Having impressed Peckhamites with its wacky Christmas pop-up, Batch bar has now settled in for the long run among the coffee shops and brunch spots of Peckham Rye. It’s easy to miss this little cocktail bar, but if you do happen to stumble across it, you’ll step into a stunning – albeit slightly rough around the edges – indoor oasis of flowers and foliage.
Unfortunately, it went somewhat downhill from there. Since the bar has partnered with drinks consultancy Twist London, we expected the cocktails to be the stars of the show. The menu impressed, but after being given recommendations on which drinks to order, we were then informed that both our choices weren’t ready to be served. Apparently their ingredients needed time to ‘brew’, but this was at 8pm on a Saturday – peak drinking time. Not ideal. The cocktails we did end up with lacked flavour, and the complimentary pitta bread from a neighbouring pizza joint was stale and tasteless. Luckily, there’s beer from Peckham’s Brick Brewery and a decent wine list to fall back on, and you can order your Deliveroo to the bar should you get hungry.
Batch is a pretty place for a drink, and it certainly beats eating your Saturday night takeaway on the sofa, but maybe don’t visit for the cocktails – or, in our case, lack thereof.