Cocktails

Pink Diamond Bar 45 - 45 Park Lane

LONDON

In celebration of 45 Park Lane’s first art exhibition of 2021 – featuring the works of Nat Bowen – Bar Manager Francesco Orefici has created a vibrantly coloured cocktail that pays homage to the British abstract artist’s Chromadelic collection and its centrepiece, the Pink Diamond. Painted with rose petal pigment and genuine pink diamond dust set within layers of resin, Bowen’s signature artwork brings a sense of playfulness to the bar setting, whilst also serving as a source of inspiration for the team.

“The Pink Diamond is a fruity martini made with bramble gin – the sweet berry flavour is offset by the tartness of the seasonal Wakefield rhubarb and a little kick from the Peychaud bitters – finished off with a delicate hint of umami from the sake,” explains Orefici.

To create the cocktail, the ingredients are shaken with ice and double strained into a Riedel martini glass, before being topped with flakes of caramelised rhubarb. “I like everything about this drink, the pink colour, the sweetness and sharpness of the taste, the floating sugar diamond on the top,” says Orefici. The Pink Diamond is a refreshing drink to welcome in the summer, a cocktail for any time of the day.”

Lou Pape Hôtel Crillon le Brave

PROVENCE

One of three properties within the Maisons Pariente collection, Crillon Le Brave is located within Provence’s golden triangle; a hideaway made for soaking up the sun and sipping on cocktails such as the Lou Pape, an elixir whose apricot flavour profile pays tribute to the region.

“Lou Pape means grandfather in local dialect. My grandpa has always been a Suze drinker and I wanted to pay a tribute to him by creating a drink synonymous with his tastes that was also in line with the hotel’s atmosphere and surroundings,” explains Julien Andrieu, Crillon Le Brave’s Bar Manager. “The apricot is an interesting regional product to mix and cognac is, unfortunately, a spirit less popular in France, so I wanted to bring it back.”

Making a reappearance on the drinks list just in time for the summer season, the cocktail features Suze, a famed French aperitif flavoured with gentian root. “The main flavours are the bitterness from the Suze, the sweetness of the apricot, the strength of the cognac and a light quinine taste brought by the tonic, enhanced by a pinch of fleur de sel,” says Andrieu.

He concludes: “Lou Pape is served in rustic yet elegant glassware to remember my grandfather’s profile, and is garnished with a shaped orange zest bringing a citrus nose, a rosemary branch and an aroma matching well with apricot.”