The Campside Colada is a mix of Bacardi, barbequed pineapple, toasted coconut and house marshmallow soda. It comes with a toasted marshmallow on a cocktail stick, for that added Jessie-the-cowgirl factor. I wrinkled my nose when I saw it on the menu at Showdown, the cocktail bar in the basement beneath the deep south-themed restaurant the Lockhart, in Marylebone, and promptly ordered a martini. Spoilsport? £9 seemed a bit steep for an Instagram-worthy shot and a helping hand towards type 2 diabetes.  Luckily my friend, also Jessie, an app developer, and my drinking partner for the evening, is of a similarly sunny disposition to the yodelling cowgirl star of Toy Story 2. Naturally, she ordered the Colada. The marshmallow was received with unreserved delight (and promptly Instagrammed). So was my Dirty Clean vodka martini: a touch of lemon oil offset with an olive leaf meant it was neither too oily, nor too salty, hence the titular dirty-but-clean.  That reception, in a nutshell, sums up Showdown. There are some decent cocktails on the menu here. Equally, there are the experimental Disneyland novelties (the menu is the work of drinks maestro Matt Whiley, aka the Talented Mr Fox who runs the Peg + Patriot bar at Town Hall Hotel). Those themed drinks tick the boxes of many of London’s cocktail drinkers today: a fun talking point for a date or a catch up with a friend, they’re bombastic, heady things you could never make at home. When consumed with side plates of chicken wings (sticky, tangy, oozing morsels) and catfish goujons (chewy, delicious), the marshmallow garnishes and popcorn flavours (the Ten Cents, a mix of vermouth, absinthe and gin tastes like a shot of Butterkist) become infectious, even if you’re not possessed of a sweet tooth.  Serious drinkers will enjoy the Louisiana Voodoo, a mix of parsley rum, eggplant, fermented honey and lemon. The Pick it Lick it, a blend of rye, pickled watermelon and house pecan soda, is equally mad. Accept this watering hole for what it is – a palate-challenging mix of trickery and triumph – and you’ll have a great night.
Bombastic cocktails star on the menu at the bar below the Lockhart, but you'll also find some serious concoctions says Ellie Pithers