The ‘navvies’ of Chalk Farm: fist fights, rowdy pubs and raffling a dead body
August 29, 2024
Life was dangerous, drunken and relentlessly tough for the men who transformed the neighbourhood carving out the railways
As you will no doubt have been reminded – either by an evangelical participant or your own sense of despair – it’s currently Dry January.
Nothing reveals the tortured Great British relationship with alcohol quite like the number of cheery annual initiatives during which the goal is to go alcohol-free in Camden and stop consuming the stuff altogether.
You can even get sponsored for all that resolute inaction, but with 58% of us still reportedly drinking for the express purpose of ‘getting drunk’, you could say the month is still a mighty achievement, of sorts.
However, the welcome rise of grownup alternatives to ethanol-based drinks is slowly watering down this absurd all-or-nothing approach to moderation, meaning that a night out now offers a genuine alcohol-free choice of boozing, abstention or indeed – 😱 – a little bit of both.
Here’s our pick of six top spots you can find locally, each really innovating in the ever-expanding no/low alcohol field…
Drury Lane is London’s epicentre of the sober-curious scene, hosting weekly alternative beer, wine and cocktail nights, the LGBTQ-friendly event Queers Without Beers, and running courses to help you drink (or not) more mindfully.
Their shop is stocked with loads of cutting edge bottles worth trying, such as Everleaf’s non-alcoholic aperitifs and the impressive range of Moderato 0% wines.
Find out all about Club Soda and its shop, events and courses
Over in Marylebone, leading alcohol-free beer brand Lucky Saint recently acquired their very own boozer, pouring their eponymous beer on tap, alongside a line-up of traditional alcohol-based pints.
They have one of London’s biggest selection of other AF drinks available, too, from loads of no/low bottles and cans through to decent alcohol-free cocktails, pushing the boundaries of what a proper pub visit can be about.
Discover more about the pub and read its extensive drinks list
Despite it’s full strength reputation, Camden High Street’s bring-your-own-bottle underground speakeasy is an ideal place to go booze-free.
Simply take in your low or no alcohol faves, or try out something new, and let their in-house mixologists work up a few libation creations that will feel truly worthy of a big night out.
Hop on the Overground to a neatly scrubbed-up railway arch at Hackney Downs, and inside you’ll find a completely booze-free taproom.
It’s all courtesy of 0.5% heroes LOAH Beer, so you can enjoy the full not-too-sweet fruit-inspired range available on draft, alongside art and vinyl records for sale, all served up in a bright ‘n cheery interior.
Learn more about LOAH beers, their stylish designers, newly referbed taproom and more
Halal restaurants often opt for a poor selection of basic sweet canned drinks, but this beloved Latin-Caribbean institution makes a big play of it’s speciality 0% alcohol cocktail menu, blended fruit juices and shots.
While neighbouring sister restaurant Bintang has bowed to serving beers, wines and spirits, losing a touch of their original BYO charm, your drinker friends are welcome to bring bottles in to Guanabana, making it a great spot for mixed drinking parties and alcohol-free in Camden.
We’re fortunate enough to have the world’s first heavy metal alcohol-free bar here in Camden, found at the back of new coffee shop and vinyl emporium of Raven Records.
Owner Ben has been sober for 17 years, and has sourced a mighty 0% selection including seven different whiskeys, AF gin, vodka, and tequila, draft 0.0 Heineken and an array of botanical and CBD based mood-enhancing drinks, too.
Details on Raven Records bar, coffee shop and music store, inc. drinks menu
If you enjoyed this article, you can see more lists on Camdenist website.
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