Can I tell you a secret? I’ve never been to the original Three Sheets. In some drinks circles, this could be seen as blasphemy. In reality, it’s down to poor planning. I'm now a South London girl, and whenever I’m on Kingsland Road in Dalston, it seems to be 8pm on a Friday or Saturday – exactly when the ever popular bar is filled to the brim. “Hi, I don’t suppose…? No, no worries…have a good night!” It’s all I deserve.
I am, however, often at a loose end most weekdays at 3pm in Soho, which is precisely where and when Three Sheets Soho opens. The space is a tad more swish than their Dalston outfit, long and thin with private booths and sociable bar seating. Their menu is totally different from the original Dalston branch, save for two drinks: the Dirty Martini and the French 75. “The venue is more glitzy,”co-founder Max Venning tells Broadsheet. “And Soho has a broader appeal, so we wanted our menu there to be based around recognisable classics.”
One of these new drinks devised for Soho is the Sazzaquack – a twist on the Sazerac. The Sazzaquack is served in a tumbler with a sweet little duck fused to the base (hence the quack) pulled up to such a height that the little green thing apes the surface tension on the deep amber liquid. It’s aesthetically arresting and totally charming. “The glass came first,” admits Max. “I stumbled across it in a little shop in Shoredeitch. I spun around and there it was: a row of little glasses. I pinged it to the team like: ‘guys, can we get away with this?’”
He then built the drink around the duck. “We decided to tie it around Peking duck flavours, so instead of using absinthe like a traditional Sazerac, we use a five-spice tincture, which we finesse into a brandy and bourbon mix with a bit of rooibos tea. A Sazerac is traditionally served without ice, meaning we can serve it at room temperature and have nothing to obscure the duck.” Each sip is as satisfying and warming as a plate of roast duck down the road in Chinatown. It’s especially tempting to cradle the cup between both hands like a hot tea, especially now autumn is pulling in. Here’s hoping this duck doesn’t migrate.
Three Sheets Soho
13 Manette Street, London W1D 4AP
Hours:
Monday to Thursday 3pm–11.30 pm
Friday 3pm-12am
Saturday 1pm-12am
Sunday 3pm-10.30pm
The Drink is a regular column from writer Hannah Crosbie about what she’s drinking in London right now.
