The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 45 Summer 2023

Page 60

E AT & D R I N K

MAINS & MARTINIS

Three stylish venues, each very different but united in their intention to make the cocktails every bit as delicious as the food

Hakkasan

8 HANWAY PLACE, LONDON, W1T 1HD hakkasan.com (£££)

The vibe: Looking for the perfect setting for your next date night? Hakkasan delivers on every front. It’s lush and dark – very dark – has plenty of intimate nooks and crannies and oozes sexiness in an early 2000s way. That’s not us being sniffy, it’s fact. Hakkasan Hanway Place opened in 2001 and still has that slickness that saw it gain the first Michelin star for a Chinese restaurant in the UK, and retain it for 20 years. That tells you everything you need to know. The food: This is our favourite way to dine out: sharing dishes and plenty of them. It would be rude not to start with at least one serving of classic and supreme dim sum – here, perfect pillows of deliciousness, almost jewel-coloured and every bit as precious in the taste department. Salt and pepper squid, golden fried soft shell crab, 24-hour slow-roasted Iberico pork char siu and steamed Chilean sea bass are just some suggestions of where to take your tastebuds next; for vegetarian options, the tofu, aubergine and Japanese mushroom claypot, and spring vegetable stir fry with mushroom and a side of spring onion and egg fried rice are the way to go. There’s a fantastic selection on offer but if you’re daunted by the choice, go for one of the Signature Menus – they give you the best bits of everything. The drinks: Hats off to head of bars Wendy Hopkins and her team – every signature drink on the menu is now available as a non-alc version. That means the same glassware, same garnish, same flavour profile and the same feeling of being part of the group. It makes for a powerful offering and after tasting several of the alcohol and nonalcohol variations side-by-side, we’d be lying if we said you couldn’t tell the difference – there’s something about the texture but certainly not the taste. They’ve done a mighty fine job indeed. In fact, we may shun the alcohol next time – that’s how well they’ve done.

60 THE COCK TAIL LOVERS / ISSUE 45


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COMMUNITY MATTERS

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pages 66-67

Four of the 50 Best Restaurants

1min
page 65

FLAVOURS OF LIMA

5min
pages 62-64

Johnnie Walker Princes Street

2min
page 61

MAINS & MARTINIS

1min
page 60

LIQUID INTELLIGENCE

2min
page 59

THE COCKTAIL GUY IMAGINES…

0
page 57

THE COCKTAIL GIRL SWOONS…

3min
pages 56-57

THE EXPERTS’ CHOICE

1min
page 55

RAISING A GLASS TO NEIGHBOURHOOD BARS

2min
pages 54-55

SEEK FIND DRINK

4min
pages 50-52

FARM TO GLASS BARS

6min
pages 40-49

Born in the UK

2min
pages 38-39

The American Bar, Gleneagles

1min
page 37

Le Syndicat, Paris

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page 37

Ugly CarbisButterfly, Bay

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pages 36-37

The Oxford Artisan Distillery

5min
pages 33-36

HOME-GROWN SPIRITS

2min
pages 32-33

HE CANNES

4min
pages 29-31

ANYONE FOR PORT?

2min
pages 26-28

snack like a local

1min
pages 24-25

H TSEAT IN THE

3min
page 23

FOUR

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pages 19-20

eleven Local reasons

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page 18

SIX QUESTIONS for…

1min
page 17

book club

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page 16

THE NEXT BIG THING?

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page 16

Theperson

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pages 14-15

Edinburgh

1min
page 13

CHILLI

1min
pages 10-13

The local ingredients bartenders love

0
pages 9-10

The PLACE

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pages 8-9

hello cocktail lover!

5min
pages 3-6
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