A cocktail bar in East London has been has been raided by police after a tip-off that they were for serving a drink allegedly flavoured with whale skin!
The cocktail - called Moby Dick - is described on the Nightjar bar's menu as containing Laphroaig whiskey, Drambuie, ale and bitters - and a 'whale skin infusion'.
Whale meat and products are banned from sale in the EU.
According to reports, no one at the Nightjar bar in Hackney was arrested, although an item was seized by police and has been sent for analysis.
A statement issued by the Nightjar said: "We did have a drink on this year's menu which included a small amount of scotch whisky infused with a single 2 x 5cm strip of dried whale skin.
"The strip was purchased in a shop by an employee while on a trip to Japan in autumn 2011.
"Until the police visit, neither ourselves nor our employees were aware of the legislation under which the bottle was seized.
"In hindsight we realise that regardless of the legal framework around such products, it was an error of judgement on our part to include this on our menu, and we would like to offer our apologies to anyone who may have been offended by it.
"We genuinely feel ashamed about our lack of due diligence around this and our insensitivity to public opinion, and have taken the decision to donate all proceeds from the sale of this cocktail to a whale conservation charity.
"The drink has been entirely removed from our menu, which has been reprinted to reflect this."
The Nightjar said that staff would be trained to ensure that all the ingredients on its menu are responsibly sourced.
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