Decanter

Defining a CLASSIC

Evertasted a Flower Thrower? What about a Nuts for Nuts? If they don’t sound familiar, no wonder; they’re both cocktails served in just one bar (London’s excellent Coupette, as it happens). However, if asked whether you’ve ever sipped a Martini or Mojito, an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, bets are you’ll know.

While some cocktails lodge in our collective consciousness, others remain one-bar wonders. But why? We asked some of the world’s top bartenders. Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan (pictured above), of London’s award-winning Lyaness, Chelsie Bailey (see p78) of The Savoy’s American Bar, Simone Caporale (see p80) of Barcelona’s innovative Sips, and Linden Pride (see p79) of Italian favourite Dante NYC weigh in.

INSIDE THE GLASS

Let’s start with the practicalities. Our experts agree that in order to become a classic in the first place, a

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