Fans of cocktails from London, and indeed all around the world, are by now more than familiar with Coupette. Unpretentious, with a dedication to deliciously complex drinks that focus on flavours over flash, it’s the kind of bar you have to keep returning to so you can drink your way through the entire menu. With an eye for exploration and discovery, they’re constantly reinventing their drinks with all-new menus, so you’ll never run out. And they’re just about to drop their latest selection of drinks: the ‘Barely Legal‘ cocktail menu.
Inspired by globally-renowned street artist Banksy’s first exhibition, of the same name, the menu also draws inspiration from the street art found on the East London walls around Coupette. Alongside the 12 new drinks are six new artworks commissioned exclusively for the menu from local muralists. The ‘Barely Legal’ moniker nods to the at-times questionable legality, or downright illegality, in the history of both bartending and graffiti.
What’s on the ‘Barely Legal’ menu?
Each piece of virtual graffiti created for the menu took direct inspiration from the cocktails themselves, in a very circuitous way. The drinks were inspired by art, in turn inspiring more art. Holly Hawkins‘ work, for example, pairs her bold, colourful shapes with the rich, velvety Nuts for Nuts cocktail, which contains six different nut-related ingredients (including Peanut Butter Beefeater Gin). Meanwhile Sophie Mess leaned into vibrant colours, inspired by the Red Line cocktail’s intensely flavoured combination of cognac, spice two ways, and mango, lime, and nectarine. And if those drinks sound inventive, we’ve hardly even scratched the surface of the offerings.
Other cocktails on the menu make use of ingredients such as Crème Brûlée Woodford Reserve Bourbon (the Crème Brûlée Old Fashioned), Basil Liqueur (the Boire Tout), Sour Nettle Cordial with Blackcurrant Sorbet (the Lost Path), and plenty more. One cocktail even mixes together Avocado Woodford Rye with smoked grits Lillet Rose (the CornBread!) – how could anyone resist the urge to find out what that tastes like?
Coupette’s ‘Barely Legal’ menu launches on September 13. Find the Bethnal Green institution at 423 Bethnal Green Road, Bethnal Green, E2 0AN. Head to their website to find out more.