Hacha unveils music-inspired menu

London agaveria Hacha will launch a new menu of 12 cocktails in October, inspired by music from some of the industry’s most iconic names.

The drinks list, called Cymatics, will be the bar’s first full new menu and concept launch since the opening of its Dalston venue in 2019.

The menu, which is said to have been a year in the making, has been created by co-founder and agave expert Deano Moncrieffe, who has taken an ‘innovative’ approach to mixology, using ‘ground-breaking techniques’ to influence flavour through sound waves, vibrations and frequencies.

Moncrieffe said: “When creating the menu, we wanted to make something memorable and make waves in the mixology scene. When exploring if there was an alternative way to create cocktails, we discovered cymatics and instantly knew we wanted to experiment and see where this method would take us.”

Cymatics is the study of sound and vibration made visible, typically on the surface of a plate, diaphragm or membrane.

Using baseline, beats, and vocals from music to disrupt liquids in a ‘unique way’, the team created a list of 12 cocktails, each inspired by a different artist, many of whom are local or native to Brixton, the home of Hacha’s second bar, which opened in September 2021.

The ingredients in the cocktails have been selected based on the frequencies and sound waves from the selected track, with each serve designed to complement and reflect the beats through flavour and density.

Moncrieffe continued: “At Hacha, music is a key part of our ethos, especially in our Brixton venue, which is home to so many amazing artists.”

Paying homage to its south London home, and the renowned track by Eddie Grant, Electric Avenue has been created using Tequila, spiced orange liqueur, Hacha lemon sour mix, blue pea flower and coconut water. It is described as the perfect combination of spiciness and sour, which is ‘delicately balanced’ by the flavours of coconut. The serve can also be made with mezcal.

Meanwhile the Red Alert, based on the song by Basement Jaxx, has been created using The Lost Explorer Mezcal, red cabbage, hibiscus, yuzu, Empirical Symphony 6, and grapefruit soda, resulting in a smoky, savoury-style cocktail.

Other artists that have inspired serves on the new menu include The Clash, Stormzy, and David Bowie.

The menu itself has been designed by Emma Murphy, co-founder of Hacha, and Dan Allott, of creative partner Social Imbibe.

The digital menu, which takes the style of a music streaming service, has been created to further reflect and elevate the concept behind the drinks on the menu.

The team has also created a series of videos showcasing the rippling and movement of the liquid through the music to demonstrate cymatics and how it has paid influence to the creation of the cocktails.

Visuals from the menu will also be intertwined throughout the decor of Hacha Brixton and Dalston, with artwork capturing the sound waves, vibrations and frequencies of the cocktails.

The menu will launch at both venues in October.

Over the course of the next year, the winning serves of Britain’s Best Tequila and Mezcal Cocktail competitions 2023 will also be available to order at both venues.

Earlier this month, the venue’s bottled ready-to-pour Mirror Margarita made its debut in Sainsbury’s stores across the UK.