Little Nan’s Deptford: Retro Cocktails That Will Blow Your Mind

Last updated on July 28th, 2021 at 11:13 pm

Little Nan’s Deptford: Arches 13-15, Deptford Market Yard, SE8 4BX

Nestled under the arches of Deptford railway station hides the retro, kitsch gem that is Little Nan’s Deptford. A definite must-see, Little Nan’s bar needs to be seen to be believed. Think car bootsale meets the ornaments in your Nan’s dresser meets Pat Butcher’s wardrobe and you’ve got an idea of the decor. Despite sounding like the recipe for an absolute eyesore, Little Nan’s Deptford oozes charm, cosiness and comfort in the way that only a truly cool bar can. You could say it’s like having a drink at your actual Nan’s, if only your Nan served blinding cocktails and pumping tunes.

With a mission to spoil guests with a nostalgic homely kitsch environment, grandson Tristan used all of his ‘Little Nan’s’ furniture, heirlooms and ornaments to deck out Little Nan’s Deptford. And nostalgic and kitsch it certainly is; I’m pretty sure my mum had Christmas decorations similar to those in Little Nan’s when I was little in the nineties. Set up in honour of his ‘Little Nan’ in 2013, Tristan wanted a place where his friends and local residents could hang out whilst meeting the amazing community of Deptford.

Since then there have been many Little Nan’s bars popping up over London, but their current residences are Deptford and Stockwell; with the addition of Grandad’s shed (a tropical themed private hire venue in Deptford), Frank’s Caravan (a caravan seating 7 in Stockwell, for those exclusive bottomless brunches) and Shirley’s Ballroom (a private hire ballroom venue also in Stockwell). Excuse me whilst I continue my search for an excuse to throw a party in Grandad’s shed…

For more cool drinking destinations in London, check out these quirky pubs in London.

Little Nan’s Deptford: The Cocktails

Originally meant to be a bar mainly stocking beer and cider, Little Nan’s have since become best known for their award winning cocktails. Named after loyal regulars, such as the ‘Lady Council Princess’ (one of my choices – delicious), plus ‘little Nan’s’ fave celebs and soap stars including the ‘Queen Cilla Black’ or ‘Lady Pat Butcher’, there are over 85 cocktails to choose from on their hand-written menus.

The fact that the menu is written in multicoloured felt tip pens by grandson Tristan just adds to the homely charm of Little Nan’s Deptford, even if you do have to take an educated guess at some of the ingredients. All at £8 or £9, we had the:

Deptford Market Mojito: spiced rum, raspberry juice, mint, apple juice, cucumber, babycham, fresh lime juice, prosecco

Lady Council Princess: Malibu, vodka, white rum, grenadine, orange juice, pineapple juice

Dame Patsy Stone: white rum, vodka, watermelon syrup, lemon juice, mango juice

Duchess Kate: spiced rum, vodka, Triple Sec, Cranberry, Lime

And boy they were DELICIOUS. Highly recommend. With at least one page each of rum, vodka, gin, whisky and liqueur cocktails there really is something for everyone. We went for fruitier flavours, however if that’s not your thing there’s the likes of the King Del Boy! or Lord Frances Drake that don’t contain fruit juice. You can also get all cocktails served in a teapot, pouring 4 cups for £24. I need at least three more trips there I think to try all of the concoctions that I had my eye on.

You know sometimes you go for cocktails, have a couple and think you may as well have been drinking juice? Well, that ain’t the case at Little Nan’s my amigos. It might have something to do with the fact that currently they’re serving double strength cocktails in pint glasses (absolute barg for £8), but we certainly came out feeling a bit wonky donky after only two cocktails each. Not so much of a shock for lightweight me, but definitely a shock for my boyf that can usually drink double what I can!

If those photos of the cocktails don’t make you want to visit Little Nan’s then I don’t know what else I can say tbh. If you’re looking for amazing cocktails, a perfectly Instagrammble environment and a small family business to support then Little Nan’s is your guy. I’ve got my eye on the Costa Del Deptford, Sexy Frank Butcher and the Queen Sarah Ferguson for my next visit. I’m thinking a Sunday afternoon sesh before finding a pub in Deptford for a roast to soak up the booze. Can’t wait.