We love ourselves a good speakeasy bar and BYOC is a London favourite that comes with a twist. This 1920’s prohibition inspired spot offers a concept different to most. Guests are asked to bring their own bottle of spirit, whether that be vodka, gin, rum, or in our case, a bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila. From there, the knowledgable and talented bar staff at BYOC turn your bottle of hard liquor into creative cocktails. It’s truly a treat for those who love to try something new.
We went once in 2015 and, while our memories of the night are rather blurry, we do remember distinctly how great the cocktails were. And how drunk we got. Returning again for our second experience this week, we were looking forward to tasting our tequila concoctions and reliving our 2015 experience once more.
Our bartender at BYOC Camden was Morgan, who turned out to be not only a great cocktail shaker, but a bit of a comedian also. He struck us as a relaxed, super down-to-earth guy who just wanted us to have fun and drink to our heart’s content, minus all the fancy-schmancy pretentious stuff a cocktail bar often comes with. While he made us a bunch of great mixes, our favourite would have to be the Tequila Espresso Martini. It was quite strong upon first sip, and we were totally not into it at first; the tequlia was potent. However, a few sips in, the flavour actually grew on us and we couldn’t believe just how smoothly Jose Cuervo went down with coffee. It was rich, creamy, frothy and filling – a perfect dessert drink.
Huge thanks to BYOC and Jose Cuervo for showing us that tequila is not just for shots and frozen margaritas! Perhaps next time we’ll stop by with a bottle of something super abstract… absinthe, anyone?
