison on the side for good measure. Boozy and delicious.

Dare I say it, I think I won round two as well. You Can't Handle Chartreuse arrived in a wonderful bath-shaped glass (don't go stealing them now!), with chilled gummy bears and neat squares of green chartreuse jelly on top. If only bathtime always involved Portobello Road gin, Del Maguey mezcal, yellow chartreuse, pineapple, lemon & elderflower.
All the while we were serenaded by a jazz trio who squeezed themselves into the corner of the relatively small back room. Live music will be a regular occurrence, think ragtime / blues piano.

Only half the cocktails were available on our visit, so I'm sure they have plenty more surprises up their sleeves, including some wacky sharing cocktails. A return visit is in order for more research, but on this showing Shrub & Shutter will be a popular addition to the Brixton bar scene. Well done lads.

Great atmosphere and even better drinks. The Pisco Sour was one of the best I've had outside of Chile! My new favourite venue.

This is the cutest little place. Awesome cocktails, and great small plates. The old fashioned, amazing! Loved the the DJ in the back room too. Perfect for a date night. Will visit again.

Understated cocktail bar which has a huge space at the back for more tables and people. It's a really welcoming venue with lots of little touches like pictures, drinks and bottles. The cocktail bar is right in front of you and looks like a workshop! Good value for cocktails at £10 ish each. Great for dates or catching up in general. Does do food and also wine but we didn't indulge.

I've been there 4 or 5 times since the new management took over, and I've gotta say that it's becoming my new favourite spot in Brixton. Super cosy vibe, great music, attentive and knowledgeable staff, fantastic fresh food, and very good, balanced cocktails that are on point! A must visit in South London.

Amazing cocktail bar with delicious drinks. Made a booking for 10 on short notice and the staff were awesome! They were more than happy to take requests for cocktails and made some cracking creations.