The best cocktail bars in Clapham

The best cocktail bar in Clapham is Doghouse Distillery's bar on Clapham Common South Side, and the drink is an old fashioned. Clapham's cocktail scene runs from distillery bars and secret flats to rooftops and two-for-one happy hours, and almost all of it is within a few minutes of Clapham Common tube. Here is where to drink, and what to order.

Doghouse Distillery, 10 Clapham Common South Side

The London distillery's own bar has the most extensive old fashioned menu in the city, in flavours from cherry maple to salted caramel to black forest. Can't choose? Order a flight of minis. Every cocktail is £9 to £12. Upstairs, tables sit between racks of 40 whisky barrels; downstairs is a low-lit speakeasy used for masterclasses, private parties and open mic nights. There is live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and it stays open until 2am at the weekend. If someone in the group wants a pint, there is Mondo, Belleville and Guinness.

The Little Orange Door, 16a Clapham Common South Side

A few doors along, the Little Orange Door is a bar disguised as a flat. You knock to get in, and inside it is a house party: DJs, bar bites, bottomless brunches and sharing cocktails served in disco balls. The Nudge notes a 2am curfew, so this is a late one. Come with a group and order something to share.

Mimosa, 64 Clapham High Street

The newest big bar on the High Street, over several floors with a rooftop garden that has a retractable roof. The bar makes its own syrups and cordials, with green tea, lemongrass and rose tea. Order the Hibiscus Sour, with pisco, hibiscus, cardamom and Aperol, or The Hot & Smoky, with mezcal, sweet vermouth, spicy honey and chocolate bitters. Not drinking? The Greenhouse Cooler is on the zero-proof list. It stays open until 3am.

Venn Street Records, 78 Venn Street

Venn Street Records is the happy hour everyone knows: two-for-one cocktails from 5pm to 8pm, every day, including in the heated garden. On Thursdays cocktails are £7 all night. There are DJs and live acts, and it is open until 2am from Thursday to Saturday. Arrive before eight to make the deal count.

Simmons, Clapham High Street

A High Street favourite for a big night, with happy hour cocktails, DJs and Margarita Mondays. Go for the start of the week, when the margaritas are the reason to leave the house.

Aquum, 68-70 Clapham High Street

Aquum is the High Street's all-in-one late night: a basement bar with a split-level VIP lounge, a heated rooftop for cocktails, guest DJs and nights with burlesque and fire eaters. Fridays are two-for-one on drinks all night if you are in before 11pm, and weekend bottomless brunch is £35 for 90 minutes. It opens Thursday to Sunday only, until 3.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. It is a party, not a quiet drink, and there is a birthday package if you are celebrating.

Cocktails with dinner

• Maai, 33-35 Abbeville Road. The bar menu is written by Isha Pathakji, sister of chef Nikita. Order the buttered popcorn old fashioned or the lime pickle margarita, before dinner or instead of it.
• The Pepper Tree, 19 Clapham Common South Side. Two-for-one cocktails from 4pm to 7pm, Monday to Thursday, with Thai food to match.

Over by the Junction

• The Thieves, 51 Lavender Gardens. A pub in a former Victorian music hall with two-for-one cocktails, a retro arcade, pool, darts and karaoke booths. It holds up to 500 people, food is by Balans, and it is made for a big group birthday. Go with a gang.
• Northcote Records, 8-10 Northcote Road. Two-for-one cocktails until 7pm from Monday to Thursday, with live music most nights.

A Clapham cocktail night

Start early on Venn Street for the two-for-one, then walk down to Clapham Common South Side for an old fashioned at Doghouse. If the night is still going, knock on the Little Orange Door a few doors away, or head up the High Street to Mimosa for the rooftop. The first stops are a short walk apart around Clapham Common tube, so the only planning you need is a sensible shoe.

Know before you go

Friday and Saturday nights on the High Street and the South Side are busy and loud. Weekday evenings are calmer, and that is when most of the deals run. Happy hours mostly finish by 7pm or 8pm, so start early. Doghouse's listed hours begin on Tuesday, and Aquum opens Thursday to Sunday, so plan Monday drinks around Venn Street or The Pepper Tree.