Artesian

The BEST cocktail experience in London. We were guided through the menu by the bar manager, she explained the concept clearly and we found it executed perfectly. Some reviews have mentioned that previously drinks were served with a lot of theatre. These drinks do not need any theatre they are impres read moreThe BEST cocktail experience in London. We were guided through the menu by the bar manager, she explained the concept clearly and we found it executed perfectly. Some reviews have mentioned that previously drinks were served with a lot of theatre. These drinks do not need any theatre they are impressive without.

After all the awards it has won, I was really expecting to be wowed by the cocktails here, but when I arrived, friends and family in tow, all excited by how I'd been talking it up, the initial impression from the cocktail menu was a little disappointing. A very plain menu with pretty plain sounding read moreAfter all the awards it has won, I was really expecting to be wowed by the cocktails here, but when I arrived, friends and family in tow, all excited by how I'd been talking it up, the initial impression from the cocktail menu was a little disappointing. A very plain menu with pretty plain sounding drinks, each composed only of two components (though admittedly many of the components I didn't recognise). Don't let this fool you. Behind the veil of simplicity lies world class Fat-Duck levels of culinary excellence and scientific creativity. Whisky and peach? Champagne and cream? Eugh. And most of them are plainly (if elegantly) presented, most just a clear ungarnished liquid. But then you try it. Anything but simple. Refined, distilled, centrifuged, redistilled, infused... The results are uniformly brilliant. Having had the cheekiness to ask, we were also treated to a brief tour of the laboratory where they develop these inspired glasses of mixology genius. To our amazement, whilst it was densely packed, the lab was quite small, just a single room in the basement. But to see even just a little glimpse into the creative and engineering processes behind their award winning drinks was quite a privilege. Yes it's expensive (£20/drink when we were there) but these are no ordinary drinks. Worth every penny.

Great bar with fantastic drinks and reasonable food. Only problem is they don't accept reservations and if you arrive at the wrong time you'll have to stand and wait.