Dandelyan at the Mondrian Hotel, on the banks of the Thames in London.
An upmarket, watering hole for the traditional and the trendy alike. Sleek, with a sweeping green marble bar, smart and buzzing.
The impressive cocktail list includes a number of drinks to tempt even the most traditional scotch drinker. These are not just sweet punches with whisky thrown in, These are well-crafted cocktails.
I settle on the Nitrate Manhattan while still enviously eyeing the accompanying margarita. Both look spectacular in their own way.
Dandelyan’s Nitrate Manahattan is:
35ml Tapatio blanco tequila (1.25 oz.),
15ml Talisker 10 Scotch whisky (0.5 oz.),
30ml Rhubarb Saison Vermouth (1 oz.), and
1 Dash Absinthe
It’s not a cocktail to take lightly. Tequila and Talisker instead of Bourbon.
The Talisker 10 year old sets the tone but there are no lightweight mixers in this glass. Everybody pulls their weight.
It’s a dry, driving whirlwind of a cocktail, with absinthe replacing the bitters, strong on the taste-buds and creating long-lasting memories. In essence it’s a smoky turbo-charged melange with bitter savoury notes and lanolin adding texture.
You won’t forget this one in a hurry.
Roadtested in Dandelyan at the Mondrian hotel, London