Named for a Creedence Clearwater Revival song, and slinging hot dogs, Champagne and sharp cocktails, Fortunate Son might be hard to pin down, but it’s plenty of fun trying.
There’s real community spirit here, driven largely by the layout: most of this bar is, well, the bar itself. If you’re not in one of the few spots by the window at the entrance, you’re sat front and centre on a stool across from the bar team. This means drinks take centre stage and making nice with your servers and neighbours is all part of the fun. Order a Young Henrys, say, to kick things off, then sit back in the glow of the red neon lights and tap to the beat of Johnny Cash or Hunters and Collectors as you flick through the drinks list.
Owner Dylan Howarth has eclectic taste, and it’s reflected across the menu. The classicist in him offers proper fizz in the form of Ruinart, Krug, Dom Pérignon and Moët Champagnes, a whole page of Martinis (the standard comes filthy, with a heap of olive brine, but there’s something for every taste) and tried-and-true cocktails (the “Fortunate Ones”). But then he branches out with 14 original cocktails that might be as simple as a Champagne Daiquiri or as complex as a Smoke and a Pancake, which adds banana liqueur, maple syrup and chocolate bitters to a base of Gentleman Jack whiskey and Ardbeg 10-year-old Scotch. If that’s breakfast, dinner comes in the form of hot dogs. Pick classic, New York style (with kraut) or chilli and have at it.
