ANNEX 3

Imagine being a cocktail olive, rolling around in a crystal glass surrounded by swirls of colour and spangles of light. That’s what it feels like to drink at Annex 3, the West End bar run by Hassan Abdullah, Michel Lasserre and Stefan Karlson, the talented trio behind Les Trois Garçons and Loungelover. With this being Marylebone – well, the Marylebone fringes – there’s no need for the knowing cool of their East London enterprises, so the designers have given free reign to camp. There are chairs shaped like slingback pumps, the ceiling is covered in shimmering chandeliers and the walls are a riot of foil, fairy lights and brocade.

Flamboyant as it is, the décor pales compared to the cocktail menu. Anyone who thinks that the last cocktail invented in London was the gin sling should think again – the ‘New Flames’ list has some of the most imaginative creations seen this side of the alien bar in Star Wars. If you’re bored by White Russians and tired of Long Island Iced Tea, why not go Japanese with a Wasabi Kiss? (In case you didn’t know, it’s wasabi, basil and kiwi, mixed with vodka, coconut rum and Drambuie.) Alongside these wacky combinations are some more restrained ‘Old Flames’ and a stand-out selection of punches and classics.

Annex 3 is split into two zones. Cocktail lovers gather in the rear bar, on an eclectic collection of vintage designer chairs, but there’s also a stylish restaurant at the front, serving innovative modern European dishes that show the clear influence of the chefs at Les Trois Garçons. To make
a night of it, come early for the prix fixe menu (served before 7.30pm) then set aside the rest of the evening to work through the cocktail list.