The latest from Hakkasan is a cocktail bar on St James's Street, opened recently.

Located below Sake No Hana, which Hakkasan acquired in June this year, the bar is called Ni Ju San. The name means 23 (its address, not necessarily a conspiracy-theory reference), but the emphasis is on the 'Ju' part, which means 10. Each section of the list contains 10 drinks, all priced at £10, and so on.

Bar manager George Matzaridis has put together a sophisticated, Japanese-inspired drinks list, including house cocktails and adaptations of classics. Everything is double-strained, and served either neat or with large ice balls or cubes - there's no crushed ice here. Each of the house cocktails is served in a different, distinctive glass.

Highlights include the Kiki Sakura (pictured), combining Shiroku yuzu sake, cherry liqueur, Elements 8 platinum rum and apricot, as well as the Charentais Breakfast, a cognac drink with tamarillo, sweet vermouth, yuzu marmalade and apricot served with an ice ball in a cognac glass - a complex drink with layers of vegetal, fruit and spice flavours.

A brief Japanese bar-food menu is provided by the restaurant above, with various skewers available, from char-grilled quail to deep-fried aubergine.

News item from Imbibe.com, 21-12-2011