She’s a slinky little number and she’s turned more than a few heads since arriving in town. Little Bat is the cool younger sister to Shoreditch’s Callooh Callay and here lies her dainty tale.
The Venue
Taking things further North, Little Bat sits pretty in Islington, tucked away from the main Upper Street drag. A darling hideaway that is somewhere between a neighbourhood bar and a secret soiree, Little Bat has all the feels of an intimate cocktail bar with tonnes of character. Set in one long standing room, there’s date night tables for 2, leather booths for groups and a mish-mash of vintage furnishings to make up more seating areas. Low lights and candles flickering away give Little Bat a cosy ambiance – the perfect setting for cocktails and catch-ups. Curious design features like shelves made out of old fashioned books, grand gilded mirrors and dark wall colours create something intriguing and sultry about Little Bat’s personality. She sure is dreamy.
Delve into this parlour of luxe cocktails.
The Food & Drinks
With Callooh Callay to compete with on the cocktail front, Little Bat pulls all the stops out for a menu of ‘known and unknown’ creations.
Preaching the cocktail gospel comes a personal favourite tipple of the night - the Rhubarb Swizzle (£8). A Ketel One Vodka base with rhubarb & vanilla syrup plus lemon juice finished with a splash of Peychaud’s & Rhubarb bitters. Something of a sassy tart, this Barbados born beaut has all the sweet salvation you need this summer. Fresh from the Sours menu, for all you Gin lovers out there, came the Bombay Cocktail (£8): Bombay Sapphire Gin, chardonnay & honey syrup, cucumber & lime juice, Boston Bittahs with added egg white. Grass green and like a freshly mowed parcel of flavour, this Gin concoction went down ever so smoothly. Making a trio of favourites, next came the Red Current Spritz (£9): Belvedere Vodka, Cocchi Rose, red currant puree and lemon juice topped with Prosecco. Bubbly springtime perfection.
Whilst the cocktails are the star of the show, the food at Little Bat was spot on. Going in hard for the light bites selection the Crispy Lobster Mac & Cheese balls (£8.50) were molten moments of pure heaven. The Crispy Jerk Chicken Bites with Mango Salsa (£6) with paprika fries on the side were just perfect.
Smokey flavours and crisp cocktails come to play here.
The Atmosphere
Having just opened and heading down on what was the hottest week of the year yet, Little Bat was still buzzing with couples on dates, groups of friends and colleagues enjoying after work drinks, which is only testament for a cosy cocktail bar when there’s beer gardens to be had. The service was friendly, attentive and relaxed making sure there’s always a drink in play.
Intimate, original and full of character.
The Summary
The hype is real for Little Bat. With sterling mixology and a cool outfit she's come onto the scene like hot gossip that everyone wants a piece of. And you should, because this gossip is good.
