The bar bringing indy mixology back to Mayfair
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Mayfair isn’t generally a hotspot for mixological innovation – its stratospheric rents and draconian licensing laws don’t favour mavericks. So the Green Park debut of Kwānt, a venture from former Savoy head bartender Erik Lorincz, is as surprising as it is exciting.
The name – pronounced “quaint” – derives from a Middle English word for ingenious or strange. And the interiors, designed by Lorincz in collaboration with Co:de Studios, create a shifting sense of place. There are nods to art deco-era Havana and upscale Japanese. Turmeric bouclé banquettes nestle under arching palms; huge windows afford glimpses of the street; at one end a softly lit island of polished oak and stainless steel serves as a chef’s table bar with six further seats. On three sides of this counter, bartenders in collarless white jackets, navy ties and jeans prep superlative drinks (£16-18).
![The interior of Kwānt in Mayfair](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2Fdbe52889-6275-421e-b7e9-96f362cf8047.jpg?source=next-article&fit=scale-down&quality=highest&width=700&dpr=1)
![Sea the Sea: Ford’s gin, langoustine heads distillate, Tío Pepe Fino sherry, Cocchi Americano](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F43098439-7933-4ffc-acba-553844ef4490.jpg?source=next-article&fit=scale-down&quality=highest&width=700&dpr=1)
Lorincz’s recipes dazzle with refreshing savoury notes – tomato water, cucumber, verjus, basil. There are also nods to Asia: miso, sake, koji. A Martini twist, Sea the Sea, is infused with ozone-y seaweed; the Cosmo is reinvented as a pale-pink highball, scented with cardamom and timur berry. His answer to the Gimlet is laced with tangy hops and coriander seeds; Wallet, an Old Fashioned-style blend of bourbon, red miso, salted maple and chestnut, is a pitch-perfect meeting of savoury and sweet. I usually can’t stand foams, but the pugnacious Bloody Mary with marmite-vodka and a mustard “air” is the best Bloody I’ve ever had. Served alongside are exquisite bar snacks by chef Joni Ketonen, formerly of The Fat Duck and St John.
![The polished oak and stainless steel chef’s table bar](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F7d9e869d-859b-43d2-9f70-f1ea5ca00cbe.jpg?source=next-article&fit=scale-down&quality=highest&width=700&dpr=1)
![The Skin Contact: Kinobi Gin, fino sherry, tomato cordial and liquid shio koji](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F55e0dc17-f153-4303-a51b-1695fb320c39.jpg?source=next-article&fit=scale-down&quality=highest&width=700&dpr=1)
Off to one side, in a glass-fronted cabinet, is Lorincz’s collection of old and rare spirits: turn-of-the-century cognacs; the last batch of Bacardi made in Cuba; Kina Lillet, the extinct aperitif used to make James Bond’s signature Martini Vesper – which can be sampled as part of a special vintage cocktail list.
This singular vision is a joint venture with financier and fellow Slovakian Peter Stadler, who Lorincz got to know during his time at The Savoy. “He was a regular guest at the American Bar and even flew in for my final shift – when the opportunity arose to do this place I said: ‘Would you be interested?’” As Lorincz points out, it was a similar guest/host alliance that produced the legendary Harry’s Bar in Venice. Whether Kwānt becomes an icon remains to be seen – but with that Bloody Mary, it’s in with a shout.
Kwānt, 52 Stratton Street, London W1 (no bookings); @kwantmayfair
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