Reworked classics from new cocktail bar Coupette.

Mr Chris Moore is making the pina colada cool again. Elevating the favourite 1980s drink with the addition of crisp champagne, coconut sorbet, and house-made pineapple cordial, it’s a drink that begs the question of why nobody thought to give it this makeover before. But then, reinterpreting the classics for a modern audience is what Mr Moore does best. The bartender – who cut his teeth at the Beaufort Bar at The Savoy – opened Coupette in Bethnal Green last year, and is already making waves in the industry, having taken home the gong for Best New International Cocktail Bar for his new venture at the Spirited Awards earlier this year. It’s for good reason: the bar’s concise cocktail menu is inspired by a love of impeccably-sourced French ingredients, and the space comprises exposed brick, a bar adorned with burnished old ten-franc coins, and moody lighting that reflects the bar’s timeless-yet-contemporary sensibility.

“We actively try to avoid cocktail trends at Coupette,” says Mr Moore. “New ingredients come along – think activated charcoal, kombucha, shrubs and ferments – then give way to the next fad. This continues perpetually.” But the trend he’s fully on board with involves the reinvention of old-school favourites given a modern update to suit the more discerning palettes of today’s drinker. “Cosmopolitan, banana daiquiri, pina colada and porn star martini: these are all popular in their own right, and can be damn tasty,” explains Mr Moore. “But making them relevant to a new audience – a bit like the restaurant trend of a few years ago, where everything was deconstructed – is something that’s becoming more widespread. There’s the French 75 at Three Sheets; the Clarified Grasshopper at Stillwater and the espresso martini at Artesian.”

While he notices the trend industry-wide, Mr Moore’s appreciation for pretension-free cocktails with an added dash of nostalgia started years earlier, during his early career behind the bar at TGI Fridays. “My bartending background has its roots in Coventry in the early 2000s, when drinks like the mojito and the caipirinha were being revitalised,” he says. “TGI Fridays had a great training programme, and you can still see the effects of it on the bar world today. In those days, there was still a hangover from the disco drinks of the 1980s: think woo woos and yellow birds.”

Mr Moore’s varied background has informed the offering at Coupette, his debut solo bar, today. “I have a great nostalgia for those fun, accessible drinks,” he says. “It’s no coincidence that we use sorbet and ice cream in our cocktails.” The difference these days, however, is that sourcing the finest products is non-negotiable. “We use higher-quality ingredients than back then,” says Mr Moore.

The bartender’s playful approach to cocktails is combined with a love of French food, art and culture, which informs his choice of spirits as well as the brunch and bar snacks at Coupette, which include aged comté and peppered saucisson. “Coupette came about because of my love, in particular, of French ingredients: calvados; champagne; armagnac; lillet blanc and chartreuse,” he explains. “As a country, they have an obsession with quality, and this is the philosophy that guides us at Coupette. Our drinks will never come with sparklers or 15 garnishes, but we try to put thought, intelligence and consideration into every one.” Cocktails made with the finest French ingredients, plus an extra shot of nostalgia? We’ll drink to that…

Here are three of Coupette’s signature cocktails to try at home this autumn.

Mr Moore says: “This drink is our rebellion against the obsession we find the bar industry has over consistency. It’s always excellent, but it’s never the same, as we rotate the brand of calvados and the variety of apple juice. We use whole fruit juice that’s been carbonated three times – imagine a super-fresh Appletiser.”

Ingredients 30ml calvados 100ml carbonated apple juice

Method Serve in a highball over lots of ice. No garnish.

Mr Moore says: “This is our reinvention of the most accessible drink of them all: the pina colada. What’s the only thing that could make it better? Champagne.”

Ingredients 10ml Bacardi Superior Heritage Rum 10ml Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum 5ml white agricole rhum 35ml freshly squeezed pineapple juice 30ml pineapple cordial (made by blending 2 parts juice, 1 part caster sugar and citric acid to taste) 2 small scoops coconut sorbet 35ml Moët & Chandon NV Champagne Raw coconut chips, to serve

** Method** Blend all the ingredients except for the champagne and coconut chips with 2/3 of a glass of crushed ice until smooth. Add champagne to the glass, then pour the blended mix over the top. Garnish with raw coconut chips.

Mr Moore says: “This drink was inspired by the idea of high-powered people retiring to the library after dinner: think walnut panelling and blood-red leather.”

**Ingredients **40ml Hennessy Fine de Cognac 20ml Dubonnet 7.5ml La Vieille Noix 10ml Guignolet 2.5ml coffee liqueur 10ml sugar syrup 3 dashes walnut bitters

  Method Stir all ingredients and strain into a rocks glass that has been smoked with cherry wood.

Coupette, 423 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 0AN 020 7729 9562

coupette.co.uk

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