Less Sugar Bar, or LSB for short, which opened in Moscow's prestigious neighborhood Patriarch's Ponds about a year ago, claims to be the only bar in the world that mixes all of its cocktails without using a gram of sugar.
LSB is not a “hidden” bar, at least not intentionally, but it’s definitely hard to find, being located in a rather dark corner of a courtyard. The interior is minimalist, with neon light boxes and potted plants and the bar’s slogan printed on the wall: “Your life can be sweet without sugar.”
One of the people behind the innovative cocktails is Vladimir Kolganov of “Chainaya. Tea & Cocktails” fame, one of the very few Moscow establishments that ever made it to the “World's 50 Best Bars” list. Kolganov also worked at Pinch, another pinnacle of the city’s cocktail culture.
The main part of the cocktail menu is divided into three sections based on the ingredients used instead of sugar and paired with a liquor: honey and rum, topinambur syrup and bourbon, agave syrup and tequila. Try “Arny” from the topinambur section, where sugarless syrup is mixed with bourbon and Fernet Branca (600 rubles/US$9) or “90210” from the honey section, where rum infused with dry apricots is mixed with acacia honey, ginger, lime and coconut water.
There’s also a menu with seasonal drinks and “experimental” menu, which uses home-made infusions like vodka with “Milk Oolong” tea or rum with coconut shavings and special cordials. You won’t go wrong with “Venice Beach,” which marries gin, cranberry and pink pepper cordial, and, surprisingly, Prosecco.
LSB also offers various snacks, including gluten-free bruschettas and salads. Recently Less Sugar Bar started selling their home made sugarless cordials online, encouraging people to try to emulate their cocktails at home or make lemonade with it.
