Former Drake & Morgan team open new London bar

Set to open at the end of August, Shrub and Shutter in Brixton, south London is being billed as a ‘neighborhood cocktail and snack bar ‘ and is the latest venture from Dave Tregenza and Chris Edwards – who both previously held managerial positions at Drake & Morgan.

Chef Yann Baril, also from Drake and Morgan, will be creating a weekly changing menu that includes tartars, ceviches and carpaccios, all of which will be paired with cocktails.

Cocktails and food​

The menu will see dishes such as dressed crab with samphire, Sicilian olives, caviar and edible sand paired with a dirty martini and cured herring with pink grapefruit and pickled cucumber matched with a dill and cucumber shrub martini.

A wild venison gravlax with pistachio comes paired with a hunter old fashioned cocktail – Eagle rare bourbon, cigar bitters, birch, dill and orange while a trout and seabass ceviche sits alongside a classic pisco sour.

The drinks menu will feature modern, innovative, interactive and bespoke cocktails created with local, seasonal and homemade ingredients.

Cocktails include the jugged peas – Snow Queen Vodka with chicken stock, clarified tomato, fresh mint, pea, asparagus and pickle and spice served with crispy bacon and chicken skin.

The shortbread millionaire will infuse Whitley neill gin, gentleman badger sloe gin and apricot shrub complete with a serving of shortbread.

Inspiration​

Co-owner Dave Tregenza said: “We take inspiration from all around the world, especially a nod to Singapore, America and Australia. 

“Chris and I have a love for food, the art that goes into the presentation and techniques. We are involving some of those in the cocktails - making dishes into drinks, having a lot more savoury cocktails, pickled and seasoned. There will also be clever twists on classics and we are indeed trying to take it up a notch or two, serving little bits of food to match with the cocktails, and to add to the finish on the palate.”

The Site​

Shrub and Shutter will sit on Brixton’s Coldharbour Lane on the site of previous wine bar My Father’s Place, marking the second cocktail bar to open on the street within a month.

The venue will consist of two rooms spanning 60 covers with a high level seating and bar area in the front while music will be played in the back room which will contain larger tables and an interactive blackboard on one wall detailing the workings out of different cocktails and dishes.

The interior in the front room is set to be bright and clean with the bar consisting of a large oak table which the bar staff will work around.

Herb garden​

There will also be a large back bar with lesser known spirits supporting smaller breweries and distilleries plus pickle jars, vessels and glassware containing herb gardens on the wall.

A larger herb garden will sit on the roof where cress and other small vegetables will be grown and a small outside area will accommodate smokers.

Tregenza and Edwards together co-own cocktail consultancy business Salt of the Earth and occupy a 15 year lease on the Shrub and Shutter site in Brixton.