25 CANONBURY LANE

Tucked away at the Highbury end of Upper Street, 25 Canonbury Lane is surrounded by a tangle of swanky Georgian townhouses of the kind once occupied by Tony and Cherie Blair. (Don’t worry, this would not be their kind of bar, although Linda Blair would probably enjoy seeing the regulars fired up on cocktails and possessed by the spirit of having a good time.) Though it’s away from the main Islington action, being hidden away is an asset – the bar attracts an unpretentious local crowd and you won’t have to camp out at the bar for an hour every time you want a drink.

With its stripped back-interior and grown-up cocktail menu, this is one for drinkers who find the Marquess Tavern a bit too foodie and the Elk in the Woods a little knowing and urbane. Lined with timber and old mirrors and lit by candles and chandeliers, the lounge is small enough to feel cosy, but roomy enough that you don’t have to worry about fellow revellers spilling your drink. Weekends are boisterous; weekday evenings are quieter, with a regular crowd of local thirty-somethings who drop by for a chinwag with the bar staff and an inexpensive bowl of Thai curry on the way home from work.

In a neighbourhood where vodkatonic is frequently the most imaginative cocktail, the list of shots and modern classics is impressive (the raspberry martinis and Manhattans come highly recommended), but plenty of regulars retreat with a bottle of wine to the cosy nook at the back, with its skylight roof, flagstone floor and divans piled with cushions. It’s the best spot in the bar and accordingly it gets grabbed almost immediately – come early if you want to stake out this space at weekends.