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If it used to be that the most desirable description for a new Moscow establishment was a comparison with the British capital, then after the arrival of Strelka Bar, epithets associated with the British Isles can clearly not apply anywhere else. Also located on an island – Bolotny (marshy) a few steps from the Kremlin – Strelka Bar is part of the Institute of Media, Architecture and Design that bears the same name. The institute does not aim to impart precise scientific knowledge, but rather a whole new outlook on the world. This concept is seen in the bar too.

Strelka is located in the former Krasny Oktyabr confectionery factory. Foreigners get rather bored hearing the word ‘loft,’ but the bar is often home to relaxing expats – apparently the interior brings on a tender feeling of nostalgia. The design is built around wood and leather in the European style, while specific details like a huge circular lamp fit perfectly into the general idea. Here everything is so good and right that Strelka Bar has unexpectedly become the favorite place for cutting-edge youth, foreigners, tourists, partners from the Big Four, rock stars and other pleasant faces. Perhaps the big attraction is the veranda with spectacular views of the Moskva River and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but most likely it is the open and positive atmosphere, which is sincerely supported by everyone, from visitors to bartenders.

The bar manager Sergei Chesnokov, disciple of the mixology guru Alexander Khan, has created a small but interesting cocktail menu, for which he blindly tested alcohol and other important ingredients to select those of the highest quality. The menu offers many variations of classics with amusing improvements. For instance, coffee and orange liqueurs are added to the indispensable Long Island Ice Tea, and Russia’s beloved fizzy pop is added to the bracing Linchburg Lemonade. The potent Zombie is mixed from five kinds of rum, one of which is 22 years old... And this same Zombie lurks humbly in the tropical cocktails section! Simple mixes such as Screwdriver, Whiskey-Cola, Gin & Tonic, and others no less memorable can be found in a separate chapter, which is fortunate and heartwarming seeing as, in most bars, they are not even considered worthy of attention.

One of the unusual drinks worth trying is the delicious and patriotic experiment Isaev Cocktail: vodka with birch sap, Summery cucumber lemonade and rosebay-willowherb, harvested on environmentally friendly land, with honey.  

The most stellar bartenders of Russia – Alexander Khan, Vyacheslav Lankin, Marat Saddarov, Dmitry Sokolov – come to Strelka bar to try drinks, evaluate them and relax. This is the highest possible accolade not just for the cocktail menu and the bar manager, but for the institution itself.