Mule Bar: A retro cocktail den with a Fun Lovin’ DJ

Underneath quirky East End eatery The Holy Birds, where game and poultry dominate the menu, sits retro-styled, secret cocktail den Mule Bar.

This funky stylish space is designed to transport you back to the swinging sixties with its era-original furnishing, all the way down to the wallpaper and lamps. You can almost expect the Kray twins to walk in at any moment.

A separate space, the Manhattan Room, comes with plenty of stateside swagger, and was the setting for a night on the decks from Fun Lovin’ Criminal’s front man and BBC 6 Music presenter, Huey Morgan.

Throwing out nostalgic, old-skool, funk and hip-hop, Huey’s presence instantly upgraded the coolness of this place.

Huey seemed to enjoy chilling out with everyone and doing his thing, while people danced the night away New York style.

“Have me back, man”, the DJ said to the manager after performing an extra half hour on his set. They should take him up on his offer.

The drinks helped, of course. Mule Bar offers all the classics as well as specialising in bespoke numbers. A straight-up Manhattan made with rye whisky, sweet vermouth and bitters is accompanied on the menu by smoky, fruity and olive oil-laced versions of the classic.

The bartenders are happy to recommend cocktails based on your preferred tipple and explain everything to you in detail. Take The Sidecar, for example. It’s thought to have been created at Harry’s New York Bar, Paris, for a First World War captain who would show up in a sidecar for his favourite drink. Each cocktail on the menu has a similar backstory.

The staff at Mule Bar welcome you in as if it’s their own living room. There is zero attitude, just a good time vibe.

It’s worth keeping an eye on the website for which DJs they have coming up, but the bar has all the right ingredients for a good night irrelevant of who’s on the decks.

99 Middlesex Street, London E1 7EZ; theholybirds.com

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