Three Sheets, Dalston: bar review

Where is it? 510b Kingsland Road. Nearest tube: Dalston Junction overground station.

Who’s behind Three Sheets? This is the first venture from the Venning brothers, originally from Manchester, who have worked in leading cocktail bars for years, most notably Max’s experience with Tony Conigliaro’s Drinks Factory and 69 Colebrooke Row and Noel’s time in Manchester at tequila bar Crazy Pedro’s. Max also won bartender of the year at CLASS bar awards 2019.

What’s the vibe?

Max and Noel aren’t big on the showy side of cocktail making – behind the bar is a simple shelf of bottles containing only what the mixologists need for the short cocktail list. This no-frills approach allows the brothers’ northern charm to shine through; they chat away and recommend local haunts while shaking up drinks as though hosting you in their own home.

What’s the drinks menu like?

The menu reflects the name, and is split into three ‘sheets’ (aka pages), with three cocktails on each. The first ‘sheet’ showcases lighter, aperitif-style cocktails, and the drinks become more complex and punchy as the sheets unfold. There are a few beers from local breweries and a red, white and sparkling Italian wine for good measure.

Which cocktail to order at Three Sheets?

The fizzy pre-bottled French 75, made with gin, verjus, clarified lemon juice, moscato and orange flower, is poured straight into your glass like champagne. It’s dangerously easy to drink (you can buy it buy the glass, or, even better, by the bottle).

Different but equally as sinkable is the Scottish coffee, an indulgent take on its Irish counterpart. Super-smooth hot coffee is combined with salted coffee liqueur and whisky ‘washed’ in salty butter. A shortbread-infused cream top is the icing on this creamy, biscuity drink that could be mistaken in appearance (and smoothness) for a mini Guinness.

Is there any food?

Not really, unless you count honey almonds and olives. This is more of a pre or post-dinner destination.

Anything else?

Three Sheets opens at 2pm on Saturdays, so pop in for a chat and an Alchemy coffee, hand-roasted in Wimbledon.

Insider tip: As their French 75 serve suggests, the boys are big on pre-batched ingredients that every top bartender relies on to create cocktails on a busy night. Look out for their book, Batched & Bottled, out May, that teaches you how to make creative concoctions at home. We predicted pre-bottled cocktails to be a big trend for 2018, here's what else we predicted...

Where to go nearby for dinner: Chick ’n’ sours is practically next door, perfect for some pre-cocktail carbs, in the form of fried chicken, to line your stomach for a late night at Three Sheets.

threesheets-bar.com