Cutting-edge cocktails at Sweeties

FOR the price of a drink, a new bar in King’s Cross will deliver a heady dose of exhilaration.

It’s not just their cocktails that raise the spirits. The journey in the lift to Sweeties, high on the 10th floor of The Standard hotel, is a fantastic London experience.

Starting on Euston Road, you step into a glass-fronted red pill-shaped capsule that swoops you up fast to some of the best views in the city – with a pulsing soundtrack to boot.

At the top, you turn right for Decimo, the ravishing restaurant from Spanish chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias.

Here they serve Spanish and Mexican dishes, often cooked on the wood-fired grill.

Graze on intricate tacos and gambas rojas (red prawns) while gawping at the stylish staff, clientele and interior.

Turn left and you find Sweeties, the new bar, with a mood-enhancing drinks menu divided into sections for the body, mind and soul.

These are cutting-edge drinks, designed by mixologists at the top of their game.

You’ll find mentions of adaptogenic mushrooms, seaweed distillate and burnt butter.

But don’t worry – they also serve local craft beers and a decent glass of wine.

Sweeties occupies a smaller space on the eastern side of the building, with floor-to-ceiling windows to gaze out on the world below.

You can observe the new Google headquarters taking shape – a vast building near the train station. The snaking traffic is weirdly hypnotic: the buzz of London without the stench of exhaust fumes.

The interior of Sweeties is highly glamourous, with mirrored tables, leather banquettes and some to-die-for ochre sofas at the far end.

A glitterball sparkles overhead, while music gently thuds through a state-of-the-art sound system.

We tried a Frothy Boi, which is a striking creation. The frothy pink drink arrives with what the barman described as a Turbo Raspberry balanced on top of the glass. He explained that the berry is filled with a gel made with lacto-fermented raspberry then sprayed with an English raspberry eau-de-vie.

The drink itself has a base of Tanqueray London Dry Gin shaken with rhubarb and pink pepper. But I lost track of the other components. There was some mention, I hazily recall, of fermented amazake oats.

My friend tried a Pick Me Up, described as lying somewhere between an Old Fashioned and Espresso Martini “on a mushroom trip”.

The drinks – it goes without saying – are impressive. You pay for quality like this, with cocktails priced around £14-18.

But this is a fair price to pay for the overall experience at Sweeties, which delivers a buzzy mix of style and luxury and a much-needed tonic for the soul.

Sweeties will be closed during August but is back in September, which gives you plenty of time to reserve a table.

Sweeties
The Standard London
10 Argyle Street, WC1H
www.standardhotels.com/london/features/sweeties

Opening Hours:
5pm until 11pm on Wednesdays
6pm until 3am from Thursday to Saturday