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🔶🟥🔵 A Bar with Shapes for a Name

London

Remy Savage and Paul Lougrat’s east London bar’s name is communicated not by words but by shapes – so just look out for the yellow triangle, red square and blue circle on London’s Kingsland Road to visit what has colloquially become known as Shapes. This homage to Bauhaus sees everything from decor to drinks to staff uniforms designed through the lens of functionalism and minimalism. Even the back bar is intentionally restricted, with cocktails made from only 20 bottles of (blind-tasted) spirits. In the right hands such limitations are creative catalysts. The favourite remains Pastel (a long drink of effervescent raspberry, rhubarb, lime and vodka), which, like most drinks here, is made with lab tech precision, pre-batched and poured into elegant glassware with house-made ice in seconds. Fancy a classic, just ask: Shapes now does house Dry Martini, sous vide and embellished with dill or the Old Fashioned with a trio of aged spirits. This place is so popular there are often late-night queues thanks to the 4am closing at weekends, but don’t worry. Shapes undertook a benevolent invasion of the site downstairs recently, doubling its capacity.

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