London bar Dandelyan has released its fifth cocktail menu, The Modern Life of Plants, which explores industrialisation and large-scale food systems.

Dandelyan at The Mondrian hotel, London

Following on from the bar’s Modern Botany menu, the latest list from founder Ryan Chetiyawardana and his team explores the “science and art that is at play in the human adaptation of plant and animal life”.

The menu “pushes plants and plant life beyond their normal ‘natural’ biological terms” and will focus on how humans industrialise crops.

It signals the beginning of a new series for Dandelyan and will feature three core ingredients that focus on a systemised crop or large-scale suppliers.

There are three ‘plant’ sections of the menu: Mint, Grapes and Hops. Each focus plant will have four drink concepts – and each including a signature ‘boozeless’ version.

Examples of the concepts include a highball that supports mint production, an Old Fashioned looking at the cloning of grapes, or a hop drink looking at technological advancements and the future and past of urban living.

The drinks will be updated three times during the year, each time highlighting a different aspect of the plant and its position in the modern world.

The menu will include bespoke and unusual ingredients, as well as biodynamic crops, specimens from living libraries, ‘extinct’ species and farm favourites.

The bar’s classic cocktails, including some from the previous book, will feature at the back of the menu.

Chetiyawardana said: “This is a really exciting direction for us. We had a lot of fun with the previous menus, but want to build on that success and challenge ourselves with a new direction.

“The focus of the next book marks an honest and critical view of what is happening in the world of food and drink, and a realistic vision for what this means for farming, sustainability, creativity and really what we think happens next in this golden age of cocktails.”

Scroll through for a selection of cocktails in The Modern Life of Plants menu. 

Goose Gander

Ingredients: Grey Goose vodka, Noilly Prat, companion cordial, pear, soda

Air Raid

Ingredients: Mr Lyan Cream Gin, pearl barley, carrot-currant cordial

Laverstroke Park Spritz

Ingredients: Porter’s Gin, apple oleo, Asterley Bros British Vermouth, celery, Chenin, soda

Nitrate Manhattan

Ingredients: Tapatio blanco, Talisker 10 Year Old, rhubarb saison, lanolin, bitter and sweet herbs

Canon Cosmo

Ingredients: Ketel One Citroen, pink sour mix, flamed orange, almond

Brundall

Ingredients: Bacardi 8 Year Old, Braemble, apple, Summerdown mint, ground ivy