31

Kwānt

London

Descending the steps and opening the doors to Erik Lorincz’s Kwānt is to find yourself in a different time, a different place. It’s hard to put your finger on just when and where – there are brushstrokes of the 1940s classic Casablanca, but in the herringbone-patterned carpet, palms, rattan chairs and bamboo-styled ceilings are shades of tiki too. The immaculate service by white-jacketed bartenders brings it all together: this is a five-star tropical bar. And the name Kwānt? It’s a derivative of ‘quaint’ and, in feel, decor, and the vintage spirits collection it is just that, though the cocktails have one foot in the past and one in the future. Take the Before & After, a blend of cognac, mango and passion fruit water, vermouth, liquid smoke and orange blossom with timur berry cordial. In Lorincz’s own line of exquisite glassware, it’s an elegant, delicately balanced highball, but one you could drink in your bathing suit. That’s Lorincz – seriousness and fun wrapped up in one. After a period of beyond-control closure, Kwānt reopens in early 2022.

Contact