Nocturne A speakeasy cocktail bar in Southampton
Four tables, low light and a very good bartender, behind the front door of a Georgian town house. Classics made properly, a house list you won’t find anywhere else, and jazz at the volume of conversation. By reservation only.
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4
Tables
Four tables and a few seats at the bar. When they’re taken, they’re taken; nobody is squeezed in beside you.
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75
Bottles behind the bar
Twelve gins, from the Isle of Wight to Winchester. Twenty-one whiskies. Ten rums. And a Hennessy XO for the end of a very good day.
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9
Rooms next door
The stairs, not a taxi. Nine bedrooms at No.4 Carlton, one door along the crescent, and breakfast in Maison D’Or.
Reserved. Poured. Unhurried.
Most bars in Southampton are on a street you walk down. Nocturne is behind the front door of a Georgian town house on Carlton Crescent: four tables, a marble-topped bar, panelled walls the colour of midnight, and jazz played at the volume of conversation.
We don’t take walk-ins. A table is reserved in your name and it’s yours for the evening rather than for a two-hour slot; the bartender remembers what you drank last time; and nobody is standing three deep behind your chair. It is the bar of a private house, because that is exactly what it is.
The night doesn’t rush here. It lingers.
A table in your name, for the night
Four tables and a handful of seats at the bar, reserved by name and held with a card. Wednesday to Saturday from five TBC; guests of No.4 Carlton any evening, through reception; members of Club Nocturne after the club closes at eleven.
Classics made properly, and a house list
An Old Fashioned on Buffalo Trace, a Negroni on Mermaid gin from the Isle of Wight, a French 75 finished with Champagne. Four house cocktails, starting with the Maison Rose. Behind them, seventy-five bottles, from Hampshire gins to Hibiki.
Jazz at the volume of conversation
A crystal lamp on every table, the Sonos tuned to the 1920s, a live trio on selected nights TBC. Come before dinner, after the theatre, or make Nocturne the whole evening: the last pour is at midnight.
The list
Timeless classics and four of our own, made to order at the bar in front of you with premium spirits and fresh ingredients. The prices below are the prices; there is no service charge on the list.
Delicious, memorable, and reassuringly expensive.The house, on its cocktails
Nocturne
Drinks · May 2026Signature
Maison Rose
£18Crème de cassis, rose syrup, Black Chalk vodka
Mocha Noir
£16Mermaid Salt vodka, Kahlúa, espresso, dark crème de cacao, cream
Golden Hour Spritz
£16Aperol, St-Germain, Black Chalk sparkling wine, pink grapefruit soda
Hampshire Garden
£16Dry gin, St-Germain, lemon, cucumber and watermelon soda
The classics
Old Fashioned
£15Buffalo Trace bourbon, sugar, Angostura bitters
Negroni
£15Mermaid gin, Campari, sweet vermouth
Martini
£15Mermaid gin or Black Cow vodka, dry vermouth
French 75
£15Mermaid gin, lemon, sugar, Champagne
Mojito
£14Duppy Share white rum, lime, mint, soda
Margarita
£14Vivir Blanco tequila, Cointreau, lime
Without
Maison Spritz
£8Everleaf Forest, Indian tonic
Marine Citrus Highball
£10Everleaf Marine, ginger ale, lemon
Everleaf Sunset
£10Everleaf Mountain, pineapple, grenadine
Five o’clock, and then the rest of the night
The front door
The bell, your name on the list, coats taken. Your table is the one with the lamp already lit.
The first pour
A Martini on Mermaid gin, stirred, or a glass of Black Chalk from the Test Valley if the evening is starting gently.
Dinner, or not
Upstairs to Orchidée if there’s a dinner, out into town if there isn’t. The table is yours when you come back.
The set
On selected nights, a trio in the corner. On the others, the Sonos and the 1920s, never louder than you are. TBC
The nightcap
A Glenmorangie Signet, a Hennessy XO, or the Mocha Noir if the night still has ideas.
The last pour
Midnight, and not a word of it shouted from behind the bar. TBC
The stairs, not a taxi
Nine rooms next door at No.4 Carlton. Breakfast in Maison D’Or forgives most things.
The bar to yourselves
Ten to thirty guests, the door closed, the bartender yours for the evening. Three ways to take Nocturne, each with a price on it; everything else, from the canapés to the trio in the corner, we arrange around your night.
The Reception
- Nocturne closed to everyone but you, for three hours
- A signature cocktail on arrival, then the list at bar prices or on a tab
- Six canapés a head from the kitchen
- A bartender who learns names by the second round
- Add a live jazz set, or dinner upstairs in Orchidée
- Engagement drinks, big birthdays, leaving dos, the office that deserves better
The Masterclass
- Ninety minutes behind the bar with our bartender
- Three cocktails made by you: a classic, a house cocktail and one of your own
- The history you’ll repeat at dinner parties for years
- Canapés between rounds
- Then your table for the rest of the evening
- Hen parties, birthdays, team nights that aren’t bowling
The Tasting
- Five pours, led by our bartender or a guest sommelier
- Hampshire gins, single malts from Speyside to Japan, or a wine flight with cheese
- Notes to take home, and the one bottle you’ll go looking for
- A cocktail to finish
- Client evenings, birthdays, the wine club that has outgrown the kitchen table
Prices include VAT. A deposit secures the date; a minimum spend applies on Fridays and Saturdays TBC. Both houses are listed Georgian buildings on a residential crescent, so the music stays inside: jazz, yes; DJs, no. The rooms, numbers and packages are in the events brochure (PDF).
Where the celebration ends up
Stop for a drink. Live a lifetime.
Every good evening in the house finishes in Nocturne. The Champagne after the wedding breakfast upstairs, the engagement drinks that started as “a quick one”, the hen party that began with afternoon tea at three, the Christmas reception with a signature cocktail and a trio in the corner. The bar is the last room of the night, and the one people remember.
Club Nocturne
Two floors up, in Atelier, is a private members’ club for thirty: a lounge to work and think in, desks for the day, a ten-seat boardroom, and a kitchen that never runs out of coffee, Monday to Saturday from nine until eleven. Poker nights, guest speakers, and tastings that are more sommelier than sales pitch.
When the club closes, members come down the stairs to Nocturne, where the bar knows them and takes ten per cent off the bill.
- 30Members, by invitation
- £300A month
- Mon–Sat09:00 to 23:00
- 10%Off in Nocturne
Effortless. Membership is limited
The bar, the lounge and the crescent outside
Two Georgian town houses on the finest street in Southampton, photographed as they are: the bar, the lamps, the panelling the colour of midnight, and the front door you’ll be expected at.
Photography by Maison Carlton and Jenny Appleton
Next door on the crescent
Cocktails, then the stairs
Nine individually designed rooms — two Deluxe, five Superior Deluxe and two Executive King — in the Georgian town house next door. Book a room and Nocturne becomes the end of a night away rather than the start of a taxi queue: cocktails at seven, breakfast in Maison D’Or the morning after. Hotel guests reserve their table through reception, any evening the bar is open.
“The staff made me feel at home.”Stefy O · Tripadvisor · September 2026
“Beautifully styled and you immediately feel the zen. There are only nine rooms so it’s very intimate.”Lorri H · Tripadvisor · August 2026
“The cutest, best room I’ve ever stayed at. Perfect in every category.”Julie J · Tripadvisor · August 2026
“The breakfast was absolutely superb, with a great selection of high-quality food and excellent service.”DRD01 · Tripadvisor · June 2026
Guest reviews of No.4 Carlton Boutique Hotel, next door. Read them all
Questions people ask before they reserve
The practical answers: the door, the hours, the dress code, deposits, food, music, private hire and the club upstairs. Anything else, call +44 (0)23 8110 2222.
Reserve a tableCan we just walk in?
No, and we know how that sounds, so here’s why: four tables. Nocturne is the bar of a private house. A table is reserved in your name and held with a card, and the front door opens for a name on the list, a guest of No.4 Carlton next door, or a member of Club Nocturne upstairs. That is what keeps the room quiet. TBC
Reserve below or by phone. For tonight, ring us: if a table is free, it’s yours.
When is Nocturne open?
Wednesday to Saturday from five until midnight, with arrivals from five to half past nine. TBC Guests of No.4 Carlton can reserve any evening through reception. TBC
December, New Year’s Eve and private hire change the pattern; the reservation form only offers evenings we’re open.
How long is the table ours?
For the evening. We don’t run two-hour slots: reserve for seven and the table is yours until the last pour. If you’re going out to dinner and coming back for a nightcap, tell us and we’ll keep it. TBC
Is there a dress code?
Smart casual, with the emphasis on smart. Jackets, shirts, dresses and smart jeans are all at home in a 1920s room; sportswear and hoodies aren’t. Effort is noticed.
Do you take a deposit?
A card holds the table and nothing is charged unless the table doesn’t arrive. For groups of seven or more we take £10 a head, which comes off the bill. TBC
Private hire, masterclasses and tastings are confirmed with a deposit set out in your proposal.
Is there food?
Bar snacks and a short list of things that go with a drink: olives, nuts, and charcuterie and cheese boards from the kitchen. TBC For private hire, canapés.
For dinner, Orchidée upstairs and Maison D’Or take private tables, and the evening ends back in the bar.
Is there live music?
Jazz is the sound of the room. On selected nights a pianist or a trio plays live TBC; on the others, the Sonos plays a 1920s list at the volume of conversation. Live sets and the Christmas programme are announced here and on Instagram.
Private hire can add a live set for the evening.
Can we hire Nocturne privately?
Yes. Exclusive use for 10 to 30 guests with a cocktail on arrival and canapés from £55 per person; a cocktail masterclass for 6 to 12 from £60; gin, whisky or wine tastings for 8 to 20 from £45. TBC At Christmas there’s the Nocturne Reception, and the bar is part of every wedding and dinner in the house.
Use the form below and choose private hire, or email events@maisoncarlton.com.
What is Club Nocturne, and do I have to be a member to drink here?
No. Club Nocturne is the private members’ club two floors up in Atelier: thirty members, £300 a month, Monday to Saturday from nine until eleven, by invitation and interview. Members get ten per cent off in the bar and come down the stairs when the club closes.
The bar itself is open to anyone with a reservation. About the club.
Where are you, is there parking, and how old do we have to be?
3 Carlton Crescent, a ten-minute walk from Southampton Central and a short walk from Bedford Place. On-street parking and public car parks are close by. TBC The bar is on the ground floor; tell us about any access needs and we’ll seat you accordingly.
Over-18s only, with Challenge 25 at the door. TBC The list has three cocktails without alcohol and a low-alcohol pale ale, so nobody drives home on tonic water.
Reserve your table
Choose an evening and an arrival time, tell us how many, and we’ll confirm by email within four working hours. For tonight, call: if a table is free, it’s yours. For seven or more, or the bar to yourselves, the same form starts the conversation.
We confirm within 4 working hours-
+44 (0)23 8110 2222Reservations, Monday to Saturday · tonight’s table, any time after four
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events@maisoncarlton.comPrivate hire, masterclasses and tastings
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3 Carlton Crescent, Southampton SO15 2EYTen minutes’ walk from Southampton Central
Thank you
Your table is requested. We’ll confirm by email within four working hours, Monday to Saturday, and send a link to hold it with a card. Nothing is charged unless the table doesn’t arrive.
Read the list meanwhile