On an international front, a new bar is about to land in London, with FlipDog opening on 14 March inside Imperial Hall in Old Street. The two-storey venue in Shoreditch is founded by hospitality figures Artem Skapenko and Alex Kostenyuk, bringing a method-driven cocktail concept to the city with a drinks program led by Head Bartender Igor Brovko and a food offering from Chef Anton Vasyliev.
The bar’s approach centres on technique, with drinks built around processes like carbonation, clarification, fermentation, and fat-washing. One of the defining elements is FlipDog’s signature loggerhead method, a historic technique using an iron poker heated to around 1200°C to alter the texture, aroma, and flavour of a cocktail.
Highlights include “Morning at the Platform,” where the red-hot loggerhead intensifies roasted and caffeinated notes while adding a subtle mineral edge to the drink. Another serve, “At the Pub,” is a carbonated cocktail designed as a playful nod to the classic half-pint beer, while other drinks lean into techniques such as clay ageing and savoury layering.
The cocktail list is split across two menus. The first, called the “Flip10”, focuses on technique-led drinks designed to evoke memory and familiar moments through flavour. The second features 12 contemporary takes on classic cocktails, reworked with unexpected ingredients and modern preparation methods.
Food plays a supporting role, with a small menu designed for sharing alongside the drinks.
“Opening FlipDog’s doors marks an incredibly proud moment for us,” say co-founders Skapenko and Kostenyuk. “We’ve created a space where everyone feels welcome – somewhere guests can enjoy great service, exceptional cocktails, and thoughtful food in an elevated yet approachable setting. Everything we do is rooted in care and intention, from the techniques behind our drinks to the atmosphere we’ve built across the bar.”
The venue itself is split across two levels. A 12-seat street-level bar opens from mid-afternoon with a short list of highballs designed for easy early-evening drinking. Downstairs, an 80-capacity basement bar houses the full cocktail experience, with the technique-led menu taking centre stage.