Hawksmoor revamps UK cocktail menu

Restaurant group Hawksmoor has unveiled the latest edition of its acclaimed cocktail list, which is the first overhaul of the menu in three years.

The menu has been designed to celebrate ‘the second golden age of cocktails’, a period that ran from 1995-2005 and is credited with the revival of cocktail culture around the world.

It is available at all UK-based Hawksmoor restaurants, and at The Lowback, the dedicated bar located beneath its Wood Wharf venue that opened in spring this year.

The new menu curation has been overseen by Hawksmoor’s head of bars, Liam Davy.

The drinks have been created to appear ‘deceptively simple’, however the team are said to have undertaken ‘hours of research’ in order to produce the cocktail list.

The menu has been split into seven sections: Martinis, Steakhouse Sharpeners, the Second Golden Age, The Sacred Six, Nightcaps, and Temperates.

The Martini selection is a dedication to ‘the king of the cocktail’, with each serve chilled to -12°C. The three drinks on this menu include the Pink Gibson, made with Boatyard Vodka, Audemus Umami gin, Aperitivo Co dry vermouth and pink pickled onion, as well as a classic Martini and a Dirty Martini.

The Steakhouse Sharpeners offer a ‘deep dive’ into the classic apéritifs of the American steakhouse. In this section the team has created its take on ranch water, a popular US drink originating from West Texas. It is composed of a carbonated mix of Tequila, mezcal, pineapple soda, hopped kombucha, jalapeño salt and agave syrup.

The Second Golden Age is a focus on the era that ‘resurrected’ cocktail craft. This is where serves such as the Lychee Martini can be found, described as ‘a grown-up and piquant twist on the original’, created with Portobello Road vanilla vodka, lychee liqueur, singani, orange wine cordial, and cucumber agave.

Hawksmoor’s signature cocktails from menus past make up the Sacred Six section of the menu. The brand’s ‘timeless classics’ include Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew, the Reformed Pornstar and the ‘rich and buttery’ Fuller Fat Old Fashioned.

Created to be consumed after dinner, the Nightcaps selection is ‘a silly and serious mix of sweet pudding-style cocktails, and sultry dark and bitter digestifs’.

The Praline Mudslide is a celebration of the ‘classically kitsch’ cocktail, made with hazelnut ice cream, praline paste, Horlicks and white miso, with Eminente rum; while the Spiced Plum Sazerac is neat and subtle with a bright bitterness, comprising plum distillate, Calvados, plum syrup with star anise and absinthe.

Temperates, the final section of the new menu, offers a range of 0% ABV drinks including non-alcoholic cocktails and a selection of brewed and fermented serves from LA brewery Kombucha and Saicho Sparkling Teas.

In addition to the new menu, The Lowback is now offering a monthly changing menu of £7 ($8.23) cocktails as a way of showcasing the team’s creativity and work with smaller, lesser-known distillers and producers.