On Hackney Road, just down the street from Cambridge Heath station, is MacSmiths. A destination for Mac and Apple users, the store has become a haven for people at their wits end trying to fix their devices. They’ve become legendary for their quick turn-around on repair, and ability to solve almost any issue. Oh, and for the secretive cocktail bar that crops up in the back when they stop trading for the day: The Natural Philosopher.
In the shop, a combination of antiques and gadgetry fills the walls and space. All around you are Macs and Apple products from as far back as the 70s, including one-offs you’re unlikely to see anywhere but a museum. Stepping through to the bar area reveals the same ‘fill the walls’ aesthetic continuing through.
The bar finds maximalist design taken to the, well, max. Low tables and plush stools are surrounded by overgrown plants that seem to grow out of the brick walls. Trinkets dot the shelves between paintings that look like they belong on the walls of a Victorian-era country manor. The feeling is warm, and the welcome is friendly and genuine. It feels like a fire should be roaring in a hearth at the side of the room, flames lapping at the rug-covered floor.
What are the drinks like, though?
The drinks at The Natural Philosopher are unique blends of “quality spirits, fresh ingredients, and unexpected botanicals sourced from the four corners of the UK”. With an emphasis on carefully selected ingredients, and how they combine to create new worlds of flavour, drinks are named after the flavour experience they evoke or the more surprising ingredients utilized. They range from the Butternut Squash with its “Rich, Savoury, Velvety” flavour profile thanks to a mix of gold rum, double jus, chipotle, and butternut cashew custard, to the “Fresh, Tropical, Easy Drinking” Mango cocktail (Scotch, apple, chocolate absinthe, and mango soda).
Ensuring they always cater to as wide an audience as possible, The Natural Philosopher also serves up a selection of Low ABV Signatures that “may have less alcohol but … don’t skimp on flavour or quality.” Designated drivers can also make use of their mocktail offering, where a special drink will be whipped up according to your own personal taste preference.
If you’re not shying away from the alcohol, however, make sure you check out their Pickleback menu. The team reckons they’re “the best in London (maybe even the world!)” – and they sure are damn tasty, with the homemade selection ranging from Traditional (Bourbon & Dill Pickle Brine) to Seoul (Soju & Kimchi Brine), and beyond.
Take the drinks home
If you fall in love with The Natural Philosopher’s cocktails, you can also take them home! They have a careful collection of four ready-to-drink cocktails available in 500ml bottles – perfect for a party, or entertaining friends. Whether you opt for the Grapefruit & Ancho Chilli Margarita, or the Cardamom & Pistachio Old-Fashioned, you can just pour over ice and get to sipping! See the full range of bottled cocktails here.
Be sure not to miss out on their happy hour – where a selection of classic cocktails are available at the steal of a price of 2 for £14. Alternatively, you can nab an Old-Fashioned, Tommy’s Margarita, or Select Spritz for just £8. And that deal is available every day, from 6-8pm.
On your way out, be sure to pull the lever on the Poem-O-Graph machine. It claims to be an “automated sentence constructor, subconscious thought configurator, and non-demonstrative effusivator“. It seems to favour spiritual and AI-sentience-influenced three-word phrases, or, indeed, poems. On my visit, the device read “I worship God”. A machine purporting to be spiritual; it’s a fitting complement to a fantastic cocktail bar hidden away inside a repair shop.