BAR: Tayēr
Voted the second best bar in the world by the 2022 50 Best Bars list, I have been itching for some time to visit Tayēr, due in part to my great love for the adjoining bar Elementary. You see, the two bars are two sides of the same coin, that coin being known as Tayēr+Elementary. Elementary is the bar that faces the curbside, where one can rock up for casual drinks and stay til late. Drinks in Elementary are very fairly priced and come in uniform wide-rimmed glasses, where the focus is on the incredible tasting cocktails that are mainly pre-batched.
Through the roped-off section and into the back is Tayēr, where cocktails revolve around difficult to source ingredients and experimental flavour combinations. Bartenders work in the centre of wrap-around seating, with the lights down low and an altogether more secluded, exclusive vibe. Cocktails in Tayēr are more pricey, which reflects the more gastronomic, fine-dining-esque approach.
Two friends and I visited Tayēr+Elementary on a Friday evening, and took our seats in Elementary. As I pored over the menu (the midori sour seasonal cocktail in particular caught my eye), I asked one of the bartenders if there was any seating available in Tayēr (as one simply can't walk through - you have to be invited in). We were ushered in almost immediately, and so began our night of fun.
Elementary is already my favourite bar out there (until I visit The Connaught, anyway), and Tayēr just adds to the wonderful offering of this establishment. I started with the gooseberry cocktail, pictured above, which consisted of Gooseberry, Tayēr X Hepple Gin, Lysholm Line Aquavit, Tio Pepe Fino Sherry and Greek Yoghurt. A creamy, frothy, sweet and fruity cocktail, this really didn't last long. A wonderful start.
I then wanted something light but spicy, and so the bartender suggested the Pea. This consisted of Lustau Blanco vermouth, Ocho Blanco tequila, Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, Pea, Habanero and Lime. This cocktail was my favourite of the night, wonderfully inventive and green, with the chili driving an undercurrent of heat. Sensational.
My third drink was the Banana + Chamomile, consisting of WhistlePig Rye Whiskey, Discarded banana peel rum, Noilly Prat Original Dry Vermouth, Chocolate bitters, banana and chamomile. The banana and chamomile were very subtle accents of the smoky whiskey. Not my favourite, but still a sophisticated drink.
My final drink ended on a light and refreshing note, the main ingredient being Amber and consisting in addition of Ardbeg Heavy Vapours Whisky, Lysholm Linie Aquavit, and Fever Tree Ginger Ale. This reminded me of the Pastel drink from A Bar with Shapes For A Name, but not quite as monumental.
As well as these four drinks, I had the opportunity to sip my friends', which included the fig, the yuzu, and the mandarin + santal. Yet, none could quite reach the heights of the pea.
Tayēr is a fantastic cocktail bar, somewhere to go at month end when the money comes in and you fancy a refined, relaxed drinking experience. Tayēr+Elementary really is the pinnacle of what London has to offer.
