Cocktails

Noelani The American Bar The Sta ord

LONDON

There’s sorcery in the air at The Staff ord’s historic venue The American Bar, where the new cocktail menu, The Alchemy of Equilibrium, weaves together the natural elements of water, earth, air and fi re with the aim of highlighting the harmonious fi fth element of quintessence.

Each is depicted by four aesthetically dramatic drinks. Representing water is Noelani, a vaporous and aquatic mixture created from Bayou Reserve rum made with sugarcane grown in the Mississippi River delta, gunpowder tea, pear, ginger, honey and citrus. “This cocktail represents mist,” explains Director of Mixology Salvatore Megna, who dreamed up the menu alongside Director of The American Bar Benoit Provost. “The idea was to recreate the mystery of something visually beautiful that emerges from the mist.”

To concoct the drink, Megna shakes all the ingredients together to release their individual fl avours before straining the liquid into a glass, adding ice and garnishing with a beguiling strip of gold leaf for a fi nal dash of glamour. But despite its striking appearance, his main goal is that the drink remains tasty enough to elicit repeat orders. “My hope with this cocktail is to marry perfectly balanced ingredients that guests can enjoy and drink again and again, whilst representing the element associated with it,” he says.

A historic and emblematic signature of Palmer & Co, each Grands Terroirs cuvée expresses the quintessence of our Premier and Grand Cru vineyards of the Montagne de Reims in an exceptional vintage.

Aqua Vitae Terrazza 241 Hilton Lake Como

When Terrazza 241 – a breezy rooftop venue offering sweeping views of Italy’s third-largest lake – decided to launch a new Earth-inspired cocktail menu called Habitat, its team took inspiration from the natural world, referencing destinations as far-flung as Japan and Peru. But there’s one drink on the list that looks much closer to home.

Capped with a smoky dome, Aqua Vitae is a fruity libation that tells the tale of the humble grape. Each of its ingredients – Lillet-infused Sogno d’Amore, strawberry grapes, rosé champagne and four drops of grappa – are processed from the fruit. “The cocktail tells the story of the evolution of this product, from the moment it is harvested from the plant to the moment it is distilled, to the moment it evaporates in a smoke bubble,” explains Head Bartender Ludmilla Samohin. “Grapes are the soul of this cocktail.”

The ingredients are shaken and double-strained, lending the Aqua Vitae a similar texture to a refined champagne cocktail. It is decorated with flowers and capped with a non-alcoholic bubble that contains fruity notes similar to those often present in wine.

“I want our guests to have an immersive experience and understand the soul of the drink,” says Samohin. “The strong taste of grappa and at the same time the delicate taste of champagne should be perceived in the glass.” She adds: “My favourite thing about the drink is the fact that there is a common thread connecting all the ingredients; they all have the same chemical composition.”