Sharpeners

New York is the spiritual home of steakhouses and stiff drinks. A properly made sharpener before a hunk of seared beef is part of the ritual there. Here are our favourite openers ramped up the only way we know how.

GREEN SNAPPER11.50
POD PEA VODKA, BEEFEATER GIN, GREEN TOMATO, JALAPEÑO,CELERY, CUCUMBER, LIME
Our summer Bloody Mary, made in collaboration with The Pickle House in Suffolk. Vodka distilled from peas and an umami-rich blend of verdant summer vegetables with plenty of chilli kick.
CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL15.00
SEVEN TAILS XO, PINEAU DES CHARENTES, CHAMPAGNE, JASMINE
The height of luxury in liquid form. A true celebration of the grape’s finest incarnations.
MACKINAW HIGHBALL13.00
GLENMORANGIE X, PEACH, JASMINE, LEMON, SODA
In Seinfeld, Cosmo Kramer celebrated the two-week season of the fabled Mackinaw peach each summer with gusto. Here’s our favourite way to use the quintessential summer stone fruit, in a floral whisky highball.
GIMLET12.50
PLYMOUTH GIN, ROSE’S LIME MARMALADE, LIME LEAF CORDIAL
Elegant medicine. A naval officers’ tipple that’s now useful for so much more than warding off scurvy.
RANCH WATER13.00
VOLCAN TEQUILA, LIME, PINEAPPLE SODA, HOPPED SODA, JALAPEÑO
A refresher from West Texas that’s taken the USA by storm. We’ve added chilli and hops to make this the ultimate thirst quencher.
NEW YORK SOUR14.50
RAGTIME RYE WHISKEY, CHERRY WINE, SENCHA TEA, LEMON
The go-to opener at New York’s hallowed steak houses. We’re not sure they’d approve, but we’ve add a dash of cherry-infused beaujolais to round it all out.