Callooh Callay's not-so-discreet neon sign...

The newest addition to the gamut of trendy bars, shops and restaurants on ShoHo’s Rivington Street is Callooh Callay. Taking its name from the cry of the Jabberwocky, the bar is a foray into a world as absurd as the one in Lewis Carroll’s nonsense verses.

A neon sign in the form of the Chanel logo over the door might make you think that is this is another too-cool-for-school Old Street watering hole. In fact Callooh Callay is a glorious mix of eccentric junkshop furnishings from the bar that used to a warehouse roof. The pièce de resistance is a Victorian wardrobe, through which you must pass, Chronicles of Narnia-style to discover the rest of Callooh Callay’s decadence – a second, slightly more chilled-out lounge bar.

Richard Wynne used to manage another Shoreditch drinkery, the ever-sublime Lounge Lover, so it’s no surprise that the cocktails are divinely presented and created, on the menu and in the glasses. I opted for a ‘Rockin all Clover the World’, a melange of Bombay Sapphire, raspberries, Earl Grey and rhubarb – served short in a martini glass. I would quite happily drink this for the rest of my days. If you’re visiting the bar with a few friends, (or you have an insanely high alcohol tolerance level), you should definitely try their signature cocktail, the “Mad Hatter’s Tiki Punchbowl”. Served in a gramophone punchbow, this is a crazy concoction of Rum, Crème de Peche, rhubarb and ginger juice with freshly squeezed lemon juice and Angostura and grapefruit bitters. It’s enough to make your borogroves come over all mimsy!

More information is available on Callooh Callay’s website.