There are cocktail menus, and then there are cultural events disguised as cocktail menus. At Himkok, the acclaimed Oslo bar consistently ranked among the best in the world, the line between the two has long been porous. With its new release—Designed by Sipping—Himkok has pushed further than ever into the realm where drinking and art converge.
Himkok Fuses Cocktails and Contemporary Scandinavian Design
Created in collaboration with Studio Sløyd, a Norwegian design duo known for playful, hands-on approaches to contemporary craft, and creative agency 2.edition, the project turns each of Himkok’s 13 new cocktails into an object you can see, touch, and, in some cases, live with. The idea is deceptively simple: to translate flavor into form. But its execution, as with most things Himkok, is multi-sensory and intensely local.
A Menu That Becomes a Gallery
Designed by Sipping continues Himkok’s ongoing experiments in storytelling through drinks. Earlier menus have pulled from photography, fashion, even music. This time the bar turned to design. Studio Sløyd founders Mikkel Jøraandstad and Herman Ødegaard, steeped in the Nordic sløyd tradition of material exploration, worked with local artisans in glass, ceramics, textiles, and wood to craft each object.
Bar Manager Maroš Dzurus and Head of R&D Paul Aguilar describe the collaboration as “experimental, deeply rooted in Nordic heritage, but always curious and forward-thinking.” Jøraandstad and Ødegaard put it more simply: cocktails are fleeting; design endures. The objects, then, are an attempt to “freeze the moment.”
The result is a menu that will also debut as a gallery-style exhibition during Designers Saturday in Oslo, complete with an online auction of all 13 design pieces via Énuke.
Highlights from Designed by Sipping
- Softis – A creamy aquavit and ice cream cocktail that channels Norwegian summer nostalgia, paired with a sculptural clock mimicking the swirl and transience of soft-serve.
- Cherry – Himkok’s take on a Manhattan, deep with Buffalo Trace, cherry liqueur, and butter-washed chocolate, reimagined as a moody floor lamp.
- Cherry Tomato – Savory, late-summer Norway in a glass—aquavit, mezcal, plum wine—given form as a hand-carved wooden chair.
- Carrot – A gin- and mandarin-driven cocktail with Fireball heat, represented by a striking candleholder.
- Fika – A Scandinavian coffee-break tribute, smoky and grounding, paired with a handcrafted cafetière.
Each piece is an interpretation as much as an accompaniment, a way of broadening how we experience cocktails beyond the palate.
Launch and Availability
The new menu officially launches on Thursday, September 11, with the exhibition opening the same day in Oslo. The auction for the design objects also begins on September 11 at 5 p.m. CEST on Enuke.art
To make a reservation, head over to Himkok’s official website.
