Oceans ahead: Sexy Fish launches sustainable cocktail menu

I think we can all agree that sustainability is having a moment. From fashion and design to even the most ordinary items like coffee cups, companies are facing increasing pressure to clean up their act and cut out waste. While forward-thinking restauranteurs have been adapting sustainable practices for a while (Poco, Clerkenwell Kitchen and Grain Store, to name but a few), it’s a trend that hasn’t really caught on in drinking culture – until now.

10 months in the making, Sexy Fish’s new 21-serve cocktail menu is all about sustainability. No perishables – such as citrus, garnishes and herbs – are used in the making of any of the drinks, meaning no waste is left over. Instead, bar staff will use distillates, cordials, tinctures, syrups and shrubs, all made on-site, to flavour cocktails to the high standard Sexy Fish fans have come to expect.

Highlights include the Golden Riviera, blending chipotle-infused tequila with citrus sherbet, oregano and Champagne, while the Scantily Clad Martini packs a real punch with Belvedere Smogóry Forest vodka and wagyu, complete with a jaunty shiitake mushroom. This being Sexy Fish, presentation is showy but fun – check out the tall, fruity Tick-Tack, complete with paper brolly and flashing ice cube.

After making our way through the menu and sampling some of the conscious concoctions, we caught up with Sexy Fish bar manager Jerome Allaguillemette to find out more.

What prompted the development of the sustainable cocktail menu?

 As a high profile, high volume bar, we wanted to raise awareness of our sustainable credentials to be at the forefront of cocktail culture. Sustainability is hugely important to Sexy Fish, in both the restaurant and bar. For example, we work closely with Fish2Fork and Marine Stewardship Council to ensure our fish is ethically sourced and MCS approved. 

Can you give some specific examples (referencing key cocktails) as to how sustainability been implemented? 

 In terms of the menu as a whole, we have massively reduced the number of perishables used in the drinks. Citrus, herbs and garnishes have been replaced with a homemade range of tinctures, distillates, cordials, syrups and shrubs. Our straws are now 100% biodegradable and we do not automatically add straws to drinks, we only add them on request. We also make our own Sexy Fish branded reusable metal straw, which can be purchased for £7. The Neonach cocktail, for example, uses the salmon offcuts from our kitchens to create the Salmon Hendrick’s gin.

Sustainability is obviously a key issue in food at the moment – do you think it will catch on at bars in a widespread way? 

We hope so! One of the main reasons why this menu focuses on sustainability is to encourage the general conversation about sustainability in the hospitality industry. 

What is your favourite new cocktail and why? 

The Monolith is probably one of my favourite cocktails on the menu. The approach was to give the base spirit the respect it deserves, as you would do with a very high-quality food ingredient like a steak, and just add touches of flavour as a seasoning. Here we’re combined two herbs, rosemary and thyme and two flowers, Chamomile and lavender, with some balsamic reduction and salt to enhance the rich and intense spicy notes of the Zacapa 23 Rum from Guatemala. The ingredients we’re adding are native from Provence in South of France and take me straight back to my childhood memories. We’re serving it in a black and gold vessel, over a black stone with gold shimmers, which is a nod to the Mayan culture and legends.

For more details about Sexy Fish or to make a booking, visit sexyfish.com.