The chances may not be very good, but suppose the king comes along and he gives you a free hand, which cocktail will it be? Sergii Alieksieiev (36), co-owner of Office 1643 on Prinsegracht, doesn't have to think long. "A Vetiver Knickerbocker. That's already a great cocktail in the base, consisting of orange liqueur and Dry Orange Curaçao, among other things. Orange is his family name, right? No idea if he can appreciate this cocktail, but I think he will recognise the Dutch link and that might offer material for an interesting conversation."

Sergii Alieksieiev (left) and Yurii Slobodchukov run Kantoor164 on Prinsegracht in The Hague.

The Knickerbocker originated in New York as a cocktail in the mid-nineteenth century and refers to the oldskool puff trousers by which Dutch settlers were identified. The original recipe contains rum, fresh raspberries, lime and Dry Orange Curaçao. Alieksieiev adds a minimal but very surprising twist with vetiver. Vetiver, closely related to sereh, is a grass with very deep roots. He incorporates those roots dried in this cocktail. Vetiver smells like a walk through a tropical forest just before sunrise: earthy, woody, sweet, smoky.

In honour

The Vetiver Knickerbocker contains something of his style. "Unexpected flavours while respecting the classics, that's what I go for. I honour the classics, you really still taste a Knickerbocker, but I give it a little push. Of the 23 cocktails on the menu, about half are based on a classic, the rest are 'signatures'. The Accept Cookies is one of my own. For this cocktail, brandy, aged rum, bourbon, lemon juice, hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico), various spices including cinnamon, nutmeg and three different peppers, oolong tea and treacle wafers are mixed. After which milk is added. After curdling, we strain the transparent cocktail, which we then serve over ice. This technique is very old and is called milk punch, more often called milk washing these days."

Titles

Speaking is a seasoned cocktail expert. He has won numerous titles in the past, including Monin's international competition in Paris in 2014. In his native Ukraine, Alieksieiev went on to win first prize "about 10 times". "That doesn't say very much. Almost every liqueur, every spirit, organises a championship every year. If you have the time and you are creative, you can have hundreds to your name." Yurii Slobodchukov (30), associate of Alieksieiev: "Sergii can compete with the top of the world, he will just never say that about himself."

Office 1643

Syrups they make themselves at Office 1643. Underground, they have a bar kitchen for prepping ingredients for cocktails. They have a special high-tech machine there that makes the very best ice cubes. Not ice cubes, ice cubes. Big square ice cubes, oblong cubes. Those ice cubes give the cocktails an extra fancy look.

The interior of Office 1643 is like some of Alieksieiev's cocktails: a mix of vintage and modern, tad crazy elements.

The interior of Office 1643, located in a listed building dating back almost four hundred years, is like some of Alieksieiev's cocktails: a mix of vintage and modern, tad crazy elements. With a yucky bar, a bright yellow fire escape and a garden room as big eye-catchers. "No, the plants in the garden room are not fake. Nothing is fake with us, "says Alieksieiev.

"Our menu is international. We serve grilled sea bass with vanilla butter and pea puree, a double smashburger with cheddar and jalapeño, yakitori of shiitake and of octopus tentacles. With its own ponzu sauce. We also have a great selection of bar food, late night snacks, whatever you want to call it: fried cassava with wasabi aioli and pasta sandwich with pickles, horseradish and swede. Everything is made in house, even the sourdough bread. Bread with and bread without matcha."

DJ

As local as possible is one of the 'values' of Office 1643. "We match with Roast Factory, Hug the Tea, Haagse Broeder and Hoeve Biesland in Delfgauw." This is paying off, the sales figures attest. The yellow-green cocktail Hague 4 Life, which includes gin, pineapple and passion fruit-basil sorbet, is already the runner-up at Office 1643. "Club 7 is a tribute to our predecessor, the famous Club Seven. This cocktail is a Long Island Iced Tea, the most consumed cocktail in nightlife, supplemented with lactose. A trip down memory lane: this cocktail briefly recalls that one birthday celebrated lavishly at Club Seven."

On Friday and Saturday nights, a DJ takes the audience in Office 1643 into even higher spirits. "We play funky music, and a bit of pop. We start quietly, later in the evening it becomes more party. But we are not a club though, we are first and foremost a cocktail bar. A cocktail bar where you can also dine.

www.kantoor1643.com