Chelsea bar gets customers in the mood with new cocktail menu
A Chelsea bar is advocating a psychosomatic drinking philosophy with the launch of a new mood-boosting cocktail menu on Saturday.
Fulham Road’s GOAT, a New York-Italian style speakeasy and restaurant, is using ingredients including cannabis extract and bee pollen to enhance their customers’ mood.
Owners Steve and Katia Manktelow bought the bar in 2012 and developed the menu over a two-week period in time for Christmas, researching alternative ingredients to balance their beverages.
“I’ve always been interested in whether or not alcohol does affect your mood, and I don’t think alcohol by itself does,” said Steve.
“Alcohol makes you feel how you think you’ll feel, which is why everybody has a good time when they drink tequila shots and why some people think they’ll get depressed when they drink gin.
“It’s very psychosomatic, whereas a lot of the other things you can add to these drinks are natural products with health or physiological or emotional benefits.”
Discussing the new cannabis-laced Astoria cocktail, Steve said: “We use a CBD oil – it’s available through whole food shops and is supposed to promote relaxation.
“It’s something we can buy over the counter, as opposed to calling up a friend in the country.”
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the cannabis plant’s 113 compounds.
Its numerous medical uses include relief from pain, anxiety and psychosis.
“Cannabis is supposed to be a relaxant.
“The idea is that to add more things to the drink that will help you relax and be more chilled out,” Steve said.
The four other mood-enhancing drinks boast properties to help improve focus, self-esteem, happiness and even arousal.
The Sleepless Beauty features a luxurious mix of vanilla vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and chocolate bitters that will get hearts pumping ahead of a frisky night.
Owner Katia’s favourite Coffee Cocktail provides a different take on a traditional espresso martini and features no coffee at all, but aims to boost moods with a creamy concoction of cognac, port and a whole egg.
The Spanish Harlem and Santa Clara combine unconventional ingredients such as ginko leaf and bee pollen root with traditional whiskey or tequila, respectively.
Customers can enjoy these cocktails in one of GOAT’s several rooms, including the Old-Fashioned Cocktail Club, a weekly cocktail masterclass, as well as the Chelsea Prayer Room, a secret bar where guests are escorted and given a passcode for that evening.
All drinks are £10 each and are available from Saturday evening.
