London Calling<\/b><\/h5>\n
A lovely piece of memorabilia, I decided to keep it \u2013 despite the fact that I have no idea who any of these people are, when they lived or even really how I came to acquire it. What I do know though is that it came into my possession after a night out at The Dolphin pub in Hackney, my local dive bar 10 years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Any Londoner looking for a really, really good time until 4am should know this Mare Street institution. It\u2019s hot, it\u2019s sweaty, and being branded with its blue, dolphin-shaped stamp is akin to a badge of honour.<\/span><\/p>\n People have many definitions of a dive bar. The Urban Dictionary uses descriptors like \u2018unglamorous\u2019, \u2018shabby\u2019 and \u2018well-worn\u2019, with the drinks described as \u2018simple\u2019 and \u2018cheap\u2019. For me, however, the quality of the drinks (or lack of) isn\u2019t the defining factor of a dive bar, it\u2019s the attitude of the owners and an unspoken agreement between them, the customers and everyone involved that we\u2019re all just going to have a fucking good time.<\/span><\/p>\n Ten years ago, such places made up the majority of my drinking destinations: flashbacks to rolling down the steep staircase into Soho\u2019s Trisha\u2019s<\/a> with a flourish; dancing around my handbag (and getting it stolen) in Shoreditch\u2019s Jaguar Shoes; and pouring pints down peoples\u2019 trousers in Holloway\u2019s The Big Red (don\u2019t ask). Back then, a \u00a34 spirit and mixer or a pint of mediocre lager did the job.<\/span><\/p>\n Sadly, many classic venues are falling victim to Covid, changing consumer tastes and the growing costs of running a bar. One such institution is The Crobar (photo below) which, despite raising considerable funds to save it from the claws of Covid, has sadly closed its doors. Owner Richard Thomas opened the legendary rock \u2018n\u2019 roll bar back in 2001 after a bartending career that began in 1981. After stints at two former music destinations, The Borderline and The Garage, he opened the rock and roll bar he\u2019s always wanted to drink in. \u201cIt was something that a lot of people wanted, not just myself,\u201d he tells me. \u201cWithin a year or even eight months we took off, we were busy before we\u2019d even got a name.\u201d For those who might not have figured it out yet, The Crobar was named after the heavy metal tool.<\/span><\/p>\n Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights!<\/p><\/div>\n Drinks may have been simple (spirits and mixers, and beers) but Thomas never wavered on quality. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a believer in giving people quality booze\u2026 Right from the start our aim was to have the best liquor in town.\u201d With a rock crowd bourbon was a popular choice, with around 50 on the back bar and Bulleit as the house pour \u2013 selling 90 bottles a week at its peak. Thomas was also sure to have about six to eight Scotches, half a dozen Irish whiskeys and 12 good quality Tequilas which Thomas was keen to give his guests as a serious sipper. \u201cWe stopped offering people salt and lime with Tequila<\/a> because it was nice to drink by itself and our Tequila sales just went up and up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He even eschewed fridges (\u201cfridges in bars are the most pointless waste of money) for chilling his beers in ice and water to ensure someone ordering a beer at 2.45am had as cold a beer as someone who ordered one at opening time. A refreshing approach to many of the other rock bars I\u2019ve frequented over the years. \u201cThis idea of doing booze like McDonald\u2019s appals me \u2013 a good bar is when you\u2019d rather be there than in your house\u2026 That\u2019s why people always arrived at 8pm with intentions of leaving at 11pm and staying till 3am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n So, why are these institutions struggling to survive? Thomas is refreshingly open about how financially difficult it became for bars like The Crobar to keep their doors open, citing a decline in office workers, less tourists who would spend good money in theatres and restaurants which in turn was spent by their staff in his bar, and landlords upping the rent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSoho in the \u201890s and the early \u201800s was bloody fantastic. You could go out and you could go to half a dozen really cool bars and rock clubs. But after 2008, that was a game changer\u2026 It got tougher and tougher, landlords got greedier, the government got greedier, in 2014 they put the rates up by 111% overnight. My rent when I left was \u00a3130k a year\u2026 Margins got smaller too \u2013 in the 90s margins were 72%, but by the time I left Crobar it was 42% because of endless costs.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Diveyish, it’s The bar at Two Schmucks<\/p><\/div>\n It might look like the classic dive bar\u2019s days are numbered, yet a recent trip to Barcelona in November pointed to the future. I found myself in Two Schmucks, a bar that defines itself as a \u2018five-star dive bar\u2019. It has all the hallmarks of a classic dive (neon signage, Converse hanging from the walls, a definite dancing on tables vibe) but its drinks certainly aren\u2019t. Drinking fancy cocktails like the Melon, Cheese and Pepper (combining melon cordial, gin, vermouth and burrata) amidst the revelry that comes with the Two Schmucks<\/a> crowd might be the most fun I\u2019ve had while drinking cheese foam.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe concept of Two Schmucks wasn\u2019t decided by us, it happened as a result of us trying to work around a tonne of limitations \u2013 mostly financial,\u201d laughs co-founder Moe Aljaff. \u201cWe knew what we could do and we believed in the service we provided. We started without any money so we built everything ourselves and tried to get whatever we could to deck out the bar.\u00a0 It took us a year before we first used the phrase \u2018a five-star dive bar\u2019, the bar took on its own concept and we just kind of went with it.\u201d\u00a0 The combination of quality cocktails and divey vibes has clearly paid off, with the bar being ranked at number 11 at World\u2019s 50 Best Bars and the end of 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n But what about back on UK soil? After two days with the Schmucks (including at their new karaoke bar Lucky Schmuck) I realised \u2013 Covid-aside \u2013 it had been ages since I\u2019d had such a raucous night out in my own hometown. When I posted on a London bartender Facebook group asking for people\u2019s favourites, one member replied with eight damning words: \u201cThere are no real dive bars in London.\u201d Shots officially fired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say these kinds of bars don\u2019t still exist \u2013 they just appear in different guises. Lyndon Higginson, the brains behind Junkyard Golf Club, Crazy Pedro\u2019s, The Liars Club and other Manchester haunts has done a formidable job of combining divey surrounds and late-night destination bars with drinks lists to please a more discerning drinking crowd. Below Stonenest, a new basement bar in Soho, is making its mark too with cocktails like White Port and Tonic, Joan Collins, Zombies and a small but discerning wine list.<\/span><\/p>\n And the old guard are revinenting themselves too. Richard Thomas is waiting for <\/span>Covid subsidies to come through before unveiling the new guise of The Crobar which will undoubtedly be welcomed with open arms and mouths from its already loyal following \u2013 and hopefully, a new one too. He is eagerly counting down the days. \u201cYou have no idea how much I want to listen to heavy metal and get shitfaced.\u201d Here\u2019s to diving into 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n We called for members of the bar industry to tell us their favourite dive bars. Here are five of the most popular<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n This bar industry regular is still a sure thing if you find yourself in Soho and in need of a bar to prop up till 3am. It\u2019s basement bar, The Pink Chihuahua, is where you\u2019ll find all the tequila and a place to dance with zero judgement.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Roses are red, violets are blue, shots of tequila, Blink 182.\u2019 It seems poetry and agave spirits are both a strength of this basement tequileria in Liverpool. Walls are festooned with a mish mash of Mexican memorabilia while cocktails are fun but packed full of the bar staffs\u2019 knowledge of all things agave.<\/span><\/p>\n Pizza and nachos seem to be Pedro\u2019s favourite drinking foods, and chances are you\u2019ll need some to soak up all the cocktails that scream out from the menu. Classics include the likes of El Diablo and Ped\u2019s Spritz, while house cocktails use ingredients like Batanga Reposado, Koch Espadin and supasawa.<\/span><\/p>\n This Islington-by-way-of-America favourite is described more as a \u2018vibe\u2019 bar but people who have worked there firmly put it in the dive category. Whisky<\/a> is the spirit du jour with over 80 bottles from around the world on the back bar and live music and the obligatory jukebox add to the vibes.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Crobar](\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Crobar-3-optimised.jpg\")
Dive bar paradiso<\/b><\/h5>\n
Is this the end of the dive bar?<\/b><\/h5>\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.masterofmalt.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/tweKwKh8-1024x577.jpeg\")
Divey vibe, but with great drinks<\/b><\/h5>\n
Looking for a raucous night out?<\/b><\/h5>\n
6 of the UK\u2019s best dive bars<\/b><\/h5>\n
El Camion, London<\/b><\/a><\/h5>\n
El Bandito, Liverpool<\/b><\/a><\/h5>\n
Crazy Pedro\u2019s, Manchester<\/b><\/a><\/h5>\n
Slim Jim\u2019s Liquor Store, London<\/b><\/a><\/h5>\n
La Pantera, Cardiff<\/b><\/a><\/h5>\n