The Modern Pantry to open Alpha Beta Bar with mixologist ‘Mr. Lyan’

The Alpha Beta Bar – named for the Alphabeta Building it is housed in ‒ is set to open on 16 January, and will offer a cocktail and drinks menu inspired by Hansen’s global and bold flavours.

Designed to pair with a small plates bar menu, the drinks will also focus on lesser-known spirits and in-house-made spirits.

There will be an 18-seater U-shaped bar at the front of the restaurant, designed to allow views into what the bar calls the “theatre of cocktail making”.

Cocktails will include the Firecracker Fizz with whisky, lemon, apricot and chilli sherbet “fluffed with soda”; the Sgroppino G&T with distilled cream gin, strawberry and cardamom Sorbet “blitzed” with grapefruit and tonic; and the Dominican daquiri, with rum, raspberry pastis, Pineau de Charentes and yuzu.

Dishes, created by Hansen, include options such as sugar-cured prawn omelette with smoked chilli sambal, Cornish crab rarebit donut with squid ink  and Urfa chilli salt, pan-fried manouri with chamomile prune and confit shallot, and grilled octopus, liquorice and macadamia pesto.

Bar snack dishes are priced at between £3-6.50.

Anna Hansen first opened The Modern Pantry in 2008, originally with a single site in Clerkenwell, before opening a second venue, in Finsbury Square in 2015. The Kiwi chef was previously co-founder – with Peter Gordon – of The Providores in Marylebone.

Chetiawardana, aka Mr. Lyan, first opened his White Lyan cocktail bar in 2013, specialising in inventive cocktails using no perishable items such as ice or fruit. He has been named Global Bartender of the Year several times, as well as the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year, among other accolades.