MATCH EC1

A blue plaque at the side of Match EC1 proclaims: ‘It was behind this screen in 1997 that Mark Dodd first demonstrated the reverse plum manoeuvre.’ What’s that? A Heston Blumenthal baking experiment? A wince-inducing S&M move?

No, we don’t know either. Such eccen- tricity might seem wilful elsewhere, but nothing at Match seems try-hard: not the food menu littered with grass-fed, free-range ingredients; not the Greenwich Union micro-brewery beers; and certainly not the bartenders. Those instant smiles are warm, not functional, and the mixing is effortlessly confident, which is as it should be – the cocktail, in dizzying and diverse incarnations, is why you’re here.

Peer round the door from Clerkenwell Road and you’d be forgiven for not getting it straight away. The interior of this modestly-sized space, all low sofas, leather banquettes and sunset-hue pendant lampshades, is more upmarket ’70s bordello than industrial chic, the prevailing décor theme out East. But head down from the balcony entrance level to the bar, review the drinks menu, and all becomes clear.

Match is an original – as in ‘a unique idea that spawned a rash of imitators’ rather than ‘old’. Brainchild of self-confessed cocktail geek Jonathan Downey, ideas man behind members’ bars The Player and Milk & Honey, Match has been mixing here since 1997, aided for the last seven years by NYC ‘King of Cocktails’ Dale DeGroff. Alongside his novel signature recipes, the individual elements of classic standards shine just as brightly.

With fine grazing and a short but carefully selected wine list, Match is still just as much a destination bar as it was a decade ago – a destination not for a quick flirt and a cheeky pint, but for a languid evening of short waits for long drinks.