Spend 10 minutes in this candlelit basement speakeasy, and you’ll be picturing yourself in a classic film. Downstairs from neighbourhood Italian foodie haunt Flour & Grape, 214 Bermondsey is a hit with the local crowd. Weeknights draw the after work scene from nearby London Bridge offices, but the extensive gin list and expert bartenders make this one a must-hit for cocktail lovers.

This place takes its gin so seriously, the team make their own tonic water, specifically designed to let you taste the gin front and center. We tested it out with a gin flight. You get a tray of numbered mini G&Ts, a red wax sealed envelope, and the bar’s extensive tasting notes. If you prefer your cocktails without the competition, try a Peck’em. It’s refreshing, complex and all about the grapefruit notes in Peckham’s own Little Bird Gin (mixed with Aperol, Cinzano, grapefruit juice and bitters). For a more classic aperitif - as you’d probably expect from a gin bar in an Italian restaurant - their potent Bermondsey Negroni is spot-on.