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TOTC’s top cocktail menus across the globe

Music, magic and an exploration of flavour have inspired some of the top drinks offerings across the globe. Here, we highlight the bars that were nominated in the World’s Best Cocktail Menu category in this year’s Spirited Awards.

The Soy Old Fashioned from Lyaness bar in London’s Southbank

Earlier this month, Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) revealed its top 10 Spirited Awards nominees, including the bars in the World’s Best Cocktail Menu category.

As arguably the cocktail capital of the world, London leads the way when it comes to expert menu creation with four venues on the list hailing from the city.

Singapore bar Atlas’ first drinks list under head bartender Jesse Vida and a cocktail menu inspired by magic and illusion also attracted the attention of TOTC’s expert judges.

The Spirited Awards shortlist (top four) will be released on 1 June. In the meantime, we take a look at each bar that grabbed a highly-coveted spot for its innovative drinks list in the World’s Best Cocktail Menu category.

Click through the following pages to see the nominees in alphabetical order.

Atlas Bar – Singapore

In August last year, Singapore bar Atlas launched an Art Deco-influenced cocktail menu, called Interbellum.

It was the venue’s first drinks list created under the guidance of head bartender Jesse Vida, who joined Atlas from New York City’s BlackTail bar in 2018.

Celebrating the period’s design, art, music, culture and fashion, the menu is divided into five chapters that are named in honour of events and milestones from the period between the First and Second World War, which was when the Art Deco movement flourished.

Dante – New York, US

Last year, New York’s Dante walked away with the top accolade at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, winning the title of World’s Best Bar.

Dante is based in New York’s Greenwich Village and dates back to 1915, when it operated as a café.

The venue’s cocktail menu is divided into four sections, starting with its signature cocktails. It is followed by The Negroni Sessions, a variation of the classic Italian cocktail, each priced at US$10 between 3-6pm; the Aperitivi section and Martini Hour.

Pictured is the Old Fashioned, made with Knob Creek Rye, Amaro Montenegro, salted honey and Dale’s bitters. It is priced at US$17.

Little Red Door – Paris, France

Following the success of its A Way with Words cocktail menu last year, acclaimed Paris bar Little Red Door released its latest drinks list in March 2020.

The Don’t Judge A Door By Its Colour menu is an “examination of the understanding of flavours and sensations”.

To create the new menu, the bar team spent a year exploring and experimenting with ingredients, while asking themselves two questions: ‘What does flavour taste like?’ and ‘What does flavour feel like?’.

Pictured left is the Sour Without Lemon, a combination of Farmily Vodka, cherry, almond, phosphoric acid and Greek yoghurt, while the Coffee Without Bitter (pictured right) is a combination of coffee distillate, strawberry vermouth, berry blend and tonic water.

Lyaness at Sea Containers – London, UK

Lyaness on London’s Southbank replaced Ryan Chetiyawardana’s award-winning cocktail den Dandelyan in the Sea Containers hotel when it opened its doors in March last year.

The bar team sought to once again push boundaries within the food and drink realm and looked to challenge the accepted style of cocktail menus. As such, the concept is designed to allow guests to break down the bartender/guest barrier and have more interaction with what they drink

For it’s first menu, the bar created seven core ingredients that were each used in three “suggested” cocktails. The ingredients included Infinite Banana, said to be an exploration into the flavours of bananas; Onyx, a bespoke spirit made with Copenhagen-based Empirical Spirits; and Purple Pineapple, which was created to “restore the glamour” of the pineapple.

The bar’s second menu added four new ingredients, each selected by the team at Lyaness to celebrate a particular flavour profile, fruit or ingredient.

Visitors to the London bar are encouraged to use the bespoke ingredients to add new flavours to their favourite drinks.

Pictured is the Soy Old Fashioned, which is made with Dewar’s 12 Year Old, infinite banana, organic candlewax and burnt banana bitters. It is described as a “rich, boozy take” on the classic whisky-based cocktail, with savoury notes and banana spice.

Panda & Sons – Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh bar Panda & Sons was inspired by its travels to create its latest cocktail list, called Benefaction Menu.

The bar team asked many of its favourite haunts across the world to provide a signature ingredient that best defines its venue. Panda & Sons then built its drinks around the ingredients, just like you would around the base spirit of a cocktail.

Bars and bartenders that gifted their ingredients, included Bar Swift, Le Syndicat, Two Schmucks, The Clumsies, Atlas, Zuma and Hunky Dory.

Paradiso – Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona bar Paradiso released its Illusionist menu in May last year, which was inspired by magic and illusion.

The bar team worked for one year on the menu with each member bringing ideas on ingredients and techniques.

Cocktails on the menu include the Champagne Negroni, which is made with Tanqueray Ten Gin macerated with chamomile and pink pepper, Campari, Manciano Bianco vermouth, Italicus, grapefruit, tonka bean and cava, while the Caribe Italiano (pictured) combines Havana Selección de Maestros with banana, parmesan, coconut shrub, arugula and raspberries.

Raised by Wolves – San Diego, US

San Diego bar Raised by Wolves is the brainchild of bartenders Erick Castro and Chris Patino. The opulent hidden bar can be accessed by a revolving secret wall in a boutique fine spirits bottle shop.

Drinks on its menu include the Island Old Fashioned, made with coconut oil fat-washed Irish whiskey, banana liqueur and bitters, and the Sonora Señora, a Mexican take on the French 75 with reposado Tequila, bacanora, lemon, pineapple cider, cinnamon and bitters.

Tayēr + Elementary – London, UK

Tayēr + Elementary in London’s Old Street was bartenders Alex Kratena and Monica Berg’s first venture as bar owners when it opened last year.

The venue is separated into three areas. Elementary is a “casual all-­day” bar serving simple drinks and snacks, Tayēr is a “progressive bar focused on what’s inside the glass and on the plate”, while the third section is used for research, development and training.

In Elementary, cocktails have a “strong focus on seasonality”, while Tayēr mixes “modern techniques and long-established practices to create cocktails and food that express purity, freshness and simplicity of ingredients”.

The American Bar at The Savoy – London, UK

In March last year, The American Bar at The Savoy in London released a new cocktail menu inspired by musicians who have entertained guests at the iconic hotel.

The Savoy Songbook menu features a collection of 20 cocktails that delve into the hotel’s history of musical moments.

George Harrison’s song Here Comes the Sun was the base for the cocktail Sun Sun Sun (pictured), a twist on the White Lady, which features Bombay Sapphire gin and flavours of orange blossom, yuzu wine and lime.

The Connaught Bar – London, UK

London’s renowned Connaught Bar launched the Vanguard cocktail menu in celebration of its 11th anniversary last summer.

Developed by Agostino Perrone, director of mixology, and head mixologist Giorgio Bargiani, the Vanguard menu features 11 drinks influenced by The Connaught Bar’s design, signature drinks and guests.

The menu is divided into three sections with five cocktails each including a Champagne serve and a non-alcoholic creation. Enigma is a nod to the bar’s Martini, Strata was influenced by the venue itself and Verve honours the two iron gates that stand either side of the drinking den.

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