At cato, Co-founder Angelos Bafas is rethinking what a cocktail menu can be – using synesthesia-inspired ideas to turn colour into flavour, and stripping drinks back to their purest expression. He explains how the venue’s minimalist approach, from naming to presentation, is designed to make each cocktail instantly readable yet deeply considered, while championing UK-sourced ingredients throughout.

The menu is inspired by synesthesia, where senses overlap. How did you translate the relationship between colour and flavour into the creative process for developing each cocktail?
Colour and flavour have always been two inextricably connected elements in the creative process of my menus. As humans, we have always linked certain colours with certain experiences or flavours, no matter if we have synesthesia or not. For example, the colour green is often associated with something fresh or herbal. So, for us, although we have put a lot of thought and research into our menus, we wanted to deliver something that is also approachable and inspires familiarity to our guests.

Each drink is named after its two defining ingredients. What was the reasoning behind this minimalist naming approach, and how does it influence how guests experience or interpret the drinks?
Our motto is that if it is written on the menu you need to be able to find it (or its flavour) in the glass. We have been developing all the drinks with that in mind, meaning that hero ingredients will be prominent in the drink. Hence, the names of the drinks come after the two main ingredients that define its flavour, aroma or texture, and also share the same colour hue.

It is clear that the menu balances simplicity with complexity. How did you decide how much technique or layering to hide behind that minimalist presentation?

Although we live in the social media era, at cato we still believe that, when it comes to drinks, it is what is in the glass that matters. For us, minimalism is not a trend, but more a means of communication. This way, we can pass to our guests a clear message about the depth of flavour and also the story of the ingredient itself, without using extra fancy vessels or overcomplicated ways of serving.

All ingredients are sourced from producers and distilleries across the United Kingdom. How did this commitment to British sourcing shape or challenge the development of cocktails inspired by global flavour combinations; how important do you believe this aspect of locality is for guests?

Provenance has lately been a price increasing factor. The team at cato has a love for local ingredients and small producers. Our mission, in a way, is to inspire people of every calibre to support local farmers, producers and distillers by showing that there is actually a way to replicate all the well know “exotic” flavours or familiar drinks with the right use of wild, local, or independently produced ingredients and spirits. Also, at the end of the day, sourcing local and buying small can be much cheaper.

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