But the purpose of this impeccably designed bar that presides over the high street is to direct attention towards its smaller, less obvious cousin: Buster Mantis , a casual Jamaican bar and restaurant also owned by McGowan, five minutes walk away under a railway arch.

At the top of Deptford high street in South East London is a bright white, glass-fronted bar. The interiors are on point: green plants frame the windows and minimal interiors give it a Scandinavian look. Stockton , recently opened by longtime resident Gordon McGowan, certainly stands out against the grey streets, budget supermarkets, and old man pubs that surround it.

The selection of spirits at Stockton. All photos by author.

“I had this concept at the time, four years ago or whatever … ” McGowan says, then pauses for a moment. “At this point, I'll probably show you a prop.”

Finally, two years after the opening of Buster Mantis and its establishment as a firm neighbourhood favourite , Stockton launched in July. I glance at the list of cocktails: there’s one called “Benoit” with vodka, black pepper, and strawberry; the “Sloan” with sloe gin, campari, and marmalade; and many more similarly bizarre-sounding names. Speaking of which, I have no idea why the bar is called “Stockton.” Am I missing something?

“I found Stockton at the exact same time as I found Buster Mantis, and I fell in love with both of them in different ways,” McGowan tells me when I arrive at Stockton on a sunny Thursday morning. “I loved the idea of having both of them, and both of them doing distinctly different things. Even though we set our sights on Buster Mantis and making it what it is, a small part of me always checked back at this place.”

He jumps up off his seat, heads behind the bar, and brings back a picture frame. Inside it is a basketball card.

“Do they get a free cocktail if they get it right?” I ask.

“The cocktails are all Utah Jazz teammates. Well, mostly,” explains McGowan. “We've had one person realise it.”

Huh. Well, this is a subject I didn’t anticipate covering when coming to check out a new bar in South London. I listen obligingly, taking note for any future pub quiz rounds on niche basketball facts.

“It was always Malone scoring baskets,” he continues, “but if it hadn't been for Stockton then you could argue that Malone wouldn't have been nearly as great. I always liked the idea of having a small place on the high street that was a lot more prominently located, and that we could use to help people know about Buster Mantis—to kind of assist it. So, this could be the Stockton to the Malone that is Buster Mantis.”

“Yeah, exactly,” says McGowan. “He always used to play with one big teammate called Karl Malone, and the two of them just became very legendary for being a duo .”

“When I was a kid growing up in Jamaica, I was always a big fan of this man: John Stockton,” McGowan explains, pointing to the picture. “John Stockton used to play for a team called the Utah Jazz, back in the 80s and 90s, and he wasn't a very glamorous player but he played with a bigger teammate, and helped his team make excel.”

The year of John Stockton’s team—1998—also coincides with the year McGowan moved to the UK.

“I grew up in Jamaica and I moved here when I was a teenager,” he tells me. “Buster Mantis is my Jamaican side and Stockton is more my British, South London side. I moved around here and I've lived here ever since.”

Opening Stockton has allowed McGowan to explore both ends of his personal culinary spectrum. At Buster Mantis, you’ll find guava and coconut-based cocktails, jerk chicken, and plantain. At Stockton, however, the cocktails are eclectic and guest chefs invited for kitchen residencies offer dishes that range from vegan tacos to Lebanese sharing plates.

“Here, we could be a little more free,” McGowan explains. “When I lived in Jamaica, it was quite narrow but moving here I discovered so many kinds of cultures, different foods, and [types of] music, and I wanted here to reflect that more.”

“[Buster Mantis] is based on my childhood,” he concludes, “whereas [Stockton] is more based on my adulthood.”

We turn back to the cocktail menu. “There are Asian influences in them, there are Nordic influences in them, there's Italian. There's lots of different influences, nationalities, and ingredients that you wouldn't find in Jamaica, but you would find in South London because you've got everything.”