Jazu bring their cocktails and tunes to Deptford.

Mixing innovative drinks, a killer soundsystem and a shiny new disco ball on the dancefloor, Jazu are back with a bang in Deptford.

Meet the team behind Deptford’s newest hotspot, Jazu, a late-night cocktail and vinyl bar.

Co-founded and operated by Scott Addison, Jimmy Hanmer, and Rosie Robertson, Jazu specialises in innovative drinks and spinning HiFi tunes from their custom soundsystem. Formerly based in Peckham (formerly, formerly based in Camberwell), the Jazu crew are now permanently nestled on Deptford High Street.

We sat down with Rosie, Scott and Jim to talk about their journey that got them here as well as discussing some menu items to get you salivating, a few opinionated statements (from Jimmy of course), and some future events you won’t want to miss!

Let’s start off with some introductions.

Jimmy: So I'm Jimmy, and I'm one of the co-owners of Jazu. I’m positioned in the newly to-be-installed kitchen, and also the music side of things, but I kind of help here, there and everywhere.

Scott: I’m Scott, the other co-owner, and I'm in charge of the drinking at Jazu.

Rosie: I guess I'm Front of House and do a bit of everything.

Scott: Creative Director was the role…

Rosie: Indeed.

Side note: Personally, we would label Rosie as the glue.

How did you guys meet?

Jimmy: So, me and Rosie are in a romantic relationship and have been for 11 years, and we met on a night out in a bar. Then fast forward maybe 3 or 4 years, I was DJ’ing at Soho House, where Scott was working behind the bar. Me, being very drunk and obnoxious, asked Scott to make me all these things, like a perfect Manhattan (still don't know what that is) and all these perfect drinks. I didn’t know if they were perfect or not when I got them, but I said, “that's very good”. So, I asked where he had worked before.

Rosie: …and you’re not normally that chatty either.

Scott: The red wine lips were out that night.

Jimmy: Yeah… So, Scott said “Leeds” and “I said, oh, I've got some friends in Leeds, do you know John Gabbitas? And he had actually worked with him before! Then 4 or 5 months later we were living together (unromantically may I add), and the rest was history.

Tell us a bit about your company, your brand, and how it stands out from other vinyl bars in London.

Jimmy: I think the thing that makes us unique is that we're owner-operated.

Scott: I was going to say that!

Jimmy: Ha. Yes, we are an owner-operated bar and that’s our USP. I guess the difference is, when you come to Jazu, you meet the people who have conceived the idea and are seeing through every step. And I think that's quite a nice touch, because then you know that each part of your experience at Jazu is going to be thought about and cared for.

TheNeverPress: I agree. I think it's really nice when you go somewhere, and you get to meet the owners directly. It makes you feel like you're having a truly authentic experience.

Jimmy: Yeah it's true. For example, you know that if you ask Scott for a cocktail recommendation, you're going to get the best recommendation possible; he knows the drinks, he writes the menu, he makes them, and what more could you want than that?

Scott: Also, we strive to offer something exceptional in both music and drinks and, soon to be, food. However, it's usually one or the other with some venues. There's a lot of great sound systems around, that aren’t necessarily also known for service and drinks. We are very much trying to exceed expectations in all those elements, rather than in just one element.

Jimmy: Plus, with the music, we're constantly looking for new DJs and the network's ever expanding, and then we’ll get bigger name DJs and that brings a different crowd and a different element to our brand. The ‘ever-evolving-ness’ of it keeps us on our toes and makes it interesting for the customers.

What does ‘Jazu’ mean and where did it come from?

Rosie: Jimmy wanted to call it ‘Cosmic Being’ to begin with, which Scott and I obviously vetoed.

Jimmy: I was taking a lot of acid at the time…

Rosie: I can’t quite remember how it came about, but ‘jazu’ is Japanese for jazz, so it's a bit of a nod to the listening bars that originated in Japan in the 50s. That was sort of our starting point, musically.

Jimmy: I guess our take from it is an environment where you have access to high-quality equipment and audio, that you wouldn’t have at home. But unlike 1950s Japan, you are allowed to talk in our bars.

Tell us about the move to Deptford. What happened and how has it been?

Jimmy: I'm triggered.

Rosie: We were slightly thrown into it, but I guess it's been a good thing. It was slightly stressful looking for something we didn't know we were looking for, I guess? We were sort of starting from scratch. Again. But this place felt immediately right; perfect size, great location, and the people around here seem to care about music.

TheNeverPress: I can't really imagine where else in South London you guys would have gone. I guess you’ve done Camberwell and Peckham, and nowhere else has the same vibe of young people and a late-night culture.

Jimmy Exactly. Camberwell didn’t seem right anymore, and people go to Peckham for different reasons now.

Do you think the move will impact/has impacted the vibe of the bar?

Jimmy: It's definitely impacted the vibe of the bar because we've changed how we operate: we’re open later and we clear away the seating to make a dancefloor, for example. We’ve only been open two weekends so far, but the space has been used as we designed it, which is great.

Tell us about your favourite moments so far in Jazu history. Could be anything from a good night, a funny moment, a favourite DJ?

Rosie: Saturday just gone was pretty good! We had a DazzleDrums DJing, and it was the first night here that reaffirmed that we made a good choice, that people get it. It was busy, great atmosphere, lots of fun people and new faces. Sorry, my memory’s short… recent history I guess.

Scott: Yeah, it's hard to think back past here. There were many good moments, and they seem to get topped by the more recent good moments.

Jimmy: I think because we’ve bounced around so much over the last few years, each first night where you finally feel at home is a great night, and there’s always a memorable one. That was how last Saturday felt, that moment where it’s not just your mates coming to the bar, but it’s strangers.

What do you want people to know about Jazu that they may not know already?

Jimmy: We’re open.

Favourite drink on the menu? Which one are you most proud of?

Scott: Mezcal Mule is my favourite to drink, but I’m probably most proud of the many forms of Martini’s we’ve had - the tomato one was especially nice. Savoury and different.

TheNeverPress: I thought the Mezcal Martini was absolutely amazing.

Scott: Yep, that’s coming back.

What about food, what can we look forward to?

Jimmy: The fried cheese and lime pickle is a winner. It’s basically a beignet made with choux pastry, using Isle of Mull cheddar and comté, deep fried, and served with lime pickle. It sounds random but it kind of epitomises what we want to achieve with the food, which is that we’re a drinks-led cocktail bar with food to keep you afloat; nothing too formal and you can eat it with your fingers.

TheNeverPress: I think the burger also sounds incredible - short rib and brisket!

Jimmy: Yeah. Food’s a tricky thing isn’t it though because everyone’s a fucking expert now, aren’t they?

Meow!

Best and worst parts of being a business owner?

Rosie: It's pretty nice hanging out with your friends all day.

Scott and Jimmy: Yeah.

Rosie: Also, we're really lucky because we’ve had loads of nice staff. So, yeah, I’d say the humans that are involved are the highlight.

Scott: The highlight and the lowlight. That woman who got her tits out in Peckham…

Rosie: She wasn’t working for us!

Jimmy: That’s a highlight, what are you on about mate?

Quickfire questions, no thinking. Favourite album of all time?

Scott: Nas - Illmatic

Rosie: Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear.

Jimmy: Bill Withers - ‘Justments.

If you could have any DJ at Jazu, dead or alive, who would it be?

Rosie: Tony Blackburn

Scott: Gilles Peterson.

Jimmy: David Mancuso

Any upcoming events we can look forward to?

Jimmy: Yeah, a few things: we've got Donna Leake coming back, Al Kent too, Eddie C is coming from Canada as part of his European tour, and Professor David Nutt is doing a talk on psychedelics.

Rosie: and of course our launch on the 31^st July.

Final question - what advice would you give to people who are thinking of going their own way; those with an idea or a vision and want to make it happen, regardless of industry?

Rosie: Scott said this best on the radio. You’ve just got to do it. Just start somewhere. Whatever you have currently in your tool shed, any spare time, just start. Because we definitely weren't happy with our starting point, but it was a starting point. And then you can keep stepping it up each time. I feel like if you're aiming for perfection, you’re screwed. Just start somewhere and get going.

Jimmy: I think that’s absolutely true. And, if possible, do it with someone, or some people, whom you love because the support is the thing that will drive you through. There’s always going to be self-doubt, but with people backing you up and giving you a boost, hopefully you’ll keep going.

Jazu is located at 2 Deptford High St, London, SE8 4AF and is open late Wednesday-Thursday and later still at the weekend.

 Instagram: jazu.bar

Website: jazudrinks.com