When I say that As Above So Below is a bar made for people who love bars? I'm not talking about people who love going for a drink at the weekend. I'm talking about people who care about the quality of the back bar, the story behind each drink, and the reason for every ingredient.
I wasn't expecting to write this blog after a casual weekend with friends in the city. I felt like I knew a lot about London's cocktail legacy and the big players in the game, so I wasn't necessarily looking for a new favourite or expecting to stumble over a new standout (to be honest, I was just looking for air-con), but having visited AASB on a whim, it would be unkind of me not to share.
Hidden in the basement of a barbershop in Hackney, AASB seems to have retained its secrecy, I can't find anything about it online (at least not much), and for a moment, we didn't actually think we were in the right place; maybe that adds to their mantra of being 'your favourite bar's favourite bar'.
The 'Plum + Grape' cocktail, with rum, plum, muscat and brut. Photo: Bella Keery.
Blood red tiles illuminate the bar itself, and simple seating is placed for comfort. It's not gauche, it's not romantic, it's just chill.
I started with their 'Pomme D'Amour', a glass-clear drink of gin, apple and pear that blew my mind. It was crisp, fresh, but adult. If you're a Granny Smith over a Gala apple, it's the cocktail for you. My husband lushed over the 'Mango Lassi', another clean and divine drink of mango vodka and yogurt. But you'd never know it was yogurt, it again looked like water. A running theme of cocktails on their menu - simple and straight up. But kind of not.
But amongst the chilled coupettes and clear flavours, don't think the team aren't rogue.
We wanted to try the most unusual drink on the menu, which happened to be their 'Hot + Cold'. This felt both right and wrong, on the hottest day of the year Hot ube horchata tops an in-house cola and Lapacho cahaca. The sweet and savoury notes of the ube horchata hit you first, followed by a cold and crisp cola, that just seems to work.
As Above So Below is a considered space, with every spirit on their back bar going through a thorough vetting process. Every cocktail on their menu going through a research and development process, and their team, industry-obsessed.
Visit, if you can find them, you won't regret it.
Find more of the best cocktail bars in London on DesignMyNight.
