Tomorrow (Friday, 26 Sept), Brixton Alchemist Distillery becomes the epicentre of a unique event-the first official pour and the unveiling of Brixton Culture Capital Rum+ Brixton Negroni. This is your chance to be part of the rum‑over‑gin debate by engaging with the makers to commemorate Negroni Week the Brixton way.
Most accounts trace the Negroni to Count Camillo Negroni, who—so the story goes—asked Fosco Scarselli at Caffè Casoni in Florence to stiffen his Americano cocktail by swapping soda for gin. The orange garnish signalled the change, and patrons began ordering “a Negroni.” This version of events—Florence, circa 1919—remains the dominant origin.
There’s a competing narrative associated with Pascal-Olivier de Negroni, a French-Corsican officer stationed in Saint-Louis, Senegal, in the mid-19th century. Letters and later retellings suggest he mixed bitter-vermouth drinks—using French “amer” bitters (containing orange peel and quinine)—as early as the 1850s, placing an ancestor of the cocktail on Senegalese soil, war on the rocks, I hear you say. Although cocktail historians push back, citing not impossible as Campari—the red bitter central to the modern Negroni—was created in 1860, the debate continues. Florence may hold the paperwork, but Senegal holds a plausible pre-history of bitter, vermouth-led serves that echo Negroni’s flavour map.
Rum over Gin for a Brixton Negroni
Made in Brixton, with a straight face and a stirred glass. Bitterness needs a body, and Campari’s bitter orange meets its match in sugarcane and aged‑rum esters without dulling it. Our take doesn’t claim to rewrite the canon; it remixes it. By swapping gin for rum, we align the drink with Brixton’s palate and history—acknowledging that cocktails travel, change hands, and pick up accent and bassline as they go.
Celebrate Negroni Week in Brixton at @The Laundry, @Bluethroat, @Clovers, @Supercute, and @Wineparlour. Don’t forget That Tomorrow, we settle the argument in person at Brixton Alchemist Distillery.
🎟️ What’s On in Brixton (Thu 25 Sep – Wed 1 Oct)
Curated, verified and local. Twenty picks for the week ahead: music you’ll feel in your chest, culture you’ll want to talk about, and a few food-and-wine moments worth crossing the street for.
🎶 Music & Nightlife
✨ Thursday 25 Sep – House of EL + Jordan Astra @ Hootananny
7:00 pm | Hootananny, 95 Effra Rd
Soulful vocals, big-band textures and future‑R&B production in the pub garden that turns into a dancefloor after dark. A solid mid‑weeker that rewards early arrival; the support lineup keeps things tight before the headliner lifts the lid. Tickets move fast for these Thursday bills. 🎟️ Tickets @hootanannybrixton
✨ Thursday 25 Sep – xii 44 Cinematic Music EP Launch @ Brixton Jamm
7:00–10:00 pm | Brixton Jamm, 261 Brixton Rd
A tight, three‑hour live session: widescreen beats, synth swells and a room that listens. Ideal for post‑work, pre‑weekend energy. Expect friends on guest lists and a few surprise cameos from the collective’s circle. 🎟️ Tickets @brixtonjamm
✨ Friday 26 Sep – GAIKA + Lemzi @ Hootananny
From 7:00 pm | Hootananny, 95 Effra Rd
Brixton’s own experimental rap auteur brings industrial dub, dancehall undertones and serious low‑end. Lemzi warms the room with wordplay and groove. Big system, outdoor energy, late indoors afters. 🎟️ Tickets @hootanannybrixton
✨ Friday 26 Sep – Resenha XOX: Baile Funk Takeover @ Brixton Jamm
10:00 pm–5:00 am | Brixton Jamm, 261 Brixton Rd
Two rooms, two Brazils: Baile do 062 in the main room; Exxplana in Room 2. Expect funk, favela bounce and a young crowd that knows every break. Bring a crew; stay late. 🎟️ Tickets @brixtonjamm
✨ Friday 26 Sep – Live: Hip Hop, Afrobeats & RnB ’Til Late @ The Blues Kitchen
From 9:00 pm | 40 Acre Lane
House band plus DJs cycling through Beyoncé to Burna—floor‑fillers only. Free before 8 pm, then ticketed on the door; it rolls to 3 am if the room’s moving. 🎟️ Tickets @theblueskitchen
✨ Friday 26 Sep – Effra Social MegaPop (free)
10:00 pm–1:00 am | Effra Social, 89 Effra Rd
LGBTQ+‑friendly pop party hosted by Brixton Buzz. Come for bubble‑gum choruses, stay for the sing‑alongs; it’s free, sweaty and friendly. 🎟️ Tickets @effrasocial
✨ Saturday 27 Sep – Bradley Zero All Night Long @ Phonox
10:00 pm–4:00 am | Phonox, 418 Brixton Rd
Worldwide FM’s selector‑in‑chief goes deep and warm across house, broken‑beat and percussive edits. No frills, just one DJ sculpting the night; peak Phonox. 🎟️ Tickets
@phonoxlondon
✨ Saturday 27 Sep – DOTWAVNOTWAVE x REDUX @ Brixton Jamm
10:00 pm–4:00 am | Brixton Jamm
Friends‑and‑family lineup shoots across electronic, hip‑hop, trap and house. One of those nights where the back room steals your heart. 🎟️ Tickets @brixtonjamm
✨ Saturday 27 Sep – Brixton Got Soul @ The Blues Kitchen
9:00 pm–3:00 am | 40 Acre Lane
Resident live band tears through Motown and modern soul with DJs on the changeovers; £6 advance is the steal. Queue‑dodgers book ahead. 🎟️ Tickets @theblueskitchen
✨ Sunday 28 Sep – Stepps Slow Jams: R&B Day Party @ Brixton Jamm
3:00–10:00 pm | Courtyard & indoors, Brixton Jamm
Two‑steppers, this one’s yours. DJs run 90s to new‑school R&B and neo‑soul; good vibes, daylight, then dusk. 🎟️ Tickets @brixtonjamm
✨ Friday 26 Sep – lover1K, Big Softy, MM’99, Pink Eye Club @ Windmill Brixton
8:00 pm | 22 Blenheim Gardens
Four‑band bill in the shed that still makes careers. Loud, immediate, and right up against the stage. If you know, you go. 🎟️ Tickets @windmillbrixton
🎨 Art & Heritage
✨ Friday 26 Sep – Artist Talk: Soulla Petrou ‘Rewind’ @ Photofusion
6:30–7:30 pm | Photofusion, International House, Canterbury Cres
Photofusion hosts an in‑gallery talk on Petrou’s 1994–2009 music‑scene portraits—club culture, studio moments and faces that changed UK sound. One hour, seated, intimate. 🎟️ Tickets @photofusionuk
✨ Friday 26 Sep – Burlesque by Demi Noire @ The Courtesan
10:00–11:30 pm | 69 Atlantic Rd
Cocktails, dim sum, live burlesque: late‑night Brixton as theatre. Demi Noire headlines; the room is candlelit and small, so book. 🎟️ Tickets @courtesanbrixton
✨ Saturday 27 Sep – Burlesque by Marie Devilreux @ The Courtesan
10:00–11:30 pm | 69 Atlantic Rd
An old‑school star turn in a modern speakeasy setting—tight set times, smooth service and a room that knows when to hush. 🎟️ Tickets @courtesanbrixton
🧩 Everything Else (community, food, workshops, markets, talks)
✨ Friday 26 Sep – The Ultimate Buffy Quiz @ Brixton Jamm
6:00–10:00 pm | Back Room, Brixton Jamm
Rally your Scooby Gang—prizes, a warm‑up DJ set and a themed dress‑up bonus. Team tables go quickly; book ahead if you’re serious. 🎟️ Tickets @brixtonjamm
✨ Sunday 28 Sep – Harvest Festival @ Brixton Windmill
1:00–5:00 pm | Windmill Gardens, Blenheim Gardens
Free family festival at the mill: craft workshops, Morris dancing, live music, baking for kids, on‑site milling demos and Brixton Brewery pouring. A proper south‑London Sunday. 🎟️ Info @brixtonwindmill
✨ Sunday 28 Sep – Brixton Wine Festival: The Big Fair @ Brixton Village
From midday | Market Row & The Courtyard
Month‑long wine programme wraps with a free fair: producers like London Cru, Henners and Gusbourne pouring across Market Row and the Courtyard. Expect tasters, by‑the‑glass deals and live music drifting through the lanes. 🎟️ Info @brixtonvillage
✨ Wednesday 1 Oct – Women & Wines Night @ The Courtesan
7:00–11:30 pm | 69 Atlantic Rd
Mid‑week table talk with a curated wine list and Courtesan’s late‑night kitchen. Easy way to close the month and sample a few new pours. 🎟️ Tickets @courtesanbrixton
✨ Now through Sun 28 Sep – Brixton Wine Festival Specials @ The Laundry
Daytime into evening | 374 Coldharbour Ln
As part of the inaugural Brixton Beer & Wine Festival, participating venues across the neighbourhood—The Laundry among them—are running by‑the‑glass offers and specials. Pair with a roast or book a table for a low‑key wine flight. 🎟️ Info @brixtonlaundry
Stop working from home, work from Brixton's most loved coworking. £150/m. Business address @ £12.50/m and Private office @ £400/person @ Impact Brixton.
TheBccList Film & Theatre Guide (Thu 25 Sep – Wed 1 Oct)
🍿 Ritzy Cinema — What to catch this week
🍿 Thu 25 Sept – A Big Bold Beautiful Journey @ Ritzy
Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell star as strangers pulled into a surreal road trip through their pasts. Kogonada leans into romance and memory, asking whether we can rewrite who we become. Emotional swings, playful world‑building, and a final‑act gamble that divides critics. 🧪 Rotten Tomatoes: 36%. 🎟️ Book at Ritzy.
🍿 Thu 25 Sept – The Long Walk @ Ritzy
Francis Lawrence adapts Stephen King’s dystopia: 100 boys must walk without stopping; the last one standing lives. Tense, spare and brutal, the film rides strong turns from Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson. A big‑screen endurance test with real stakes and a gut‑punch finish. 🧪 Rotten Tomatoes: 89%. 🎞️ Watch Trailer 🎟️ Book at Ritzy.
🍿 Thu 25 Sept – Spinal Tap II: The End Continues @ Ritzy
Rob Reiner gets the band back together for one last concert. Guest, McKean and Shearer dust off the gags while cameos drop in and the amps still go past 10. Not the lightning‑in‑a‑bottle original, but a breezy, nostalgic riff for fans. 🧪 Rotten Tomatoes: 66%. 🎞️ Watch Trailer 🎟️Book at Ritzy.
🎭 Brixton House — Theatre pick
Now–Fri 3 Oct – Black Power Desk @ Brixton House
A new Black British musical set in 1970s London, scored with rap, reggae, soul and lovers’ rock. Two sisters split over politics and grief while a covert police unit shadows the community. Live band, vivid design and a story rooted in Brixton’s history. 🎞️ Watch Trailer 🎟️ Book Tickets — booking to 3 Oct.
Got a Brixton event, launch or screening worth shouting about? Send it to us — we’ll feature the best of the borough. 👉 Email: bcc@brixtonalchemist.com
Brixton Discounts
Supercute Taproom and Brewhouse - Free beers this weekend for all Bcc readers and 20% off all drinks after (September promo).
Impact Brixton - Free £35 coworking day pass for all readers of the Bcclist during July and August. One time application
Nuvola Pizza - Half-price pizza deal on Tuesdays at Nuvolapizza in Market Row, Brixton. Nuvolapizza is offering 50% off all pizzas on Tuesday.
Full Moon Designs - up to 50% Online sale and instore discounts on jewellery and homeware in August.
Want to sponsor us and get in front of 17000+ Brixton locals? Get in touch.
Until next Thursday, 11.11am
The BCC list