Shoreditch’s vibrant Old Street welcomes a bold new neighbourhood cocktail bar, FlipDog, within Imperial Hall. Founded by Ukrainian visionaries Artem Skapenko and Alex Kostenyuk, FlipDog bring a fresh perspective to London’s cocktail scene with an inventive, method-driven drinks programme led by Head Bartender Igor Brovko, alongside a distinctive food offering by Chef Anton Vasyliev.
Designed by internationally acclaimed design studio YOD Group, the space reflects FlipDog’s conceptual ethos, balancing industrial edge with refined detailing. The interiors blend raw textures, sculptural elements and warm lighting to create an environment that feels both contemporary and immersive, setting the tone for a technique-led drinking experience across two distinct floors.
At street level, the intimate 12-seater ground-floor bar welcomes guests from 3pm, Tuesday to Saturday. This lighter, more relaxed space focuses on a curated list of ten crisp, refreshing highballs, crafted for effortless early evening drinking and approachable flavour exploration.
Downstairs, the 80-capacity basement cocktail bar opens from 5pm, offering a more immersive experience where technique takes centre stage. Here, 22 signature cocktails are presented through a distinctive dual-menu concept, structured entirely around method. Each serve has been developed with a deep understanding of how technique shapes flavour, texture and balance from clarification and carbonation to fat-washing and fermentation, resulting in drinks that are both innovative and accessible.
The first side of the menu, the “Flip10”, features ten cocktails, each built around a specific technique and designed to evoke nostalgia and memory through flavour. Central to this is the historic 17th-century loggerhead method, which uses an iron poker either heated or chilled to transform the liquid.
Highlights include the ‘Morning at the Platform’ which employs a loggerhead heated to 1200°C, intensifying roasted and caffeinated notes while imparting a subtle mineral edge, capturing the crisp stillness of a London station before the morning rush. In contrast, ‘Foggy Morning’ uses the cold loggerhead technique to build layered depth without heat, reminiscent of a quiet walk through a mist-covered city. Elsewhere on the Flip10 menu, technique continues to drive creativity. ‘Cab Ride at Night’, a rum-based cocktail aged in clay, develops rounded depth and character. ‘Hangover Double Cheese’ explores savoury layering, while ‘At the Pub’ uses carbonation as a playful homage to the classic half pint.
The second side of the menu presents 12 signature serves: contemporary interpretations of classic cocktails, reimagined through unexpected flavour pairings. Familiar foundations are elevated with precision and modern craftsmanship.
Complementing the drinks is a menu of shareable dishes inspired by Asian and Eastern European cuisines. Built around bold flavours and comforting combinations, the food is designed to pair seamlessly with the cocktails and lend itself to late-night dining. Highlights include the ‘Chicken Katsu Sandwich’, ‘Thai-Style Beef Tartare’, ‘Niçoise-Style Octopus Skewer’, and for dessert, a ‘Matcha Trifle’ and ‘Lemon & Yuzu Posset’.
“Opening FlipDog…marks an incredibly proud moment for us. 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. We look forward to welcoming as many guests as possible through our doors and sharing everything FlipDog has to offer.” – Artem Skapenko & Alex Kostenyuk, Co‑Founders, FlipDog
Address: 104-122 City Road, London EC1V 2NR