Ladies & Gentlemen

Very creative cocktails in speakeasy louche setup. Like being in toilets and you can see where they were!

Sooo… I went to the same Vodka Rocks event as Angela (review below) and she’s pretty much perfectly (and lengthily) summed up my experience, so I won’t repeat — totally piggybacking on her review!
But agree. LOVE this place, but moreso now that I know the background of it. In William’s words: «I just wanted a place to make vodka» and he had passed this unused public bathroom for years until they finally let him have it. One of my favourite experiences (and Unilocal events!) in London so far and very glad we went.
Ladies & Gents hosts various drink nights on some Sundays, the next of which will be on Jaegermeister this Sunday… Think I’m going to check it out. Check out their facebook page for other upcoming events.

I Visited this bar for an Vodka Rocks event.
The bar itself is set in an old disused underground lavatory and has many of its original features.
The owner of the bar (William) spoke to my friend and I at length about the history of the place, how he makes his vodka (Vestal) where he sources his ingredients from and other events he hosts I. e gin making (my kind of thing ;)). William was very welcoming and has a wealth of knowledge on vodka (well he should do he makes the stuff) and all the drinks made at the bar were made with his own vodka. The cocktails I may add are amazing!
The ambience of the bar is very cosy. The place has so much history to it that it’s very intriguing and I found myself constantly looking around.
I will definitely be returning to this bar and recommend to all who appreciate a good cocktail in even better surroundings.

This is the most deserved five stars I think I have ever given a bar. This place… just wow.
So, I came here for the second night of Vodka Rocks week long series of promotional events for various vodka brands. Tonight was a tasting of Vestal Vodka’s 2014 vintage. More on that later.
This place is actually set in what used to be public toilets, dating back to the Victorian era and is situated on the fork in the road between Fortess and Highgate Road, right near to Kentish Town tube station. I must admit, when I first arrived I was hesitant to head down the stairs, as I didn’t want to embarrass myself by mistakenly entering genuine public toilets, expecting to drink cocktails. This place has only existed for 11 months, so it’s not that well known and while I was here several people came down the stairs hoping to find public restrooms, only to be disappointed and turned away when they were told «you have to buy a drink to use the bathroom».
The event was due to start at 6pm. I arrived about ten minutes early and was met with a frosty reception from both bar staff, as the place clearly wasn’t open yet and they were both eating their dinner in the corner. They allowed me to sit and wait instead of turning me out into the cold and quickly warmed to me, casually chatting to me as they set the bar up for the evening.
William Borrell, the proprietor of this establishment, bought the bathrooms from Camden Council as they had been out of use for 40 years. He was here tonight to promote Vestal Vodka (he is the creator of the vodka and the brand, as well as Highwayman Gin). He is genuinely one of the nicest and most interesting people I’ve ever met. I guess you’d regard him as your stereotypical eccentric millionaire, but he is one of the most likeable people I’ve ever met. He talked us through his entire distillation process, then showed us the still they use to make gin, taking the lid off and allowing us to taste a juniper berry each. It was wonderful.
We were shown around the bar and given some history of it. There’s genuine Victorian yellow brick and coloured tiling making up the walls, held together with horse hair, as well as portholes that have been taken from Japanese warships. Much of the plumbing is still original Victorian plumbing, and the sewer grates have been left in the floor, as well as the sky lights, so you can look up and see people walking on the pavement directly above you. Definitely pay this place a visit if you’re a history buff!
The overall atmosphere is incredibly cosy; it has the ambience of a speakeasy. There are hundreds of books lining the backs of the booths and shelves around the bar and seating area, as well as low lighting and candles in bottles on every table. The music is soft jazz that’s really easy on the ear.
Every single one of the spirits served seems to be artisanal and most have been distilled locally (Highwayman Gin and Vestal Vodka both made by the owner, and also Sacred Gin which is distilled up the road in Highgate). The cocktails were divine. As part of the Vestal Vodka tasting, we were given a taster of straight Vestal Vodka, then a classic vodka martini — both kindly paid for by Vodka Rocks. William was a true gent, he kindly bought us each a Twinkle Toes cocktail — a blend of Cava, Vestal vodka and lemon zest. It was like a more citrus flavoured aperol spritz. We then each named our spirit of choice and Frasier, the super friendly bartender, made us each a cocktail he’d recommend based on our choice. I can’t remember the name of mine, but it was whisky based and tasted excellent.
I already have plans to return here. I love everything about this place, from the artisanal spirits and friendly staff who know their booze to the rich history and entire concept of the venue. I highly recommend if you want an interesting evening out and a drink that’s made with genuine care and expertise.

Ladies and Gents, as you might have guessed, is housed inside an old public conveniences.
Yes they still have a loo… and some original features :) but we were more interested in the cocktails…
The menu was varied & original and the key part was the snacks on the back — tasty flaky sausage rolls hmmmm
We started with a bloody mimosa and a Highwayman Spritz, both perfectly balances and refreshing.
The bar was light and airy given we were there at 6pm — love the later evenings now! As you can imagine it’s not a huge space so not great for groups — tables can seat ⁴⁄₅ comfortably but there are only 5 of them and the few seats at the bar.
They also make their own gin, which launched recently. We had a chat with owner and he will make gin for you to your own recipe — 24 bottles at a time… Ideal for pressies?! Now I need to get experimenting on the recipe…
I definitely liked the vibe — they had a bass and piano player providing the music and I already mentioned the sausage roll snacks. The cocktails were spot on and the owner gave us a free shot of something delicious as they were having a family celebration and dancing to the music.
I definitely want to go back! We only left to grab some food before our next round of cocktails down the road… an impromptu Kentish Town Cocktail Crawl — there are so many good places to visit here now!

An impromptu visit on the way home from a Unilocal event. We stopped in to try their new Highwayman Gin and even managed to get a table! Passion of the Claude (a twist on a classic flame of love martini) and a Lover Not a Fighter (a variation on a Army and Navy cocktail) were ordered alongside servings of the gin in question. Very tasty drinks and the new gin is superb!
A nice end to the evening and look forward to visiting again.