A change of scene: London's best mixologists are shaking things up
London's best new bars with experimental flare
The Best One In The World: Dickie's Bar, Mayfair
The lowdown: The mixologist from the bar named Number One of The World's Best 50 Bars is behind the cocktails at this new Mayfair bar within the much-celebrated fine dining restaurant Corrigan's.
Why's it different? Gregory Buda has reconciled his US heritage with Corrigan's Irish one for the cocktail list, which draws on the land, using exceptional seasonal ingredients. The menu has been provocatively designed to be enjoyed alongside the food menu, given equal weight to wine pairings. Don't miss the Daylight Shrubbery, where tequila and vermouth meet notes of cardamom, and blackberry.
Read more ...The ex-Savoy One: Coupette, Bethnal Green
The lowdown: The head bartender of the Savoy's exquisite Beaufort Bar is going it alone and opening his own bar in Bethnal Green.
Why's it different? Coupette will borrow from the extensive formal experience Chris Moore gained at The Beaufort - only at Coupette he's taking risks, focusing on regional French drinks like Vermouth, Calvados and Champagne. Moore has shown simplest is best with a straightforward yet unusual menu of future classics, like his 'Apple': Calvados with cold-pressed apples, or a White Negroni, with seasonal truffles.
Read more ...The Playful One: The Wigmore Tavern, Regent Street
The lowdown: One of London's most luxurious hotels is opening a new highly experimental bar. In its appearance, The Wigmore Tavern will evoke the historic 1800s British tavern, with mohair velvets and silk cushioned chairs against original coffered timber.
Why's it different? The idea is that rich and supreme ingredients will be used to recreate drinks you'd find in taverns years ago. So there's joyous cups of punch and house 'hoptails' to pair (we can't believe we're saying this...) with Michael Roux Jr's food. He's the twice-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche chef on board. It's refreshing to see London's bar scene having some good old fashioned fun.
Read more ...The Bizarrely Evocative One: Untitled, Dalston
The lowdown: This pioneering new Dalston cocktail bar is inspired by Andy Warhol's famous creative space, Silver Factory. Tony Conigliaro is behind this risk-taking new project, the cocktail pioneer who opened Bar Termini to great acclaim last year.
Why's it different? Known as the Blumenthal of drinks, Conigliaro's cocktails are all created to evoke something in particular: for instance snow, sicily or (bizarrely) a violin. The barmy cocktails are created using 'molecular mixology' in Conigliaro's actual full-scale London laboratory.
Read more ...Three Courses Of Cocktails: Ray's Bar, Dalston
The lowdown: Voodoo Ray's have opened a cocktail bar with a drinks menu designed like a three-course meal. Choose cocktails from a list of Aperitifs, Mains and Desserts (complimented by NY-style pizza) in a new bar area of Ray's flagship Dalston branch, which seats 50.
Why's it different? This eatery celebrates the simplicity of pizza by pairing it with intriguing cocktails, designed to steal the show and be taken very seriously indeed. Traverse from savoury, to sweet, and think of your drinks in the same light as you'd think of your food: as a taste journey.
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