ISSN 2052 0603
AUTUMN 2018
THE
LUXE ISSUE
- Photos: Fotolia
PUT A SPELL ON YOUR COCKTAIL
Caribbean Pineapple Premium Liqueur Product of France
www.giffard.com GIFFARD – 49240 Avrillé (Angers) - FRANCE / Tel: + 33 2 41 1885 00 – contact@giffard.com
IN-tro
T H E R E
A R E
LIT TLE, E VERYDAY
L U X U R I E S AND THERE IS ALL OUT
L U X E We're leaning towards the latter in this issue, from checking in to the American Bar at The Savoy for five-star service and first-class drinks (p. 30), to checking out some shiny bits of extravagant kit for the home bar (p. 44). But first we speak to Thomai Serdari, an expert on the subject, about what luxury means, where it's headed and how it fits into the world of drinks (p. 12). Scene set, it's over to the people who create the feeling of opulence in the bar; read how a music, lighting, packaging and product designer bring their talents into play on p. 16. Elsewhere Douglas Blyde goes shopping in the opulent, new Wine & Spirits Room at Harrods (p. 58), Miles Watson meets the collectors who splash their cash on vintage drinks (p. 40), Jane Ryan rounds up the experiences every cocktail lover should have on their wish-list (p. 35), and fashion writer Julia Robson says that bling's the thing when it comes to the new dress code for the cocktail hour (p. 46). Dive in, then splash out – life's too short not to spoil yourself with a few luxuries every now and again.
Please imbibe responsibly
Ms S & Mr G thecocktaillovers.com
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The Cocktail Lovers - 5
IN-gredients
7. IN-the know
30. IN-the spotlight Haute stuff
Balancing history and inspiration with Declan McGurk at the American Bar at The Savoy
34. IN-the spotlight 25 reasons to be a cocktail lover this season
Pimping our ride, getting cocktail ready and upgrading our seats, just a few of the things on our radar in the next few months
12. IN-the hotseat Thomai Serdari
Lifting the lid on luxe with Thomai Serdai, strategist in luxury marketing
16. IN-spire
Bringing luxury to the bar
Ultimate drinks experiences
From dinner at a maison in Champagne to selecting your own cask in Scotland, Jane Ryan rounds up her wish list
40. IN-the spotlight A sip in time
Dusty bottles are big business as Miles Watson find out
44. IN-dulge The A List
Barware essentials for high rollers
Meet the people who make five-star drinks experiences their business
26. IN-spire
The look (and feel) of luxe
Jane Ryan on the timeless touches that let you know you're drinking in a top-notch establishment
46. IN-style
Dressing for the cocktail hour It's code word glam, says Julia Robson
50. IN-style Rich pickings
Deluxe drinks for every taste and budget
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IN-gredients
58. IN-formed
Editors: Sandrae Lawrence Gary Sharpen Sub-editor: Sally Briggs Creative Director: James Cheverton at Burnt Studio burntstudio.com Photographer Adam Goodison adamgoodisonphotography.com
Suite spirits
Douglas Blyde is educated, informed and entertained at the recently relaunched Fine Wines & Spirits Rooms at Harrods
61. IN-formed Mains & Martinis
Making time for some laid-back luxury at Hampton Manor
62. IN-formed Word Up
News, views and reviews from the cocktail front
66. IN-ternational
Contributors: Douglas Blyde Isaac Dann Imogen Frost Julia Robson Jane Ryan Miles Watson On the cover: Baron Yukiwa gold and matt shaker from urbanbar.com Photographed by Adam Goodison
For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: mail@thecocktaillovers.com T: 020 7242 2546 thecocktaillovers.com
Printed by Stephens & George Distributed by Gold Key Media
Having a Dam good time Called to the bars of Amsterdam
The Cocktail Lovers are proud winners of Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication, Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2016 and The London Evening Standard Progress 1000 – London’s Most Influential People 2015 and 2017
Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited. The Cocktail Lovers Issue No. 29 Autumn/Winter 2018 The Cocktail Lovers magazine is published by The Cocktail Lovers Ltd. in London, UK PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
The Cocktail Lovers - 7
Contributors
Julia Robson
Douglas Blyde
Journalist, writer and broadcaster, Julia Robson, has written about fashion for national British newspapers including The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times and The Daily Mail, and international publications including The National in UAE, and magazines Elle, British Airways High Life and InStyle for two decades.
Drinks columnist for the London Evening Standard Magazine and consultant presenter to banks and brands, media mogul Douglas Blyde has been described as “one of the most respected (and well-fed) experts on eating out in the capital…”
Projects include a prison magazine, The Beauty’s Inside written by and for women offenders which won The Times Educational Outreach award, and a recently completed documentary film about the craft of fashion journalism in a digital age. Her work extends from reporting to teaching fashion in higher education at London College of Fashion, Central Saint Martin’s and Regent’s University London. In this issue Julia writes about Dressing For the Cocktail Hour (p. 46).
Memorable experiences on his journey of tastes have included dining in, then ultimately legitimately escaping from, the restaurant at high security prison, HMP Highdown; shooting, being blooded by, then eating grouse for lunch on the Glorious Twelfth of August in the Highlands – malt in hand; and discovering the spiritual home of the fragrant Mojito in humid Havana. He heads to the recently revamped Fine Wines & Spirits Rooms at Harrods for this issue and talks to spirits buyer Nick Fleming (p. 58).
Miles Watson
Adam Goodison
The newest addition to The Cocktail Lovers team, Miles popped his bartending cherry working at award-winning Hawksmoor Spitalfields. He'll be sitting on the other side of the bar in his new role as writer and reviewer for the print and online editions of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine.
Adam Goodison is a photographer and filmmaker whose stilllife work is in demand by an array of clients and publications including Burberry, House of Holland, Wonderland, The Guardian, London Evening Standard Magazine, Rake's Progress and Tank. Exhibitions take in ASVOFF – Video Screening, 'Daisy Lowe: 3D Dream Girl and Berliner Liste.
In this issue Miles, speaks to three of the most prominent collectors of vintage spirits in the UK for his feature, A Sip In Time (p. 40).
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Adam trained with esteemed photographer Nick Knight and captures the luxury of spirits on the cover and in our Rich Pickings feature (p. 50).
25
IN-the know
REASONS TO BE A COCKTAIL LOVER THIS SEASON Keeping up with the gins'es, having a ball and sounding the Bassoon – just three of the things we're looking forward to in the next few months
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If you’re looking for visual clues on how to really do glam, you won’t do better than Cecil Beaton: Thirty from the 30s Fashion, Film and Fantasy, the display exhibition showing at the Fashion and Textile Museum. Mr B knew a thing or two about elegance; his stunning photographs of fabulous faces from the era, including Elsa Schiaparelli, Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn are visual proof of that. Soak up the style then sink into a Martini at Hide Bar down the road. Cecil Beaton: Thirty from the 30s Fashion, Film and Fantasy is showing from 12 October 2018 to 28 January 2019 at the Fashion and Textile Museum, ftmlondon.org
merle oberon wearing a pearl headdress designed by cecil beaton and costume by oliver messel, on the set of 'the private life of don juan', photograph by cecil beaton, 1936, courtesy of the cecil beaton studio archive, sotheby's
Channelling the seduction of the 1930s
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IN-the know
3
2
Having a ball
…but if you prefer your punch a bit less on the bling side, try this. Tulip punch bowl and glasses by Robert Schinkel at retail.libbey.eu
We all need a little glitter ball action in our lives. Particularly in the run-up to the festive season. Get your party on with the Pikes at RSG disco ball cocktail sharer from rockettstgeorge.co.uk
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Bringing Champagne to the street You’ve got to love Virgil Abloh. Not only is he shaking things up at Louis Vuitton, he’s got his street-style vibe going down at sister brand Moët & Chandon too. Raise a glass to his limited-edition ‘Do Not Drop’ design for Moët’s Nectar Rosé, available Stateside from 1 October.
05 Getting cocktail ready
How’s this for a cocktail lovers manicure? Clean your nails with Cocktail Napkins, soak in Club Soda Fizz, then apply Simple Syrup base coat. After adding your choice of colour (try Caviar Cocktail or Kir Royale), seal with Vodka or Dry Gin top coat, spritz with Dry Martini, et voila! You’re ready to drink. tinibeauty.com
No. six
Trying a new take on tea
Kombucha, schmombucha – right now it’s all about sparkling tea. Take your pick from the non-alcoholic and alcoholic varieties from the Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company at fortnumandmason.com
9. Pimping our ride And while we’re in luxe mode, can we take a moment to fantasise about living this kind of life? Mulliner drinks cooler and cabinets fitted to order at bentleymotors.com
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EIGHT … which means we’ll just have to have a cabinet reshuffle… Isle Crawford’s Brass Cabinet oozes glamour with a capital G. studioilse.com
Upgrading our seats Sod economy, we’re going Upper Class. Starting with our bar stools. Here’s to gilt-y pleasures all round. essentialhome.eu
IN-the know
10
Going stemless Yes, stems have their place but do you need them all the time? Not really. Try these and dare to drink differently. rowenandwren.co.uk
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11 Taking our pick Ooh, sexy! Anette cocktail picks with holder. aerin.com
Unlocking doors
Of the boozy advent calendar kind. Take your pick from the collections of 24 wee drams of deliciousness from around the world including rum, mezcal, Armagnac and a host of whiskies. Be quick though, they don’t hang around for long. masterofmalt.com
12 13. Covering up
Cocktail wallpaper really does exist. Isn’t it time you showed your walls a little cocktail love? Colours cocktail wallpaper. diy.com
If you love Pina Coladas and want to reign, you’re sure to fall in love with Judith Leiber’s crystal embellished clutch bag. (Guys, best leave this one for the ladies…) judithleiber.com
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Keeping up with the gins’es
SIXTEEN
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Making faces Put a new spin on your gin with Prometheus gin and cocktail tumblers by Sieger by Fürstenberg at artedona.com
Carrying our drinks
Telling drinks stories If you liked Tim Federle's Tequila Mockingbird, check out the follow-up. Are You There God? It's Me, Margarita comtinues the theme with aplomb. runningpress.com
The race is on! Cool, niche tonics are catching up with the gins. Here’s one more label to add to the collection. Artisan Craft Mixers, coming to a bar near you very soon…
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IN-the know
EIGHTEEN Putting on the glitz
Yes, it’s corny but your guests will love it. Add an instant shimmer to your glass with sparkle drops from notonthehighstreet.com
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Discovering new liqueurs Whiskoffy, Tequilomile and Whinger – small batch whisky and tequila liqueurs for mixing or drinking on the rocks, from Marvolio’s Nostrums, marvolios.com
TWENTY TWO Keeping it green
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Checking in, checking out...
One more reason to book a night at the Langham, London. After you’ve enjoyed the fab drinks in the Artesian, head up to your room for the minibar – bottled cocktails courtesy of our friends at World of Zing. langhamhotels.com/en
21 Sounding the Bassoon
Michael Sager and cocktail whizz Marcis Dzelzainis have given the drinks list at the swanky Bassoon bar a serious overhaul. Expect corking New Orleans cocktails with a killer soul/funk/house soundtrack. Definitely one to have on your radar. corinthia.com/en
Biodegradable, reusable, indestructible coffee cups made from coffee grounds? Count us in! Espresso, cappuccino and takeaway styles available from kaffeeform.webshopapp.com
TWENTY FOUR Breaking barriers Styled like a convenience store AvroKO’s Genuine Liquorette in London is the place where guests can play bartender while bartenders help guests concoct fun, enjoyable drinks. Get involved now! eatgenuine.com
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Overhauling our snacks The Made for Drink snack range do exactly what they say on the tin. Try them paired with your favourite cocktails. madefordrink.com
25
Rocking out to tea
Our new fave reviver? Winter glam rock afternoon tea at K West Hotel. Accompanying the mini ham club sarnies and charred halloumi sliders are drinks such as the Tea Rex and Born to Rum, all served on a retro turntable. k-west.co.uk
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Fever-Tree Citrus Tonic Water, a blend of tangerine, bitter orange, and lime carefully selected to balance out the sweet citrus pepper y notes of Patrรณn Silver Tequila to create a delicious refreshing long drink.
W
CRAFTED TO PERFECTLY COMPLEMENT PATRร N TEQUILA
IN THE HOTSEAT
THOMAI SERDARI LUXURY
EXPERT
Thomai Serdari, Ph.D is a strategist in luxury marketing and branding, and Director of Research & Adjunct Associate Professor at New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business
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photograph: rod goodman photography
IN-the hotseat
IN-the hotseat
Luxury means different things to different people, what’s your definition of the word and why? Luxury can be defined in many ways because we all relate to it differently. We’re all driven to it, we all agree that it exists even though we can’t define it. But it has certain traits that, for me, are essential. They are scarcity, beauty and culture. By culture I mean that we need to be able to understand that something is scarce and beautiful to appreciate it as luxury. Then there’s the object or the experience itself – for me, it has to be a multi-sensory experience that truly impacts us on three levels: physical, emotional and intellectual. What do you think the general perception of luxury is and why? The perception is that luxury is something very glitzy, very sparkly and design driven. Most people think about it in relation to fashion but that’s not correct. In fact, I don’t believe that fashion is luxury – it’s disposable because it’s trend driven, and based on large scale, outsourced production. But still most people want to see good design in terms of the products and how the brand is expressed. And of course they want exclusivity, this is what allows them to feel better than other people, to operate in this collective environment and yet feel unique and elevated. How, if at all, has the market for luxury goods and services evolved in the time that you’ve been specialising in the subject? It’s been a very interesting industry to observe since I started in 2008. Not only because the firms that are producing true luxury goods have survived and even thrived through the crisis, but because immediately after the economy recovered, the market changed completely. Rather than the wealth coming from western countries, the markets shifted entirely to eastern markets: Asia, in particular China, has been driving luxury for the last eight years. What’s changed is the demographic – people who participate in the luxury market today are coming from all over the world. More people who are making good money here in the US are also more interested in experiences – not necessarily in physical goods. This is a typical millennial philosophy; that you only live once and therefore you should enjoy the best life possible. This can be interpreted in several ways but mostly it means more interest in adventure and travel, which as an industry has grown in recent years and created opportunities for companies to re-examine the notion of luxury and create new offerings. This has created a more service orientated economy.
What do you put this down to? Technology has made everything seem much more accessible – we can research things, see what other people consume and do – it’s not only about technology serving the market as an immediate selling point, but educating us about what a luxury lifestyle is by watching friends and celebrities. This drives aspiration and makes people want to consume certain experiences and products. Technology has made us much more visually trained. Before everything was driven by language, now people see an image and recognise it immediately – there’s much more inherent coding and symbolism. Does the market for luxury now have a wider reach? Completely and that’s driven by technology. Here in the US being in the know is an indication of someone participating in an elevated lifestyle. Then you have eastern cultures where the price tag indicates that this is what they should go after. A lot of companies exploit that, using pricing as the only strategy to reach people. Technology facilitates that sort of clustering.
Luxury in its purest form is a good company with heritage and pure product that delivers quality Does luxury mean the same across all sectors? If so, what are the key factors that bind them? Luxury in its purest form is a good company with heritage and pure product that delivers quality – that’s the same in any industry. These true luxury companies are very much customer or service experience driven and want to maintain very high quality product. What part does exclusivity play in the perception of luxury? A huge and very interesting part. It can be real or manipulated and for a lot of companies the main part of their strategic plan is how to appear more luxurious. Again, it has a lot to do with culture… I refer to China again because of its size and wealth – it’s a very powerful market. As a type of consumer, they’re really drawn to clubs. They want that exclusive experience but in the presence of others. In the western world exclusivity takes
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IN-the hotseat
many forms and shapes – some only circulated by word of mouth. This is very important to millennials – they behave in a way like it’s 1900. There are companies who provide butler services, things like that – we’re seeing a return to personalised attention and outsourcing anything that frees up time to enjoy aspirational activities. Luxury isn’t uniform any longer so companies need to examine each of these notions. What works in one community won’t necessarily work in another.
need a bit of knowledge to appreciate all the different nuances – the taste, the processes. There’s a space for new luxury brands to be created but there has to be a lot of thinking behind the process. I’d like to see some sort of innovation into what goes into making a particular drink, why should I drink at your place as opposed to anywhere else? And if that goes hand in hand with good branding (which implies good design) I’d be a very happy customer.
Are there times when the demand/need for luxury is more prevalent than others? Uncertainty in the economy influences what type of luxury people consume. In times of uncertainty you’ll see a reduction in the consumption of frivolous goods but hard luxury, like jewellery and watches, become the most important goods. It’s a safety net. In times like this branding goes out the window. Moving on to drinks, where do cocktails fit in on the luxometer? Cocktails are part of this new trend in experiences and as such I think they’ve allowed more people to feel that they participate in the luxury market. Depending on how well made they are, whether they’re original recipes, offered in an innovative way, come from a bar with some kind of exclusivity about it – all the previous things we’ve discussed already – they all fit into the way that a business can be positioned. How do you define luxury in terms of drinks and bars? Luxury is created through innovation from either the combination of ingredients or the presentation of the drink. The third ingredient comes from adding an element of storytelling to each drink. It can be a true story or something totally imagined but the truth is, even if we know that it’s imagined, we go to the bar because a whole new world is going to open up before us – it’s like a bridge between the physical world and the world of the imagination. Sometimes it’s part of the branding strategy, sometimes it comes from the bartender, the point is that people want different experiences and cocktails are the perfect encapsulation of that. The trend in NYC is for bartenders to create extremely beautiful drinks, like fine art. Customers appreciate the extra effort invested in creating something so visually pleasing but also tasty and wonderful. Which spirits are associated with luxury and why? Spirits that follow the rules we discussed before. There has to be some sort of heritage – think of Scotch, for example, and the longevity of that industry and the fact that it’s more based on a craftman’s passion and something intimate. People want to discover the story of spirits through the people who make them. You also
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Luxury is created through innovation from either the combination of ingredients or the presentation of the drink What factors are currently driving the luxury industry and how does that translate to cocktails and bars? We’re seeing a more sensorial approach to things in the retail space. It started a few years ago from a necessity that a lot of companies faced, and are still facing, because retail space is very expensive. Rather than having a permanent home for their brand, the idea of the pop-up store was established. It goes well with this craving that younger consumers have to discover things. You can create experiences in the luxury industry that evoke a sense of exclusivity because it’s running for a limited duration. The other thing that’s important is sustainability and transparency. People like a good story but they don’t want to be fed tales. It has to appear authentic and have the data to back it up. We’re going to see much more of it. Where are we heading in terms of luxury? We’re getting educated in a whole different way of life in terms of technology interactions and the new visual language. I think that the winners are going to be the companies that have the ability to challenge us creatively. Feeding consumers pure emotions doesn’t work any longer, they’re sceptical – they feel manipulated, which is why some of the retail experiments that we’re seeing have been challenging people on a different level. Companies are trying to offer something unexpected. We’ve become very blasé consuming luxury and experiences – it’s not easy any longer to truly touch the luxury consumer and create a loyal customer. Find out more at brandxlux.com
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IN-spire
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Luxe packaging: Kevin Shaw, founder + Ivan Bell, group
managing director, Stranger & Stranger Stranger & Stranger is one of the leading firms in the field of alcoholic beverage packaging with studios in London, New York and San Francisco What does luxury mean to you? Luxury should be something exceptional that you can talk about with pride, and it can mean different things to different people. A Tiffany diamond ring can be less luxurious than a ring from a lesser known retailer, but it comes in that lovely blue box with that logo so you’ll get a luxurious swoon every time. That’s the power of the luxury brand. How do you translate this into your work? We focus on trying to get that swoon every time – giving a brand something that makes it stand out and irresistible. It’s a delicate mix of sexy swagger and storytelling. It’s very rare in the drinks trade to get a brand that’s only expressed in a luxury version, so the brand story is usually a composite of the expressions of the entire range. The luxury expression can be celebratory, maybe a big brand anniversary, or it can be a finer quality liquid.
bottle design: stranger & stranger
What percentage of your clients use the L word in their initial brief? Surprisingly few. We get briefed in terms like ‘masstige’ – which means mass market but trading up, ‘luxe’ and ‘superluxe’. These terms all correspond to specific price points. Then you’ll get a brief and it’ll say the retail price is $10,000 and there’ll be no mention of the L word because, well, it’s obvious.
Has the demand for your services increased over the years? In the beginning we were only based in the UK, the wine industry was dominated by difficult to decipher French labels and no one had ever heard of a craft distillery. No one really appreciated the power of the label and we couldn’t give our services away, so we did a project in exchange for wine. We invested in consumer research and it made all the difference. Seeing a truck load of wine turn up was hilarious but that new label tripled sales and we were off. We started getting known in the wine trade for being able to turn brands around and then one of the large liquor firms took a risk, gave us a vodka to fix, and we were into liquors too. Describe some of your most luxurious projects to date. We did a thousand dollar scotch for Woolf Sung which we packaged in a repurposed safety deposit box and we did a thousand dollar Jack Daniels which was Frank Sinatra themed; it came in a piano finish box with an unreleased soundtrack on a bespoke memory stick. One of the more interesting projects was an expensive Compass Box whisky called This Is Not A Luxury Whisky which wasn’t embellished at all and relied on a bluff take on Magritte’s painting The Treachery of Images. One of the sexiest things we’ve done is a super rare – only eight bottles exist – bottle of Aultmore 31 year old Scotch. It’s from a foggy spot in Speyside so the packaging becomes its own display case echoing the fog-cloaked Buckie Road with luxury, hand-finished detailing from the white leather certificate of authenticity to the handbranded wax seal and understated letterpress labelling.
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IN-spire
What cues in packaging and branding are most associated with a luxury product? Luxury really is in the eye of the target market, you can point to quality of materials, hand-made papers, stamps, embosses, foils and secondary packaging, but the real cue is simplicity and rarity. As you go up any product range the bottles get shorter, fatter and heavier and the product information disappears to be replaced by how few bottles actually exist. It becomes less about selling and more about simple confidence.
recently at Bramble in Edinburgh; their classic Negroni – red vermouth, Campari and Ardbeg 10! Not only luxurious but highly decadent too and the ideal place to enjoy it – just add my partner and a group of our closest friends on a summer evening – perfection! strangerandstranger.com
What drink best conjures up luxury to you and where is your ideal place to enjoy it? Kevin: I love wine and my wife is a winemaker so when we’re at home with very special friends she’ll open a bottle of Sine Qua Non. This stuff is made by one of the all-time great winemakers, has been awarded 100 points, and is as rare as hen’s teeth. It comes in a very cool, wrapped, bespoke bottle with a hand-printed label, created by the winemaker, that only says the bare legal minimum. I wish I’d done the labels and my wife wishes she’d made the wines. Ivan: My cocktail of choice is the Negroni. The version that best conjures up luxury for me is the one I had
Luxe product design: Wesley Pickering, director, Inkorporate London based company, Inkorporate design, develop and manufacture some of the most seductive serves in the world What does luxury mean to you? Luxury is incredibly self-referential: what’s considered luxurious by one person, to another can be either a necessity or ostentatiousness. But at a general level we think of it as elevating the characteristics or qualities of something above that needed to perform its function. Some people take this to an extreme and only think of luxury in terms of private jets, supercars and dropping two hundred grand a night on Champagne. But I like to think of luxury in a much more attainable way, adding small touches to elevate day-to-day life. Like having an amazingly sharp knife that makes preparing food and drinks a pleasure; a handmade pair of shoes that don’t seem to wear out or ordering a Martini in Dukes or the Connaught and feeling the attention that’s gone into it. 20 - The Cocktail Lovers
IN-spire
How do you translate this into your work? We want everyone who encounters our designs to feel like they’ve had this little bit of luxury introduced into their lives. No one ‘needs’ to drink their cocktail from a metal pineapple or carve ice into a particular shape. They do so because it elevates their experience and makes them feel better.
How does investing in product design impact on the luxury experience? No one thing turns an ordinary experience into a luxury one, so high end bars take a multilayered approach to creating the right ambience and the design of the equipment and serve ware is yet another important layer that creates an overall sense of luxury and of being spoilt.
But we also want to ensure that the pieces we make don’t just look good but feel right and are a pleasure to use: the perfectly weighted bar spoon, the glass that keeps your drink cold that little bit longer, the drinks trolley that changes how you order or serve a Martini. What percentage of your clients use the L word in their initial brief? Our clients, both bars and drinks brands, operate near the top end of the market and as such the concept of luxury is important to them. However, the majority of them are not looking to engage with people seeking ‘uber-bling’ and are more likely to use terms like ‘understated’ or ‘un-showy luxury’. Consumers are more savvy then they were 10 or 15 years ago: they want to see integrity, authenticity and values associated with a higher price point. Has the demand for your services increased over the years? We get busier every year, but I’m not sure whether that’s just because we’re more established or because of changes in consumer behaviour. I guess it’s a bit of both. Certainly the rise of social media means that people want to have, record and share their experiences of luxury. And bars and drinks brands are more aware of their need to facilitate this for their guests. Describe some of your most luxurious projects to date. I think the Martini trolley at the Connaught hotel probably comes top. Not because of the design of the trolley per se, but because all the elements work together to elevate the experience of ordering and receiving the drink. The room, the lighting, the theatre of the cocktail being expertly prepared by your table, followed by the first sip of a perfectly cold Martini. It also supports my idea of daily luxury: it’s been an integral part of the Connaught bar for nearly a decade and is used to serve Martini's every day – although it's had a mini upgrade this year to celebrate ten years of service! A more classic luxury project is the display for Remy Martin Louis XIII at 45 Park Lane (right). It’s a beautiful display that holds a 9-litre bottle of Louis XIII within a wave a light. Yet it’s also very functional, as it allows the bartender to extract the liquid using a glass pipette and decant it into the guest’s glass table-side – something that’s usually a challenge with a 9-litre bottle!
A simple way to think about it is to consider the opposite: what if a bar got everything else right but served your cocktail in a cheap glass that they had bought from a supermarket? This may not completely ruin your evening, but it would certainly lessen the enjoyment of your drink. So when bars invest in high quality equipment and beautiful drinking vessels the overall experience is significantly enhanced. The pieces we’ve designed for the Connaught, Artesian, Savoy and other bars also embody another aspect of luxury: exclusivity. The designs are produced specifically for each bar, so guests know that they are getting a special and unique experience that can’t be had anywhere else in the world – and that’s pretty luxurious. What drink best conjures up luxury to you and where is your ideal place to enjoy it? It’s hard to look past a well-made Martini. Whether I’m in a restaurant, a bar or at home its presence signifies that work has been put aside and I’m relaxing. But it has to be ice-cold and served in a good glass. inkorporate.co.uk
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IN-spire
Luxe sounds: Rob Wood, creative director
and founder, Music Concierge Music Concierge is a creative music agency curating soundtracks for bars, hotels and brand experiences What does luxury mean to you? Creating a special experience that’s inspiring and intriguing, that takes you away from everyday life to somewhere unique and beautifully conceived. How do you translate this into your work? Our aim is to use music creatively to elevate the experience we’re supporting. To heighten the engagement with that experience, whilst also reinforcing the client’s concept. Our brief for a destination cocktail bar in a luxury hotel might be to use music to reflect the bar’s individual design ethos and personality, and give it a sound that separates it from runof-the-mill drinking venues. We might use unique styles of music weaved together to create a distinctive music concept for the bar. At the same time we’d be looking to influence how people feel in that space by elevating the atmosphere as the evening progresses. So the result is an inspiring, unique sound befitting of the space’s individuality with an atmosphere that elevates your mood. What percentage of your clients use the L word in their initial brief? We work with many styles of hospitality and F&B brands so many will be focused on offering a luxury experience. The luxury market has evolved and is changing. It’s becoming more authentic and more creative, less exclusive. Has the demand for your services increased over the years? I started Music Concierge in 2007, just before the 2008 crash, but I’m pleased to say we’ve grown through that and ever since. We’re a boutique creative agency, but we’re part of an agency group that gives us access to superb technology and technical teams which means we can offer real creative expertise and understanding of brand and customer experience globally. We now
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work in over 70 countries with some of the most exciting brands and special places on earth. I think this is partly down to the fact that brand owners now realise brand experience is not just about a logo and service. It’s also about appealing to all the human senses, and sound is our second most important. Customers want to be impressed and inspired with music that makes them want to hang out and come back for more. Describe some of your most luxurious projects to date. I’ve enjoyed working with the contemporary take on luxury of The Upper House in Hong Kong and more recently The Middle House in Shanghai. One&Only always create magical experiences, while Rosewood Hotels & Resorts are often leading the pack in terms of innovating what luxury means today. The restaurants, bars and spas we worked with COMO Hotels have always been immensely satisfying because their brand and offering is so wonderfully understated but exceptional. How does having the right sound system create a luxurious mood in the bar or home? Great music carefully pieced together is essential. But it also needs to go hand in hand with a high quality sound system. Poor sound is irritating and detrimental to good customer experience. What drink best conjures up luxury to you and where is your ideal place to enjoy it? Wine from the estate of Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany enjoyed on site while looking out over the local hills is almost unbeatable. But I’m also very partial to a Zingy Stardust at Scarfe's Bar in London – listening to our soundtrack of course! musicconcierge.co.uk
IN-spire
Luxe consultancy Robbie Bargh, director, Gorgeous Group Gorgeous Group create complete luxury food and drink experiences for hotels and bars worldwide What does luxury mean to you? Today it’s about having the luxury of a full team and the luxury of working on projects where we’re able to deliver engaging, emotional experiences that leave guests talking about them. How do you translate this into your work? We spend a lot of time planning on the people side, working with clients to help them understand the implications of this – the importance of recruitment, training and development plans for teams. What percentage of your clients use the L word in their initial brief? Over half for sure… ‘accessible luxury’ is more often used. Even with traditional luxury clients – the five-star market – luxury has had to become more accessible. Has the demand for your services increased over the years? Yes, more and more hoteliers, retailers and hospitality businesses recognise that they need differentiators to makes them stand out from the crowd. Storytelling through restaurants and bars can really help this so we’re lucky – demand for what we do is pretty healthy.
Wigmore at the Langham – all accessible luxury, and then there are more traditional luxury projects such as The Copacabana Palace and The Oberoi in Delhi. We’ve also been doing some work on a new luxury cruise experience and 'what the food hall of the future' looks like. Again luxury but not in the traditional sense. How does having the right decor/mood in a bar create a luxurious mood? Décor is very important but so is quality of sound and fantastic lighting. Luxury also means great ice, interesting quality glassware and a seamless service all of which add to the mood and experience. What drink best conjures up luxury to you and where is your ideal place to enjoy it? Gosh that's tough. Gin and Tonic at The Wigmore and Vesca Negroni at Fitz’s bar. Both luxurious but in a completely different way. I also love the luxury of trying something new and unique – I recently went to the Bassoon bar at The Corinthia (p. 10) and that was pretty fabulous. gorgeousgroup.com
Describe some of your most luxurious projects to date. The work we’ve done with Principal Hotels – especially when it comes to Principal London with Fitz’s, Savage Gardens at The DoubleTree in London Bridge and The
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IN-spire
Luxe interiors & lighting: Hachem Design – Fady Hachem, founder
Hachem Designs pride itself on bringing idea and brand to life What does luxury mean to you? Luxury for me is not one element; it’s a feeling that often comes from having an incredible experience. It’s a combination of design – the materials and products, but equally the service. All those elements need to work together in order to create ambience and atmosphere. How do you translate this into your work? When we approach a new project we don’t look at it just from a design perspective. We take into account the experience we’re creating. When we talk about luxurious experiences, we’re talking about everything from the textures, the materials, the ambience, right through to the layout and the way the space operates. When we discuss design with our clients, we run through the best ways of servicing – not just from a product perspective but operationally too. This makes for a more integrated approach which is reflected in the end result. What percentage of your clients use the L word in their initial brief? They don’t often use the word ‘luxury’, but we can tell that’s what certain clients are looking for. Luxury means different things to different people and is scalable, so it can be delivered on different levels. Has the demand for your services increased over the years? If so, what do you attribute this to? We’ve seen a substantial increase over the years. We attribute this to the fact that beyond offering the nuts and bolts of design, we are experience-makers at our core. We create these moments by weaving storytelling elements throughout every project.
Describe some of your most luxurious projects to date. Our stand out would be the high-end luxury W Hotel in Melbourne; we’ve been appointed to design the interior and we’re very excited to showcase our creative minds in how we deliver luxury and opulence. Bond Bar and Baroq House are two projects that allowed us to explore luxury in the nightclub scene and extend this to how the space flows from an operational sense to ensure high-end service for patrons. Mon Bijou, a penthouse space on top of Melbourne’s Adelphi Hotel, also stands out. We really upped the ante in terms of the dazzle-effect, basing the inspiration on French Art Deco jewellery. We’ve also worked on a number of projects in Dubai, all of which have taken luxury to a whole new level. How does having the right lighting exude luxury in the bar or home? In my opinion, lighting can make or break a venue. If the lighting’s not set in the right way the whole feeling changes. The colour and temperature of the light is so important to creating mood and atmosphere. We don’t use downlights because they’re too harsh and add nothing to the mood of a room. Our projects all have indirect lighting which is integrated throughout the space, from the walls to the floors and even bespoke furnishings. We don’t look at lighting as an add on, we integrate it into the DNA of the interior. What drink best conjures up luxury to you and where is your ideal place to enjoy it? I enjoy luxury anywhere. As long as it ticks all the boxes in that it’s a considered design with quality materials, quality product and excellent service. In terms of a drink, this one’s easy: a dirty Martini with three olives. You can tell a quality place when they do it right! hachem.com.au
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TCL Partner
THE MIXING STARS CARD COLLECTION: THE HUNT IS ON! What have Dev Johnson, Yael Vengroff, Tess Posthumus, Thanos Prunarus and Flavio Angiolillo got in common? Well, of course, they’re all internationally renowned bartenders, but now they’re also part of an exciting new initiative, The Disaronno Mixing Star Bar Tag. The Disaronno Mixing Star Bar Tag is all about guest shifts but with a big difference. It brings together some of the world’s very best bartenders, the Mixing Stars, in a unique exchange programme to share their style and ideas with fellow bartenders around the globe. Here’s how it works. A Mixing Star bartender will travel overseas as the guest of a top host bartender. The exchange will be centred around the guest bartender sharing their unique story, personal philosophy and individual inspiration with the host’s local team in a special seminar. Next the guest and host bartenders will team up on a range of delicious new Disaronno cocktails to be presented at a very special event at the host’s bar. And it doesn’t end there. As the name Bar Tag suggests it’s all about moving around the world. When the guest shift is completed, the host is tagged to become the next Mixing Star, heading off to another bar in a new country for the next guest shift with another host. And so it goes on, with the Bar Tag Mixing Star bartenders moving around the world, spreading their inspiration and sharing their knowledge to the international bartending community.
Please drink responsibly
The Disaronno Mixing Star Bar Tag group of bartenders will also star in The Disaronno Mixing Star Bar Tag Cards Collection. This is a series of unique cards each featuring a specially commissioned illustration of the bartender on the front and details of their original Disaronno cocktail creation on the reverse. It’s a very limited edition collection with just 1,000 copies of each card being produced, so the series is sure to become a real collector’s piece. The first cards were released at Tales of the Cocktail and a new one will be available on the Disaronno stand at Bar Convent Berlin. You can also start your hunt for the cards by contacting your Disaronno brand ambassador
BAR CONVENT BERLIN Sample The Disaronno Mixing Star Bar Tag cocktails of Tess Posthumus, Thanos Prunarus and Flavio Angiolillo at Bar Convent Berlin and pick up your limited edition Mixing Star Bar Tag Cards. Find out more about the Disaronno Mixing Star Bar Tag at facebook.com/TheMixingStar/
DREAMS CAN COME TRUE
TCL Partner
WE CAN ALL DREAM. SOME OF THOSE DREAMS FADE AWAY AND OTHERS, IF WE’RE LUCKY, BECOME REALITY. OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO DON CARLOS SIEGERT HAD A VERY SPECIAL DREAM. HIS FATHER HAD ALREADY FOUNDED ANGOSTURA® AROMATIC BITTERS, BUT HIS DREAM WAS ABOUT RUM – HE WANTED TO MAKE THE “SMOOTHEST BLEND IN THE NEW WORLD.” Many years have passed since then and the blenders from The House of Angostura® have realised that dream time and time again. Trained in original traditions, they've always maintained carefully guarded formulas and very special techniques. All Angostura® rums are aged in American oak casks, previously used to age bourbon. The interaction between liquid and oak resulting in an exceptionally mellow, well-balanced rum, with a smoothness that characterises each Angostura® blend and continually realises Don Carlos’ dream. But the quest for the smoothest blends is a never-ending story, and in 2013 it was taken to another level with the launch of The Cask Collection. Celebrating the rich heritage and artistry of The House of Angostura®, it’s a limited edition range dedicated to rums matured in different types of cask.
the taste, it’s a delightful blend with hints of woodiness, roasted nuts and, of course, sherry, with a finish which is rounded and oaky. Importantly, it continues to beautifully realise the dream of Don Carlos Siegert, as an exquisite and silkily smooth, complex blend.
NO. 1 – OLOROSO SHERRY IS LIMITED TO JUST 16,200 BOTTLES AND, LIKE ITS ILLUSTRIOUS PREDECESSORS, IT WILL NEVER BE REPEATED.
Each expression within The Cask Collection goes by the description ‘No. 1’. Why? Quite simply because each is one of a kind – never to be repeated.
It’s a truly luxurious 40% rum from The House of Angostura®. Created to be enjoyed as a sublime sipping experience or gently opened up over a little ice.
Back in 2013, came No. 1 – First Fill Bourbon, aged in charred oak bourbon casks. Two years later, in 2015, it was followed by No. 1 – French Oak, both winning the coveted title of Rum of the Year from the Rum Journal.
And as you raise the glass to your lips remember Don Carlos and join him in his dream.
Now, in 2018, the story continues with No. 1 – Oloroso Sherry, which explores rum blends aged in American oak, then finished for nine more months in Oloroso Sherry casks – a first for The House of Angostura®.
To find out more see angosturarum.com #THECASKCOLLECTION Please enjoy our products responsibly
No. 1 – Oloroso Sherry is an elegant fusion of techniques learnt from the Old World and perfected in the New World. The colour is a beautiful amber with delicate clarity. It features warm, rounded aromas with a subtle nose of cocoa, molasses, oak and sweet prune. As for
F RO M T H E H O U S E O F A N G O S T U R A
IN-spire
THE LOOK (AND FEEL) OF LUXURY What do we talk about when we speak of luxury? How do we know we’re in a five-star hotel in Mayfair and not a crusty pub in Poplar? The finer side of life certainly has its trademarks; jet planes, islands and tigers on a gold leash (if singer Lorde is to be believed). Yet on a more day-to-day level, it's small touches – from the cut of a jacket to the soft leather of a chair – that can tell us where we are and the cost of a Martini before we’ve even glanced at a menu.
By Jane Ryan
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IN-spire
Luxury – or the lack thereof – in hospitality is crucial. The best dive bars march determinedly away from any of its trappings, allowing us to relax in an entirely unique way that suggests anonymity and freedom from conformity. There’s no pressure to dress up or behave and we know this from the stained chairs, sticky bar tops and best-avoided toilets. If you found yourself surrounded by such details you’d be rightly outraged to be charged upwards of £15 for a cocktail. When it comes to the most luxurious venues however, there are many more signifiers than cleanliness or pleasant smelling loos. You should feel it in the air the second you walk through the door, and in every moment thereon, from the weight of the glasses and cutlery, to staff uniforms and even the use of empty space (think of how few clothes Chanel have in a store compared to H&M). Every detail must bring together the concept of luxury, and suddenly £15 per drink doesn’t seem outrageous at all. “When a space has been designed to a level of detail with carefully selected materials and finishes, the guest is already aware of the type of drinking establishment they are in,” says Iwan Halstead, one half of Daytrip. studio who design venues such as the opulent Oriole in London. “There are certain materials that people associate with luxury and glamour. Marble and brass have always signified luxury, there are touches of both in Oriole. Comfortable fabrics and upholstery can indicate a more premium experience; we used rich, warm tones of velvet, paired with jewel-coloured leather.”
Designers aren’t people the drinks industry often shine a light on. We might wax lyrical about the history of a building, particularly a hotel, or write tomes on small owner-operators who build their bars themselves, but all high-end venues have designers behind them, analysing not only the fixtures and finishing touches but also the view each seat offers. No one wants to be sipping Champagne with a direct view into the gents’ loo for example. And the hardest part about constructing luxury? It can be ruined with one imperfect moment, from a smudged glass to an unlit candle. “The guest should feel welcome to stay all night; nested in deep, leather lined banquettes. Secluded areas are screened off, yet still within the eye of a highly skilled bartender or waiting team,” says Iwan, speaking about Oriole. “Sheltered under bamboo-lined, coffered ceilings, the lighting plays an incredibly important part in creating this mood and level of warmth. We concealed lighting where possible and used materials such as brass and amber-dappled glass to bounce warm glows. The bar itself is in a prime location [for guests] to inspect the pale suede upholstery – designed to be soft to the touch as the leg brushes against it – or the deep bullnose ebony timber counter, with brass detailing to reflect the Art Deco pendants that best illuminate the guests for an evening of decadence.”
Above: Design details at Swift, by Daytrip.studio
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IN-spire
l-r: inside oriole, designed by dayrtip.studio
So we have the soft material, striking features, secluded areas and the concealed lighting. The scene is set, but luxury is not simply beheld with the eyes, nor is it skin deep. Professor Charles Spence, who works in experimental psychology at Oxford University, wrote in a previous edition of this very publication that “those eating with heavier cutlery are willing to pay more for their food than those eating with a light canteen knife and fork.” The same is true of weighted whisky glasses that feel dense in the hand, and make the drinker appear to be enjoying a rare vintage rather than a speed-rail blend. “Don’t forget that our fingertips and lips are among the bodies most sensitive regions,” Spence says. Brandy balloons and Gin and Tonic Copa glasses have the same effect. We all know the disappointment of making a toast only to find that the glasses full of expensive Champagne don’t clink the way we think they should. Empty space is important, and when the prices are premium guests expect to have their privacy, not to be seated too close to the next table. Likewise a clustered backbar is too chaotic for luxury – think of the iconic neon yellow backbars at both the London and New York Edition Hotels, while there may be plenty of spirits, each one stands unmolested by the next bottle, showcasing the premium selection. And just like our glasses, the most expensive bottles are weighty and of unique design. Without even holding it our eyes can tell us that a bottle of Belvedere is going to be much heavier than a bottle of Smirnoff, and feel textured from the frosted glass. Then there is the sound of luxury. Prolific venues such as the American Bar at The Savoy hotel and the aforementioned Oriole, turn to live music to enhance the experience. Many Michelin-starred restaurants on the other hand avoid music altogether, relying on the atmosphere from guests, their conversations, the clinking of glasses and cutlery. This also keeps the conversations gently dimmed. Loud laughter and raucous conversation are not markers of luxury.
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The more experience we have of luxury, the more visits to the Connaught, The Savoy or The Ritz, and the better we become at unpicking it. We aren’t so blown away on the second or third visit and that’s when the small details start to matter. However, says Iwan, it doesn’t have to cost a bar the world to be luxurious. “There are clever methods of adding expensive touches through minimal use of brass in details, or marble used on small tables rather than long bar counters. It’s important to use designers with a good knowledge and balance of taste to establish this aesthetic during each phase of the design… this said, luxury in its truest sense does come with a price tag; if the budget allows clients can have anything from eggshell veneer to hand embroidered papers, the world is their oyster!”
Of course the most crucial element to creating luxury is uniqueness Of course the most crucial element to creating luxury is uniqueness. It’s a principle that applies to clothing, design, art, food and drink. If you see it everywhere it isn’t a luxury, especially if it’s too on-trend, which is why the most luxurious bars that create the most decadent drinking experiences aren’t all millennial pink with copper details and strappy plants. They’re more striking, more individual and they retain that sense of self regardless of the passing whims of Instagram. Luxury doesn’t bow down to influencers. It’s timeless, like a cashmere sweater, a well-cut suit or a quiet corner of a bar, decadent in its textures, its privacy and flawless in its service. So what does luxury look like? It should never look the same in two different places, but it should feel the same each and every time.
TCL Partner
FINE COGNAC. FINE COCKTAILS. FINE ART. The House of Hine has been around for over 250 years, and while it honours the traditions of its Cognac craft, it also embraces the contemporary – especially with its expression H by Hine. It’s blended with all the finesse applied to every Hine expression, but spends significantly less time in the barrel. So it’s still characteristically floral yet has less prevalent woody notes, making it the perfect Cognac for cocktails.
In 2016 it took this support to another level, inviting the winner to lend their artistic vision to a very special collaboration. Now, each winning graduate is given carte blanche to create a piece of original art to feature on a unique H by Hine Limited Edition design.
It’s this kind of creativity that’s typical of everything the House of Hine does. Hardly surprising then that it also supports creativity in other fields, particularly the arts and emerging young artists.
This year it’s the work of 2017 winner Jadé Fadojutimi. Born in 1993, Jadé grew up in London and still works there today. She graduated with a BA in Fine Art in 2015 from The Slade School of Fine Art and an MA from the Royal College of Art in 2017. Since 2014 she’s exhibited extensively and staged two solo shows.
In 2011 it founded the Hine Royal College of Art Painting Prize in London. Each year the prize is awarded to a fine arts graduate whose work resonates with Hine’s ground-breaking approach. A piece of the graduate’s work then joins the esteemed Hine art collection, adorning the walls of its chateau.
Her H by Hine creation took inspiration from the spring-like, refreshing and vibrant blend itself. The result is an ethereal piece realised through chaotic brushstrokes. It’s a striking design that demonstrates both the vivacity of the artist’s spirit and that of H by Hine.
THE H BY HINE LIMITED EDITION DESIGN IS AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD RETAILERS. DISCOVER THE WORK OF JADÉ FADOJUTIMI AT JADEFADOJUTIMI.COM hine.com
se ea Pl yH jo en ly ib ns po es er in H by
IN-the spotlight
Haute stuff Why is the American Bar regarded as the best in the world? Take a seat and find out for yourself
Declan McGurk is everything you hope the bar manager of the most famous hotel in the world will be. Charming, discreet, personable; he’s attentive yet at the same time, look carefully and you might notice that his eyes are quickly scanning the room where he works. Not in a rude way, more to ensure that everyone who chooses to drink in the iconic American Bar at The Savoy hotel is enjoying the ultimate five-star experience. He’s not the only one on the alert. All of the white jacketed team (Declan is the one in a black suit) – who appear as if from nowhere with a glass of water, a menu or a bowl of snacks a minute or so before you want one – are ready, anticipating the every need of their guests. It’s an inherent skill they’re hired for and hone to perfection after considerable training and during their time on the job. “The Savoy atmosphere has remained the same; every team member here is putting The Savoy into The Savoy; it’s about going the extra distance for a guest – not only to make it a memorable experience, but an experience that they’re going to talk about and want to experience again and again. Our focus is on the detail and that comes from the self-motivation of team members who want to create a lasting impression,” Declan says proudly.
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IN-the spotlight
far left and top: five-star serves; left: seats at the bar; above: duncan mcgurk
That’s why people pay just shy of £20 for a Martini here rather than half the price somewhere else. So what if you can’t quite justify the cost of staying in one of their rooms? (Starting at a whisper over £500 a night, fyi). For a fraction of the cost you can sit back, relax and lap up the attention and service that makes you feel incredibly special; like you truly belong. “The visit could be a once in a lifetime experience, so expectations are sky high; it could be very easy for us to fail. We’ve got a history of cocktails and you don’t continue that if you don’t put every effort into making the drink and the whole experience the best you possibly can.” Declan explains. “It's our job to make sure we exceed those expectations. The key is to be interesting and to take an interest in our guests.” Whether they’re regulars or stepping over the threshold for the very first time, everyone gets the same V.I.P. treatment. “Our guests are the broadest scale imaginable, you never know what you’ve got in front of you. They may be here on business, or we might be providing a service where they’re unwinding. We’re based in the centre of London so they might be doing a big deal, or they might be having a tense period and it’s quite possible that the bar is going to represent that oasis,” he continues. “If someone sits at the bar on their own, it’s the bartenders job to distract them away from reality and take them on a journey. That’s why conversations like politics are not advisable because the reality is the guest wants to unwind and forget themselves.”
We’ve got a history of cocktails and you don’t continue that if you don’t put every effort into making the drink and the whole experience the best we possibly can It’s been that way since the hotel opened its doors in 1889. A series of money-be-damned firsts for a hotel of the time such as hot and cold running water, electric lifts, ensuite bathrooms in most rooms and 24-hour room service, earned The Savoy first luxury hotel in Britain status. Naturally the great and good came flocking. Past guests include everyone from royalty to rock and rollers, ministers to movie stars: the Queen, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier and Elizabeth Taylor among them, all entertaining or being entertained in the world famous American Bar. For drinks geeks, the roll call of head bartenders who have served them is equally impressive. Ada Coleman, Harry Craddock, Joe Gilmore, Victor Gower, Peter Dorelli and latterly, Erik Lorincz are among the list. Recently Maxim Schultz made international news by becoming the eleventh head bartender in the bar’s 125-year history.
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“A lot of people will be coming because of that historic connection, or maybe from recent PR,” says Declan. In true five-star fashion he’s too judicious to mention the plethora of accolades the team have racked up in the past year, including World’s Best Bar, Best International Hotel Bar and Best International Bar Team. “There’s a romantic history of generations of guests coming into our bar but there are two sides to history, one of which you have to be very careful of,” he warns. “The reason why the bar is successful is it doesn’t wallow in its history – we’re not a museum. Instead our history is used for inspiration to create stories when we’re devising our new drinks.”
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Hence the Every Moment Tells A Story menu which draws on the hotel’s innovative beginnings and links it to famous faces from the past. Take your time to leaf through it and you’ll be rewarded with stunning black-and-white images taken by legendary photographer Terry O’Neill – they’re on the walls too. Class acts like a sultry shot of Raquel Welch posing wistfully on an Art Deco bed is reimagined in a redistilled Grey Goose cocktail entitled Behind Closed Doors, while a young Jerry Hall staring out from a lingerie shoot is captured in liquid form in the Red Lips Rye (Michter’s rye whiskey, raspberry port cordial, Campari and kummel). The Horror Quartet (Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky, truffle honey, mezcal, cinnamon Angostura bitters, hay and RinQuinQuin) sees the eight piercing eyes of actors Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and John Carradine, while the best-selling First Impressions (Bombay Sapphire Gin, yuzu, white pepper, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, Champagne cordial and jasmine oil), features David Bowie and Elizabeth Taylor sharing a cigarette and a friendly embrace. The 20 drinks are beautifully presented and extremely approachable, ranging in flavour profile from light and delicate to dark and intense (you’ll find a taste map at the front of the menu but if you need help, the team are there to guide you). Clever without being pretentious, familiar in taste but refreshingly inspiring, they’re all imaginative
the american bar team at work
twists on classics designed to appeal to the broadest range of palates. Delicious they may be, but they’re not the be all and end all to the allure of the American Bar. Declan confirms this: “We never put our drinks before our guests. The cocktails are part of their experience as they share a moment, which may be of solitude or with friends, and the drinks need to be the perfect accompaniment to that. The role of a luxury hotel is very broad and while of course we take our drinks programme very seriously, we have to remember that it’s way more than the drinks – they’re merely a part of the show”.
while of course we take our drinks program very seriously, we have to remember that it’s way more than the drinks – they’re merely a part of the show
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IN-the spotlight
Ultimate Drinks Experiences Because you're worth it says Jane Ryan Dinner at a maison in Champagne There are a multitude of locations around the world where you can drink from the source; from sipping rum on a beach in St. Lucia, to quaffing Fino in a café in Jerez, or toasting vodka shots at a Russian banquet (where the definition of a drunk, by the way, is someone who sips between toasts). But the maisons of Champagne – whose stunning chateaux line the streets of Epernay and Reims and whose warren of cavernous cellars gently ferment the famous fizz – is surely one of the most enchanting.
lucky enough to be hosted by any of the big brands, from Krug to Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouët and Veuve Clicquot (which has a private hotel in its chateau), you may find yourself seated in a 17th century gilded dining room with a gourmet meal paired to exceptional vintages.
Most of the maisons offer a tour of their caves and crayères, which is both a fascinating and chilly experience. But if you’re
From the golden straw-coloured, rich and creamy 2008 to the lighter, acidic year of 2012 and the meaty, exceptionally rare 2002, these are bubbles of decadence. Sipping them in the home of Moët & Chandon alongside French cuisine designed to bring the wine to life, pulling apart its sweetness, its brightness and its depth, is an unforgettable experience.
Cocktails with a view
Champagne and cocktails at high tea
gong bar at the shard
Across the world there are plenty of tall buildings with bars at the top. Most of them will charge you a fortune for your cocktail and often it won’t feel justified. But then there are those moments at sunset or late into the night, when you’re gazing over a new city, or one you know and love, with a beautiful drink in your hand, that are difficult to beat. For me, the Gong Bar at the Shangri-La in London’s Shard is the pinnacle of drinking in the city. The drinks are well-made and the view is enough to warm even the coldest of London hearts. Spread beneath you is the city stretching from Whitechapel to Westminster, a contrast of soaring cranes and 15th century churches. Samuel Johnson once wrote that ‘when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life…’ and it’s bars like this that will renew your love of city life.
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What is it about miniature cakes and small sandwiches stacked up on silver plates that seems so wonderfully cultured? High tea is the kind of experience that swallows up the day and is only enjoyed by those who are completely at leisure. These days you can take a traditional tea at places like The Ritz and neighbouring The Wolseley with their opulent settings and antiquated white glove service. The Champagne is often free flowing and the macaroons sweet and sticky. However places such as Dandelyan on the Southbank have thoroughly modernised the tradition with their cocktailpaired, decadent afternoon teas. Dandelyan’s Wyld Tea is inspired by the kitsch 1970s and includes cocktails which cleanse your palate between the savoury and sweet dishes – like their passionfruit, sea buckthorn and gin drink, or their twists on the Fizz which combine sparkling wine with Dandelyan chocolate vermouth and pink peppercorns. Grandma wouldn’t recognise it, but it’s still an afternoon of modern decadence.
IN-the spotlight
clockwise from top: barrels in scotland; a misty morning in tequila; maison moet & chandon in champagne; wyld tea at dandelyan
Tequila over a misty morning in Tequila
Selecting your own cask in Scotland
This is without doubt the most budget-friendly on the list – after you’ve got yourself to Mexico of course. The town of Tequila is in the state of Jalisco which – buried deep within a valley and covered in verdant greenery – defies any Mexican desert stereotype. As the early morning sun heaves itself over the horizon Tequila is often shrouded in a heavy mist, the type which is laden with the promise of a hot day to come.
Warehouses filled with barrels of whisky are like nurseries at naptime. Hushed and reverent they demand soft footsteps and whispered words. And like children, each barrel of Scotch is unique, whether it’s because it’s finishing in sherry, bourbon or port casks, or the grain that made up its mash bill had spicy rye, was peated or was simply smooth barley.
Grab yourself a bottle (go hyper-local with Fortaleza tequila, made in the town), find a few friends and climb up above the agave fields to toast the oncoming day and watch the mist peel back to reveal Tequila, its town square, multi-coloured buildings and dotted distilleries. It’s a spectacular sight and one that actively calls for an early sip of the town’s eponymous brightening spirit.
If you’re a Scotch lover there’s no experience more thrilling than being allowed to explore a warehouse, tasting here, sampling there, and selecting your own barrel to enjoy down to the last drop. For those who don’t have enough pocket change to afford the whole barrel, some distilleries will allow you to fill your own bottle direct from the cask. It’s not quite as luxurious, but you’ll still walk away with something totally unique.
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IN-the spotlight
Connaught Martini trolley
Basing an entire night around cocktails will be a familiar experience to readers of this publication, but this is one bar that has taken a traditional restaurant format and stripped it of knives and forks, instead placing the cocktail at the heart of the experience.
First class cocktails Flying in the upper classes is game changing: no more jet lag, puffy eyes, cramped legs or lukewarm plane food. Knowing there are beds, flowing booze and service with a smile just beyond a flimsy curtain is part of the horror of cattle class. There’s not a Martini aficionado the world over who hasn’t heard of the Connaught Bar’s famous Martini trolley. The black lacquered trolley was designed to look like the bar, with Art Deco cues and clean lines. Watching it come towards you is as indulgent as it gets for cocktail drinkers, and there are some fun choices awaiting you once it pulls up. With a selection of bitters – ginger, liquorice, coriander seed, vanilla, cardamom and lavender – to amplify the gin’s flavour, this Martini will be unlike any other you’ll ever drink. This experience has theatre, style and results in a sharp and bracing gin Martini. There’s nothing here not to love.
If you’re lucky enough to land a ticket at the front of the plane you’re already experiencing the best of the high life. But companies such as Virgin take it to the next level with bars and bartenders at hand to mix you up a bracing Bloody Mary, a sharp Martini or long and gentle Spritz. And if sipping a well-executed cocktail in your sky bed with no connection to the outside world isn’t pure bliss, nothing in this universe will be.
Prairie Oyster at 69 Colebrooke Row
Cocktail Tasting Menu at The Walker Inn
In cities from London to New York and Sydney there are restaurants with food-tasting menus paired to cocktails. But The Walker Inn in LA has curated its own cocktailtasting menu which takes imbibers on a taste journey through six to seven drinks with evolving flavours. This unique experience means you’ll perch at the bar and allow the drinks to come to you, just as with a restaurant tasting menu. Some of the cocktails are paired to snacks and all of them are stunningly presented – in fact the bar just picked up Time Out LA’s award for Most Instagrammable Cocktail with their Cola, allowing guests to add flavours in recommended dosages and then amplify the ones they enjoyed the most.
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This small ceramic dish in a tiny bar in Islington might seem underwhelming after sunrises in Mexico and sumptuous dinners in France, but this kind of drinking is completely different to any other on the list and equally deserves its place. It’s a world away from straight spirits, vintage wine or even liquid cocktails. Instead Tony Conigliaro's Prairie Oyster is where drinks, science and art collide. There’s only one way to drink this molecular version of a Bloody Mary and that’s exactly how you’d approach an oyster – down it slips before exploding into a drink in your mouth. And it’s utterly delicious.
TCL Partner
Perfect pairing How a Disaronno Mixing Star collaboration created an extraordinary dining experience Over the last year, the Disaronno Mixing Star project has been cleverly evolving from a cocktail competition to encompass new and exciting territories, as it celebrates the craft of the bartender. A perfect example was a recent collaboration at Sartoria restaurant in London in the shape of a unique dining experience. A key part of the Disaronno Mixing Star project has been the work of the Innovation Hunters. These international drinks industry professionals seek out bartenders doing things differently, such as Stu Bale. At his innovative work space, Crucible, he’s been inviting fellow bartenders to collaborate, experiment and push boundaries. Disaronno brand ambassador, Rod Eslamieh, was keen to work with him and the idea of the Sartoria dinner was born. What particularly appealed to the two men was taking Disaronno into totally new spaces. “The idea of a dinner created the perfect platform to showcase the evolution of the Disaronno Mixing Star, pairing each course perfectly with a liqueur cocktail and embracing the true versatility of Disaronno.” Rod explains. It was some challenge as they set out to create new Disaronno serves to work alongside various courses throughout the exquisite high-end dinner. The results, as the specially invited guests discovered, were extraordinary.
Ronno ed Esso (Disaronno, Barolo Chinato, Americano Rosa, wine tannin and balsamic vinegar) was full bodied and robust enough to take on the black Angus beef tagliata, rocket and cured marrow bones. Amongst the guests at the dinner were a number of drink luminaries, including Peter Dorelli, former head bartender at the American Bar at The Savoy – a gentleman who knows a good drink when he tastes one. During the evening he tasted several and was suitably impressed, saluting it as an example of “today’s outstanding bartending creativity”.
The idea of a dinner created the perfect platform to showcase the evolution of the Disaronno Mixing Star There’s much more Disaronno Mixing Star activity to look out for over the coming months. Edinburgh will play host to another pairing dinner, where Rod will be joined by star bartender Marian Beke. The Innovation Hunters will continue to unearth more bartending talent. And a series of new Disaronno serves is being especially created by the world’s very best bartenders. All we can say is, watch this Disaronno Mixing Star space. To find out more about the Disaronno Mixing Stars, see facebook.com/TheMixingStar/ disaronno.com Please drink responsibly
Take the first course. A crab, apple and avocado salad, whilst delicious in itself, wouldn’t perhaps appear to lend itself to partnering with the Italian liqueur. Orange Wine (butterwashed Disaronno, malic acid, verjus, salt and sparkling wine) proved otherwise. With lightness, effervescence and complexity it complemented the seafood beautifully. Similarly, Sleeping With The Fishes (ultrasonic-anchovy Disaronno, dry sherry, acidified pineapple and mint) introduced an umami note into the drink which worked to perfection with a spring risotto of roasted scallops. The
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TCL Partner
Mix master DJ: Daniyel Jones Amaro di ANGOSTURA® Global Brand Ambassador For some, winning a global cocktail competition is about picking up a cool prize and bagging a fancy title for a year. Others, those with the drive, motivation and right disposition, seize the opportunity and use the moment to change their lives. Just like Daniyel Jones. In 2013 Daniyel took the top spot in the Angostura® Global Cocktail Challenge. His reward for a truly firstclass presentation and two outstanding drinks using both Angostura® orange and aromatic bitters and rums, was a none-too-shabby cheque for US$10,000 and a year travelling the world working as Angostura® brand ambassador. “Winning was truly a blessing,” he says. “It changed my life in so many ways.” That’s not him being over the top. So poised, so personable, such a natural fit was he for the role that he’s been a permanent fixture on the Angostura® scene ever since. The alliance is a match made in heaven for both parties. Like Angostura®, Daniyel hails from Trinidad and like Daniyel, Angostura® is proud of its Caribbean roots. “I’m home grown so the brand has always been an important part of my life; from a child, seeing it around the kitchen at home, through to my work as a bartender using the rums and bitters in the bar,” he says with his winning trademark smile. “When I share the story of Angostura® it comes from a very deep place.” It’s that authenticity and respect, together with a genuine passion for the brand that’s seen him listed twice in the 10 Best International Brand Ambassadors at the Tales of the Spirited Awards in New Orleans. Witness him talk about Angostura® and its products and you’ll understand why he’s held in such esteem by his peers who vote in this and other categories. You’ll also see that he takes his ambassadorship really seriously. “When I’m travelling around the world talking about Angostura®, I see the high regard and admiration for the products, it’s truly magical. But I also feel that it’s part of my culture, and in that sense, I feel more like a diplomat,” he says, turning serious for a moment. “My focus is that this is a part of my culture that I’m exposing you to and it’s this philosophy that I think has allowed me to really grow with the company.” He’s done that alright. “To the point where people think I make Angostura® aromatic bitters in my kitchen!” he laughs. There’s no denying that he’s charismatic, but having gained a degree in Restaurant Management, and Tourism and Hospitality, and run a successful mobile bar business for Trinidad’s elite, there’s a deeper level of maturity and professionalism about him too. “I always try to make sure that I deliver. And learn. Learning – that’s the most important thing, the exposure that Angostura® has and what it’s allowed me to achieve is phenomenal.”
Highlights from the past five years? “There are so many. I’m truly blessed to be doing something that I love and I’m grateful for the opportunities that have been afforded me. Number one is that my job allowed me to meet my wife. We met for five minutes in 2013 then spent nine months talking every night on the phone. We had our first date in Martinique nine months later and got married in Trinidad last year”. They now live in Paris which means Daniyel can access European markets more readily. “I’m always in Trinidad though,’ he adds quickly. “I may be based in Paris but I’m definitely not Parisian.” Hovering close at the top of his gratitude list (Daniyel is big on gratitude) is the travel. “One of the things I appreciate and admire in this journey of sharing the beauty of Angostura®’s portfolio is travelling to different countries,” he says. “I’ve been fortunate enough to criss-cross the globe visiting places I would probably not have been to otherwise – places like Peru, Moscow, Serbia, Argentina, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Croatia, Rio, Chile – it’s endless. And as I’m exposed to different people and cultures, it’s widened my paradigm to embrace change.” Speaking of change, Daniyel’s role has evolved in the past few years to that of representing the latest addition to the Angostura® portfolio: the multi award-winning Amaro di ANGOSTURA®. “When it first launched, it carved out an opportunity for me and it became my baby,” he recalls. “But I see myself as a portfolio ambassador and I talk about Angostura® aromatic bitters, its rums and Amaro di ANGOSTURA® wherever I go, so everything is cohesive. My integrity for the entire Angostura® range is second to none.
DANIYEL IN A COCKTAIL: Amora Amaro 35ml Amaro di ANGOSTURA® 15ml Angostura® aromatic bitters 25ml simple syrup 25ml lime juice Lime twist to garnish Method: Add all ingredients to a mixing tin, add ice and shake. Double-strain into a pre-chilled Coupe glass. Garnish with a lime twist.
Please drink Angostura® products responsibly 40 - The Cocktail Lovers
angosturabitters.com Download more recipes from the AngosturaÂŽ Cocktail App available on the Android and Apple store.
For more information on The House of AngosturaÂŽ and its brands, visit angostura.com. To find out more about The House of AngosturaÂŽ Global Cocktail Challenge, see angosturaglobalcocktailchallenge.com
IN-the spotlight
A SIP IN TIME Old spirits are big business for modern collectors. Miles Watson finds out why
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IN-the spotlight
1.
2.
“There was a time,” Salvatore Calabrese recalls, “that no one was doing this.” He’s talking about the rise in the sale and appreciation of vintage and rare spirits. In 1982, the year he took over the bar at Duke’s hotel, Salvatore was tasked with increasing the profits of a small bar with a maximum capacity of 20. “I couldn’t work with quantity, so I had to work with quality. I had to give a reason for people to talk about this place around the world.” Salvatore’s eureka moment arrived when gazing at a portrait of the Duke of Wellington in the hotel. ‘It was a bit of history, and I thought how can we be a part of history? You can see it, read it, feel it, and touch it, but one thing you can’t do is taste it.” Salvatore decided that what would put Duke’s on the map was, “to give the opportunity to a few people in the world to experience a bit of ‘Liquid History.’” The phrase ‘Liquid History’ crops up again when talking to Edmund Weil, co-founder of Nightjar, about vintage spirits. For him, part of the history of vintage spirits comes from the simple fact that “the production methods of a lot of these spirits will have changed significantly over the years. Everything from the mash bill, the type of still, to the water being used for distillation. In this way when you crack open a bottle, or sample a dram, you’re experiencing ‘Liquid History’”. Nightjar is one of a select number of bars, spread around the world, that have risen out of Salvatore’s epiphany at Dukes hotel. Bars such as The Donovan Bar at Brown’s hotel and the American Bar at The Savoy are some of the places that offer their customers the opportunity to savour vintage spirits on their own, or in cocktails. And these bars share a philosophy on how to combine them into a cocktail. Their approach is minimalistic and as faithful to past recipes as possible. “You must think about what you’re doing. It’s about the rarity," says Calabrese. Weil agrees. A customer who asks for a vintage cocktail at Nightjar, will always be offered “a simple, classic recipe, that allows the flavour of the spirit to shine through.”
3.
1: Cointreau, 1960s (40%) 2: Seagram's VO, 1950s (43.4%) 3: Lillet, vintage 1964
At the American Bar, you can sample a Vintage White Lady, Daiquiri and Negroni. Or at Nightjar you can savour one of their ‘Liquid Time Capsules’: a Silver Bullet using American Old Tom Gin from 1905, 1920s Kummel and fresh lime. These drinks will all set you back in the region of £100. Or at the Donovan Bar, Salvatore offers a vintage dry Martini using gin from 1900, Noilly Pratt from 1890 and orange bitters from the late 1800s. Of course, he adjusts the recipe. “I make it with the proportions of the time, 1:1. Less dry than today’s Martinis.” It was while clearing out a customer’s wine cellar that Edgar Harden, at the time a wine expert for Christie’s auction house, stumbled across two crates of 1960s Gordon’s Gin. He was told by the owner to throw them in the skip, but kept and sampled them instead and was “blown away by the liquid inside. It was smooth, citrus-led and delicious.” He easily sold the remaining eleven bottles, and decided to establish the Old Spirits Company, which sells vintage spirits to individuals and bars spread across America, Europe and Asia. According to Harden, the effect of time on vintage spirits is that they often “become smoother through bottleageing.” However, the process varies in
The Cocktail Lovers - 43
IN-the spotlight
5.
4: Stolichnaya vodka, 1970s (40%) 4.
5: IW Harper, 1951 (50%)
different spirits. In barrel-aged liquors such as Cognac, whisky and rum “the character of the wood emerges, even more so in spirits of extreme age.” For Harden, the gradual metamorphosis that occurs in the bottle is “romantic and curious. You might taste violet in a Cognac and there might be a violet coloured edge to it in the glass that was simply not there when it was bottled 60 years earlier. Or a Scotch might seem smokier, drier, or more estery in a way that belies the brand personality for which it’s traditionally known.”
To drink a Cognac bottled pre-1875, is to sample a Cognac made from grapes that have a direct ancestry to the vines planted by the Romans Weil is aware that these vintage spirits and cocktails are “prime upselling material.” But he recognises that there is also, “a great deal of romance around this concept, especially for spirits connoisseurs.” To drink a Cognac bottled pre-1875, is to sample a Cognac made from grapes that have a direct ancestry to the vines planted by the Romans, and no longer exist after the phylloxera epidemic wiped out these vineyards and forever altered Cognac production.
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One can argue that the renaissance in vintage spirits and cocktails is a high-end example of a larger trend. In uncertain times there’s a comfortable reassurance in looking back, and as more and more bars push the boundaries and look to the future, through experimentation and technical innovation, others feel that equal riches lie in rediscovering the past. What is certain is that both approaches are the inevitable result of bartenders being challenged, by an increasingly knowledgeable public, to offer an experience that is extraordinary, and one that they will cherish and remember. For the person able to indulge in one of these rare spirits, it’s an experience that transcends taste alone. It’s the knowledge that what you are drinking is a part of history. That the liquid stored in these bottles is finite, and once it’s gone, this connection to the past disappears with it. Salvatore remembers witnessing this powerful affect first hand after a customer ordered a £500 measure of Cognac from 1802 and became tearful: “I was worried,” he said, “I was hoping he wasn’t thinking ‘my god how much is this costing me.’ So I asked if he was alright. He just looked at me, raised his glass and said. “Here I am, drinking a part of history, something that I will never be able to do again for the rest of my life”.” Liquid history indeed. barnightjar.com dukeshotel.com fairmonthotel.com/savoy-london roccohortehotels.com
TCL Partner
BULLEIT FRONTIER WORKS PRESENTS:
COMMUNITY
INK
Question: What do you get when you take five of the most respected tattoo artists in Europe and put them together with Bulleit Bourbon? Answer: An exciting new Bulleit Frontier Works project called Community Ink. This inspiring enterprise celebrates Europe’s urban creative community by teaming up with people who push boundaries in their work. For this collaboration Sara Koning from Amsterdam, Ross Nagle from Dublin, Dominique Holmes from London, Christopher Henriksen from Copenhagen and Valentin Hirsch from Berlin were tasked with representing the cultural identity of their cities through the art of the tattoo. And rather than the skin they usually use as a canvas, their inking skills and cultures were united on skin of a different kind. The result was shown off to dramatic effect in a one-of-akind leather billboard unveiled at Hoxton Arches in London. Rather fittingly the brand new Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Tattoo Edition was on show too. Created in partnership with Jess Mascetti from East Side Ink NYC the striking design is the first time the distinctive Bulleit Bourbon Frontier bottle has been altered, making it a collectable artwork in its own right. And it gets better. Scan the QR code and a world of augmented reality opens up bringing Jess’s work to life. True frontier spirit, real artistry. Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey Tattoo Edition, available from October amazon.co.uk
#FrontierWorks #CommunityInk Instagram @Bulleit Please drink Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey responsibly
The Cocktail Lovers - 45
IN-dulge
THE
LIST
LUXE UP YOUR DRINKING RITUALS IN STYLISH SILVER AND CLASSY CRYSTAL (OR AT LEAST DREAM)…
THE HIGH ROLLER Silver plated drinks trolley with tempered glass shelves, £POA, asprey.com
THE COOL RULER Sterling silver ice bucket and tongs, £11,850, williamandson.com
THE SHAKER MAKER Sterling silver cocktail shaker, £POA, georgjensen.com
THE LAST STRAW Everyday Objects sterling silver straw, £260, tiffany.co.uk
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IN-dulge
THE SLINKY SERVE Polished stainless steel tray with hand-gilded 24K gold-plated bamboo trim, £505, uk.l-objet.com
THE PARTY PLEASER Silver plated Champagne bowl, £2,000, by Ercuis at harrods.com
THE REAL CORKER Polished sterling silver corkscrew and bottle opener set, £450, davidlinley.com
THE HIP STAR Sterling silver gilt fly fishing reel hipflask, £1,410, hamiltonandinches.com
THE HOT SHOT Royal blue guilloché enamel shot glass set in sterling silver, £2,091, faberge.com THE MEAN MARTINI Diamante Martini crystal glasses, (set of two) £85, garasu.co.uk
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IN-style
DRESSING FOR THE COCKTAIL HOUR Warning: it’s back with a bling! says Julia Robson
IN-style
Halpern who Vogue called ‘the candidate poised to take Bob Mackie's title as 'Sultan of Sequins'; and Richard Quinn, who attracted Her Majesty The Queen, to his front row show in London earlier this year. Interestingly, the hedonistic, retro-feel remains ingrained even in the very latest clothes. Why the promise of a night out drinking cocktails has you reaching for a feather boa can be explained by French philosopher, Roland Barthes. He claimed that words used to describe clothes have a duality of meaning. On the one hand, there are generic words like ‘shoe’. Others, have a historico-social context which make it impossible to untangle the physical object from the signals and codes associated with it. That cocktails hail from a time when the unapologetically wealthy and privileged observed a dress code that required wearing luxurious, often frivolous clothes requires food for thought even in 2018. Eveningwear has rules. ‘Ascot’ hints at stiff-suited toffs. The cocktail hour remains a time when tools are downed but the night is still young. Historically, decades were defined by a cocktail and a louche bar to drink it in. From the Mint Juleps sipped by society ladies in lacy high collars and sweeping skirts by Gaston Worth (son of Charles Worth, founder of haute couture) at the turn of the century, to Gin Rickeys knocked back by bobbed, flapper girls at London’s Kit
Click! Ping! Swipe! If evidence were needed that the digital age has increased the desire for dressing top-to-toe for cocktails, whether it’s a tonsil-tickling Aperol Spritz or Expresso Martini, just look to Instagram feeds on a Friday night. The increasing number of cocktail bars in London’s Shoreditch show how the generation of experientialloving millennials are claiming cocktails – and the gear you traditionally wear to drink them in – as their own. How does cocktail wear translate to the 21st century? If you thought it was letting your Nike x Supreme two thousand dollar sneakers do the talking, think again. Gritty East London is going gooey for all out glamour to sip on a White Rose in a vintage glass at Callooh Callay.
1: Goldie dress, Ong-Oaj Pairim
It’s certainly got something to do with ‘Influencers’ dressing 24/7 cocktail party-ready. Many young fashion designers are putting cocktail couture on the fashion radar too. They include Ong-Oaj Pairum, whose old world couture techniques include hand-pleating and wrap; Zeynep Kartal worn by Cheryl Cole, Lady Gaga and Pixie Lott, and The Dolls House, a Manchesterbased brand founded in 2012 by Rebecca Henry, whose fans include Rihanna and Kylie Jenner. Also Michael
4: Arena ring with precious
2: Colonna velvet trouser suit, Zeynep Kartel 3: Sequin patterned dress, Michael Halpern at Matches Fashion gemstone and diamonds, H. Stern
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IN-style
Cat Club in 1920. Anything Goes sang Cole Porter in the 1930s post Wall Street crash. In fact, cocktailistas wore only satin bias-cut frocks by Vionnet. In Paris, as Europe slipped closer to war, women donned mannish trouser suits and a monocle to sip Mai Tais at Le Monocle, a lesbian bar. Gender innuendo is a recurring theme in cocktail dressing. Weirdest of all, in the very early 1980s – Thatcher’s Britain – when most people were poor but wanting to feel richer, they dressed as if they were going to an Oxford college May ball. Cocktails became fashionable. As did dressing up for them. After visiting Covent Garden’s Rumours bar for a Harvey Wallbanger you went for a Blue Lagoon at Blitz Club, where your boyfriend would borrow your lipstick.
dressing has got something to do with the ‘journey’ of dressing up, which both men and women love. “It begins by thinking about what to wear. Then comes hair, then nails...” Her go-to fashion piece? “A sexy black, softly tailored cashmere jacket that I wear with a diamond brooch. It goes with everything. Recently, I was at The Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich and the owner, Urs, made me a wasabi Martini with Russian vodka. It was hot, awesome and dangerous!” Just like cocktail wear then?
What has made Hoxton hipsters - or ‘ginsters’ – set their fashion clocks to the cocktail hour once again? Debenhams chief womenswear designer, Angela Gilbey, puts it down to new technologies making glamorous eveningwear, once costly, affordable and (online) accessible. “New technologies in fabrication means we can quite effectively recreate styles from fabrics that in the 1950s or 1930s were hand crafted with sequins and embroidery.” Gilbey continues, “One of our new ranges is even called ‘homage to couture’.” “I think we’re in a romantic cycle,’ comments fashion designer, Romero Bryan, whose cocktail wear is worn by Beyoncé, Cameron Diaz and Katy Perry. “It’s got something to do with social context. In spite of all the bad things going on in the world, women want to take ownership of their bodies and dress up or down as they please. You also have Kim Kardashian not leaving her house without dressing up, and there are designers like Olivier Rousteing at Balmain bringing back power shoulders.”
Photograph: Joanna Krause Photography
Romero also sees cocktail wear for women going beyond dresses to statement-charged tops and jackets. “Dress codes are vague. If you put on a beautiful top over trousers you can never feel overdressed. Invest in one fantastic item and you’ll keep it forever.” Romero says red and white are the best investment, and don’t forget dangly earrings, popularised by cocktail hour poster girl of the moment, Dua Lipa, and cocktail rings by H. Stern (American Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour’s favourite).
Hair & makeup: Justyna Kruszka
For men, a digitally printed evening silk scarf by Gary James McQueen (nephew of Alexander McQueen) thrown around a collar has become popular with literati types, teamed with a LUCAN velvet jacket and jeans. Anne-Sofie Lucan, the Danish-born 8th Countess of Lucan behind the label, believes the revival of cocktail
romerobryan.com
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Models: Maggie Mizner and Nadine at Leni’s Model Management
STOCKISTS: hstern.com ong-oajpairam.com matchesfashion.com thedollshousefashion.com richardquinn.london zeynepkartal.co.uk
TCL Partner
with Banks Rums
CREATING UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS The sumptuous surroundings of Regent Street’s modern tavern, The Wigmore, are the embodiment of contemporary elegance. And guests looking to indulge in a beautifully crafted drink in this opulent setting should try the 'Emptying the Banks' punch.
Combining the warming spices of Amaro di ANGOSTURA®, with the rich and complex notes of Banks 5 Island Blend and Banks 7 Golden Blend, along with lemon sherbet, absinthe and ginger ale; it’s the perfect example of how Banks Rums’ aromatic blends from 5 and 7 different origins across the East and West Indies offer exceptional aromatics perfect for punches and cocktails.
As we enter seasons more closely associated with sharing, Banks Rums punch offers a luxurious centrepiece to occasions that bring together close friends and family to muse over the stories and adventures that have coloured their year. Best served in a beautiful detailed silver bowl, with a large block of ice and ladled into vintage metallic cups or glassware, it can be made in advance, ready to be served later. With the ice melting slowly over the course of the evening, the delicious punch will last for several hours, leaving the host free to entertain and join the party.
LIFE IN PARIS
METHOD
An adaptation of a Banks 5 Island Rum Hemingway Daiquiri, For Whom The Bell Tolls, this variation adds Champagne and absinthe to also channel the rum-loving author’s infamous Death In The Afternoon cocktail.
Combine everything, except the Champagne, stirring in the oleo saccharum until it dissolves. Chill until ready to serve. Pour into a punch bowl with a large ice block, add the Champagne, some star anise pods, edible flowers, grapefruit and lime wheels. Serve in punch cups filled with ice and garnish with a lime wheel and star anise pod.
Ingredients 1 bottle of Banks 5 Island Blend 750ml Extra Brut Champagne 375ml ruby red grapefruit juice
Steve Georgiou, Head Bartender at The Wigmore
Created by Joel Fraser
375ml chilled mineral water 50ml Luxardo Maraschino liqueur 1⁄2 tsp absinthe Lemon oleo saccharum
banksrum.com
“With Banks Rums we have been able to combine an extraordinary spirit with our warm and welcoming atmosphere to deliver truly memorable moments for our guests.”
Please enjoy Banks Rums responsibly
For more information follow Banks Rums on Instagram @BanksRums or visit banksrums.com.
IN-style
Rich pickings DELUXE DRINKS FOR EVERY MOOD AND BUDGET, FROM TOP-OF-THE-RANGE TREATS TO TOAST SPECIAL OCCASIONS THROUGH TO AFFORDABLE LUXURIES TO ENJOY WHENEVER YOU PLEASE.
INSTYLE
Photography by Adam Goodison Assisted by Isaac Dann Props by Imogen Frost
Promotion
Havana Club Máximo Extra Añejo (40%), £1,235. havana-club.com Who are we to tell you how to enjoy this exceptional, ultra-premium liquid made by connoisseurs for connoisseurs? Just pour a precious measure into a crystal glass and enjoy. Lismore Connoisseur straight sided tumbler, £75, and ice bucket (just seen), £220, waterford.co.uk; Earrings, £POA, junemontana.com
Oxley Cold Distilled London Dry Gin (47%), £38.25. bacardilimited.com The secret to the bright, crisp and smooth taste of this complex gin is on the label: cold distilled – it’s this special process that puts Oxley Gin in another league. Enjoy it in a: Gimlet 50ml Oxley Cold Distilled London Dry Gin 10ml Rose’s Lime Cordial (or freshly squeezed lime juice and sugar syrup) Lime twist to garnish Method: Add both ingredients to a mixing glass and stir over ice. Strain into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with a lime twist. Diamond Line Martini glass, £105, waterford.co.uk; Earrings, £POA, junemontana.com; Melody collection 18kt rose gold/Japanese Akoya pearls pendant, £1,400, zeemouzeng.com
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INSTYLE
IN-focus
Hine Homage (40%), £105. hinecognac.com Beautifully blending four single vintages to deliver rich toffee, honey, tangy pear and sharp orange zest aromas, this special edition is an homage to founder Thomas Hine. Enjoy it: Straight from a tasting glass Riedel Vinum Cognac tasting glass, £45, riedel.com; Melody collection 18kt yellow gold/green jade ring, £980, zeemouzeng.com; necklace, stylist’s own.
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IN-focus
The BenRiach 21 Year Old Classic Single Malt Scotch Whisky (46%) £125. benriachdistillery.com Drawn from a selection of four casks – bourbon barrels, virgin oak, PX sherry and red wine – for an expertly balanced malt, rich with vanilla, chocolate and juicy red fruits. Enjoy it in a: Speyside Penicillin 40ml BenRiach 21 Year Old Classic 10ml BenRiach 21 Year Old Temporis 15ml fresh lemon juice 10ml pressed ginger juice 10ml Scottish Heather Honey Method: Shake all ingredients and double strain over a block of ice into a chilled Rocks glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon and slice of ginger. Castello Old Fashioned tumbler, £POA, urbanbar.com; Melody collection 18kt rose gold/Japanese Akoya pearls bracelet, £2,850, and triple bar ring, £1,590, zeemouzeng.com; necklace, stylist’s own.
56 - The Cocktail Lovers
Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum (40%) £50.75. ronsantateresa.com Aged in an artisanal solera method for a velvety, full-bodied taste, this rum is bursting with bitter chocolate, leather and honey. Enjoy it in a: Old Fashioned 50ml Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum 1 dash Angostura® aromatic bitters 1 sugar cube Orange twist to garnish Method: Muddle the bitters and sugar with a splash of soda in a Rocks glass. Add the rum, fill the glass with ice and stir. Garnish with an orange twist. Lismore tumbler, £55, waterford.co.uk; Melody Collection 18kt rose gold/Japanese Akoya pearls brooch, zeemouzeng.com
All spirts available from thewhiskyexchange.com The Cocktail Lovers - 57
TCL Partner
THE HIGH LIFE Let’s face it, when we visit a smart restaurant it’s not because we’re hungry. We go because we want a little luxury in our lives. Increasingly it’s the same with bars and cocktails. We could mix up something simple at home or head to our favourite neighbourhood establishment for something a little fancier, but there are times when what we really want is a luxury experience. Yes we want a great drink, but what makes a moment memorable is everything that surrounds that drink. Whether it’s the environment or the service, a story or the special little details. In fact, the best experiences combine all of these. A great cocktail starts with an exceptional base spirit. Then it’s about enhancing that spirit with other quality ingredients and bringing them together with a deft touch. The same is true for a luxury drinking experience. The spirit still has to be exceptional, then it’s about creating something immersive through the venue, ambiance, people and details. The Prestige Team at Pernod Ricard UK (PRUK) have made it their mission to create luxury experiences and memories that linger long after the event is over.
Claire West, Head of Prestige, sums it up, “At PRUK our Prestige Team strives to deliver luxury, convivial moments by being unique, personal, collaborative and creative with our customers. We pride ourselves on delivering luxury experiences beyond the norm which really resonate with guests”. As Claire says, it’s all about delivering in four key areas that define what the team does – everything has to be unique, personal, collaborative and creative. Each brand has a unique proposition so it has to have a bespoke experience. The personal touch is vital too, building genuine relationships to support customers in the best way possible. A natural extension of this is collaboration – developing long-term, trusted working partnerships with clients. And, of course, creativity – at the heart of every project is a desire to create unique ideas that really excite customers. The end result is a win, win and win situation. The brands reach more discerning drinkers. The venues create memorable experiences for their guests. And the biggest winners are those guests themselves, as they get something even better than the taste of a great drink; they get a delicious sip of luxury itself.
The Living Room Bar The brand: Perrier-Jouët Champagne The place: Restaurant Ours, Knightsbridge, London The experience: Nestling in the mezzanine area at Restaurant Ours is the Living Room bar by Perrier-Jouët Champagne. The space was designed to bring a unique identity to the bar, differentiating it from the restaurant, but in-keeping with the overall Ours theme. Bringing in extra foliage and anemone flowers to give the space a feel of nature indoors, it recreated the art-of-the-wild concept of Perrier-Jouët. The drinks menu was cleverly matched to the décor with delicious drinks inspired by garden ingredients, featuring Perrier-Jouët within a variety of Champagne cocktails. Guests could also enjoy Perrier-Jouët’s outstanding new Champagne Blanc de Blancs NV.
Please drink responsibly
The Royal Wedding The brand: Royal Salute Whisky The place: Scarfe’s Bar, Holborn, London The experience: Spring 2018 saw the launch of a new menu at Scarfe’s Bar. It featured extraordinary techniques, rare ingredients and caricatures by the legendary Gerald Scarfe himself. Given the excitement surrounding the Royal Wedding, a key serve on the menu was Off The Market, a liquid representation of Prince Harry. Raising a respectful hand, premium Royal Salute 21 Year Old whisky was offset with a selection of vibrant orange ingredients, including sumptuous saffron and ginger bitters in a serious Old Fashioned with a playful auburn twist. The drink was served in a custom-made hip flask, craftily hidden within a book (perfect should Harry have wished to smuggle it in with his order of service). And to bring an extra touch of luxury to the experience the PRUK team enlisted high-end luggage manufacturer Globetrotter to create the leather bound hip flask book.
The Gathering The brand: Havana Club Tributo 2018 The place: The Arts Club, Mayfair, London The experience:
The Gin Garden The experience:
With exceptionally high temperatures and almost neverending sunshine, London was ready for an invocation of Cuba this summer, and it was an ideal time to gather appreciative imbibers for an intimate tasting of the exceptional Havana Club Tributo 2018.
During the summer The Langham hotel partnered with Plymouth Gin to open its courtyard to the public for the very first time, as it was transformed into a luxury botanical gin garden complete with climbing plants and giant Glug Jugs.
The Penthouse, within the sumptuous setting of The Arts Club, welcomed three groups of specially invited guests – private high net worth individuals, Prestige London bars and restaurants, and representatives of the luxury and lifestyle press.
The famous Glug Jug, used by the navy as a vessel for Plymouth Gin since the 19th century and shaped like an open-mouthed fish, possesses an endearing quirkiness – when liquid is poured, it produces an intriguing gurgling sound. Guests were able to order the refreshing Garden Glug Punch to share, with Plymouth Gin, apricot, jasmine green tea, cucumber and Perrier-Jouët Champagne.
Brand ambassador Max Warner was joined by bar owner and rum author Tristan Stephenson, and rum ambassador, Ian Burrell, as together they hosted elegantly relaxed Matinees and Soirees of conversation and storytelling. At the heart of the gatherings was a tutored tasting of the Tributo 2018, a limited annual release (just 1,500 bottles at £350 each).
This unique, immersive, luxury experience was completed with servings of Plymouth Fruit Cup cocktail, along with Botanical Lab masterclasses. These took guests on an interactive journey through the history of Plymouth Gin, and allowed them to blend their very own gin from the seven botanicals used in Plymouth Gin since 1793.
A celebration of exceptional Cuban rum expertise, focusing on ageing and barrel selection (finished in 60-year-old Islay Scotch Whisky casks) these were a very personal alliance of people, luxury, craftsmanship, flavours, storytelling and unforgettable rum.
The brand: Plymouth Gin The place: The Langham hotel, Portland Place, London
Tributo 2018 is available from thewhiskyexchange.com Watch out for more luxurious experiences from the PRUK team coming soon and follow them on Instagram @PRUKPrestige
IN-formed
SUITE sPIRITS
Inside the new home of the finest wines and spirits in the world. By Douglas Blyde Nick Fleming, spirits buyer for arguably the most iconic department store, Harrods, is helping to ensure that – through a wealth of helpful experiences, refined customer service and careful stock selection – the handsome drinks department, which re-opened this spring, is positioned as a leading light in what he terms ‘bricks and mortar retail’. Sectioned by invisible but effective ‘air curtains’ maintaining 19°C, the suite of cocooning rooms is attractively lit, formed of limed wood panels and marble tiles, with multiple interactive, guest-friendly ‘experiences’ that can’t be replicated online. Compared to the racks of lace-ups in hip-hop pepped gentlemen’s footwear opposite, this pleasurable haven of a cellar, which Nick notes is “a build, not an add-on,” fulfils the vision of Michael Ward, MD since 2005, who is determinedly reconstructing the store to be “absolutely relevant”. Envisioned by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio (Annabel's, Sexy Fish, The Wigmore and the Cocktail Collection of furniture for George Smith), the decor implies “the glory era of the 1920s”. Gentle push action discovery panels conceal bottles of treasurable wines, and, inspired by Bordeaux’s technology embracing La Cité du Vin museum, scent cloches incubate bespoke aromas by Mic Moisseeff found in wine and whisky. ‘The origins of flavour – esters – are the start of our journey,’ says Nick.
Origins of flavour A Pedro Ximenez cask-finished whisky evokes the cosy, boozy, dried fruit fug of a Christmas pudding, “which I had to send to Mic in France who didn’t know what English Christmas pudding was!” recalls Nick. Meanwhile, a dusting of nutmeg nods to the Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask, and a sod of peat nudges a bottle of smoky Dunnock, Isle of Skye 8 Year Old. A rose refers to Macallan 15 Year Old. “It’s accessible and Heath Robinson,” says Nick. “If you accept some people are novices, you take a step back.” I also discover Glenfiddich’s Aroma Lab, where, shoppers are shown their ideal expression which tantalisingly lights up on the shelf. Then there’s the exhibit where it’s possible to ‘deep dive’ into wood management, presented by The Balvenie distillery. Nick favours these playful forms of discovery over simply pouring out samples. “Liquid to lips should be a confirmation of a potential purchase rather than the reason to buy,” he says. “It can take five minutes to be ready to meet a liquid.” The bigger brands present are number one on Nick’s wish list and not airport-type concessions, he says. “They should build a strong conversation, not short-term relationships. There’s a belief among producers that once the warehouse is empty, it’s job done, but that’s when the work begins.”
IN-formed
Prudent buying
Educate, inform, entertain Beyond a nondescript, code-locked door is the Education Room where 10 customers can take part in a live video link with distillers and winemakers. “The temptation was to make it even more salubrious with a dedicated kitchen,” Nick says of the chic space which also serves as a tasting room. “But we took a reality check. So the table, although lovely, can be wiped down easily and has a white surface with direct lighting.” Bottle personalisation is also performed in here, using an engraving apparatus. Aside from the sense of theatre pervading the department, service remains key to the Harrods attitude, “although regurgitating notes is not an experience, staff must have tasted the drink,” says Nick. His team must also convey the diffused boundaries when it comes to categorisation. “I realise this is a terrible term,” winces Nick of the amaro filed under the sign, Cocktail Spirits. In fact, Nick hates micro classification. Hence his whisky range encompasses the world. Under World Whisky, Cereal Malt, Welsh Penderyn Madeira sits beside Dalwhinnie 15 from the Scottish Highlands. “In the longer term, I want to see anything in wood in the same area, such as reposado tequila beside Cognac. And the viscosity in Daniel Bouju's Napoleon Cognac has the same ethic as Baker’s 7 Bourbon.”
Although the motto of the store, encompassing more than one million square feet, is Omnia Omnibus Ubique – All Things for All People, Everywhere, Nick focuses on “curating the liquid”, favouring enduring rather than trend-led spirits. “The previous idea of Harrods having everything showed lazy buying,” He explains. Hence, Suntory is the only Japanese whisky “because Japanese whisky is moving down a very trend-led route, the regulations being non-existent.” Nick gives further insight into his purchasing strategy. “I won’t ignore liquid, preferably sent in as a 20cl sample which I’ll put in a blind tasting against what I presume to be the relevant spirit, such as benchmark Beefeater.” But that gin isn’t stocked because “It’s very widely available at seasonally inappropriate prices, and I’m not in business to devalue the craft behind the craft.” So what if a shopper’s preferred brand isn’t here? “We ascertain why they wish to purchase it. If it’s for the flavour profile then it allows us to help them discover a greater value product.”
Provenance Nick gestures to a revered Chinese sorghum spirit: baijiu from Moutai, a distillery so substantial it has an airstrip. “We never buy on the secondary market,” says Nick. “Perfect provenance is very important, and Harrods is a safe place for customers.” Proud to be part of the wider store rather than operate as an indie, Nick fosters an evolutionary approach to drinks, at once ticking off the conventional nodes of luxury while thoughtfully re-categorising and including experiences as enticing to the amateur as the aficionado.
I notice a lack of vodka. “And the selection is getting smaller” says Nick, adding “many gins should be labelled flavoured vodka. I’ve a strong interest in transparency behind brands, and a number of people who say they’re distilling are actually refracting: buying in grain spirit and putting it through the teapot.”
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IN-formed TCL Partner
- APERITIVO RESTYLED BY PERONI
Enjoy outstanding drinks, including Simone Caporale’s specially created Sorbetto Spritz, and make like an Italian as you sample the exquisitely paired aperitivo food offering. It’s going to be bellissimo! Visit The House of Peroni from 3-7 October at The London Cocktail Week Village, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QR. Entry free with wristband. See more at thehouseofperoni.com/london-cocktail-week
There was a time when the art of the aperitivo was strictly an Italian affair. Now everyone’s getting in on the act. Not quite as ceremoniously and without as much understanding of the culture behind it perhaps, but the ritual of partaking in something lighter-styled, slightly bitter tasting, like a Negroni or an Americano, to prime the palate before dinner, is being embraced globally.
#TheHouseofPeroni
But now it’s time for a refreshing new twist.
(Martini Ambrato, grapefruit sherbet and amber, topped with Peroni Nastro Azzurro)
Aperitivo, Restyled By Peroni is just that. Conceived by forward-thinking, super-premium Italian beer brand, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, it’s an inspiring new initiative that sits proudly under its The Home of Emerging Talent umbrella, which aims to champion the brightest emerging talent in the worlds of fashion and drinks. For Aperitivo, Restyled By Peroni, five rising bartending stars were tasked with reinterpreting the classic aperitif, making something fresh, exciting and totally delicious combining iconic Italian ingredients and of course, Peroni Nastro Azzurro. And under the guidance of The House of Peroni resident master of mixology Simone Caporale, they’ve done just that. But which bartender’s concoction perfectly captures the mood, the moment and the taste for modern palates? All will be revealed during London Cocktail Week. Not only will the five stunning drinks be put to the taste test by a panel of trade partners, but anyone visiting the stylish white world that is The House of Peroni in the heart of The London Cocktail Week Village, can cast their vote too.
Please drink responsibly
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#londoncocktailweek
Sorbetto Spritz by Simone Caporale (Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Aperol, bitter lemon and a scoop of orange sorbet) Fragranza Del Pompelmo by Daniele Liberati, London Edition Hotel
Americano Alla Pesca by Rosey Mitchell, Three Sheets, London (Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Italicus di Bergamotto, peach liqueur and Martini Dry) Bellini Alla Barbabietola by Matteo Battistello, Cecconi’s, London (Sloe gin, elderflower liqueur, Campari and beetroot puree, topped with Peroni Nastro Azzurro) Aroma Botanico by Sam Taylor, Science + Industry, Manchester Cardamom and lavender infused Rinomato, Campari, lemon juice, sugar syrup and bitters, topped with Peroni Nastro Azzurro) La Vita Salata by Dan Smith, The Bon Vivant, Edinburgh (Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Cinzano Bianco, fino sherry and olive brine)
IN-formed
MAINS & MARTINIS This issue: Taking time out for a low-key luxe break
clockwise from left: the george fentham room; wagyu beef and right: the table is set at peel's
One of the greatest luxuries in life these days is time. We’re all so busy getting on with being busy that we forget to take time out for ourselves. Stop! Every now and again make it your mission to pack a bag, get yourself on a train and escape to a haven like Hampton Manor in Hamptonin-Arden. One night is all you need to recharge. It certainly did the trick for us, particularly as it’s only just over an hour by train from London and located a handy five-minute walk from the station. From the moment we checked into the grand-on-the-outside, cosy-and-cool-on-the-inside 19th century manor house, our eyes lit up, our shoulders relaxed and we were calling the place home. Hampton Manor is a family-run restaurant with rooms – 15 of them. Our base was the George Fentham room – very lush, very homely – and like all the rooms and suites, it came with a little background on the person it was named after. Other thoughtful touches include homemade cookies, full-sized bottles of toiletries, coffee beans and a mini-grinder for your morning brew. So far, so fabulous but we were here for the food and drinks, starting of course with the bar… Again, the time = luxury thing comes into play here. With nothing but 45 acres of parkland to gaze out onto and no need to worry about getting home, we could just sit back and wallow in the experience.
We’d heard about the wine list. Wine director Sam Olive prides himself on his bold choice of natural wines, most of which are sourced from independent winemakers all over the world. Cocktails from head bartender Loic Cretel were equally impressive. We tried Natural Harmony, a Collinsstyle drink, using Copperhead gin, strawberry jam and tonka bean cordial and golden beetroot shrub, and the old-fashioned-styled Earthy Paradise with Glenfiddich IPA washed wagyu beef, truffle honey and soy sauce. Dinner in Peel’s was one of those amazing taste sensations that just kept on giving. Again, the overall air is low key – think casual dress with ball gown tastes. We took it leisurely and opted for the seven-course tasting menu matched with wines. And if you do take our advice and head here, we urge you to do the same. Local chef Rob Palmer is just 27 but has already notched up a Michelin star and four AA rosettes for his cooking. Precocious? Not a bit of it. The food is made with love, artistry and British ingredients of the highest order. Dishes like langoustine with leek and ginger, and smoked eel with a pretty-as-a-picture accompaniment of kohlrabi, sing with so much flavour that you want to gently weep. Three hours later, after one of our favourite meals of the year, it was upstairs to bed with George… Hampton Manor, Shadowbrook Lane, Hampton-In-Arden, B92 0EN. hamptonmanor.com
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IN-formed
WORD UP...
NEWS, VIEWS, REVIEWS AND HOW-TO’S
ONE FOR THE DRINKS CABINET
BY THE BOOK
Shaken – Drinking with James Bond and Ian Fleming How fortuitous that Ian Fleming should be related to Edmund Weil (p. 40), co-owner of Nightjar and Oriole. The bartrepeneur has also got a stake in award-winning Soho cocktail haven Swift. So it’s a nobrainer that he should pen the official cocktail book of 007 and team up with Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston of Swift to create the drinks. Shaken – Drinking with James Bond and Ian Fleming, takes in the quotes, people and stories behind Mr Bond’s favourite cocktails, while Mia and Bobby give the lowdown on how to make them. They’ve included 40 of their own, brand new 007-inspired drinks too, including destined-to-be classics such as Blofeld (vodka, vermouth, mastiff, lychee liqueur, absinthe and celery bitters). Mr Bond would definitely approve. Available from octopusbooks.co.uk
Brrrr! there’s definitely a nip in the air. Not that we mind too much – it’s the perfect excuse to take the chill off with something dark, decadent and deliciously warming. Of course it helps if it’s a super-premium, limited-edition spirit… Not that we’re being divas you understand but we'd be lying if we said we don't appreciate some spirit seduction. We tried AEN Cask No. 2 – Despina, the lush expression created to celebrate 130 years of the House of Metaxa. With its complex bouquet of truffle, wild flowers, spices and wisps of cigar smoke it’s the stuff that our favourite winter evenings are made of. metaxa.com
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SHAKE IT UP! Looking to sharpen up your cocktail making skills, or perhaps thinking of a gift for a cocktail-loving friend? The new masterclasses running at Fitz’s Bar do the job just nicely. The two-hour sessions whisk through the history, arming you with plenty of fascinating facts to impress your friends with, while you enjoy full-sized examples of the drinks. Classes take in Cuban Cocktail Classics, Pre-Prohibition, The Age of Disco and The Perfect Martini, each priced at £75 for Champagne on arrival, snacks and three cocktails. Bargain. Book on hello@fitzs.co.uk
IN-formed
SHUCK IT TO ‘EM
The
Cocktail
Girl
In pursuit of London’s coolest bars. Waeska at the Mandrake Hotel
Forget Champagne, oysters and Martinis are the way to go. Try them out in the luxe for less half-price Oyster Happy Hour at new seafood fave, Neptune, or see how they go go down with the specially created seafood-friendly libations including the gin and mezcal-based Elysium. phcompany.com
There’s and a time for the jeans, trainers and the no-make-up make-up look. And there are occasions when a girl just feels compelled to slip into a LBD, don a pair of heels and brighten her face with slick of red lippy. My friends, drinks at Waeska at the Mandrake Hotel is definitely worthy of your presence when you’re in the mood for glamming it up. Whether you’re a guy or a gal. It’s not exclusive by any means but there is an air of fashionista luxe about it. That’s not to say that there’s a dress code (apart from the bar team clad in a very fetching shade of pink) but bear in mind that it is a place where the long of limb, blessed-with-good-face people seem to gravitate, unsurprisingly perhaps as this is a very beautiful bar, albeit in a voguish and unconventional way.
Notable nibbles
The focal point is the dramatic creature presiding over the bar – is it a kangaroo, is it an impala, is it a peacock? In fact, it’s all three. Like the name of the bar, it’s a mythical creature – based on fantastical stories and interpreted in stunning ways. Including the drinks…
Four words: caviar on blinis darling. We are talking luxury aren’t we?
There’s seating inside but doors open out to a heated bamboo-clad courtyard area with plenty of tables should you wish to smoke. My guest and I chose a table mid-way between the bar and the outside action so we could keep an eye on what was going on throughout as we worked our way through the Ethnobotanical menu.
Platinum Caviar, fortnumandmason.com
Things to know: ethnobotany is the study of plants and their practical uses, seen to wondrous effect in the 12 cocktails on the list here. We tried Calamus, a light, fresh and fruity number made with calamus infused in Star of Bombay Gin, with Italicus di Bergamotto, blood orange sake and citrus, and Sage, a delicious mix of meccal, sage and tomato water, dry sherry and St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur – both as stylish, refreshing and inventive as Waeska Bar itself. themandrake.com
THINGS THAT MAKE US GO OOH...
You can feel the quality by just looking at this glassware. The fact that they’re jewel coloured and cut just-so, well, they’ve jumped straight to the top of our wish-list. Cubismus whisky tumbler set, moser-glass.com
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IN-formed
CREATE A STIR EACH MONTH Warming up for the festive season October – Black History Month Something smooth and dark Black Velvet 75ml Champagne 75ml Guinness Method: Add Guinness to a chilled Flute or Coupe glass. Top with Champagne.
1-10 November – Old Fashioned Week A classic Old Fashioned, what else? Classic Old Fashioned 40ml bourbon/rum/rye whiskey/ Scotch whisky/cognac 1 dash Angostura® aromatic bitters
Let’s hear it for the girls: DrinkUp London Of course, we’re biased about London Cocktail Week which runs from 1-7 October from its new, bigger, better, super-cool base in Truman Brewery, with events, parties and £6 cocktails in various bars around the capital. But they're also the brains (and beauties) behind London Wine Week, London Beer Week and World Gin Day. Check their website for details of these events and more drink-centric goodness a drinkup.london
1 sugar cube
WHERE WE’VE BEEN
Orange twist to garnish
Library Bar at The Ned
1 maraschino cherry
Contrary to popular belief, there is an intimate drinking area in the behemoth of the eating/ drinking space that is the ground floor of The Ned. We found it tucked behind a heavy jacquard curtain. It’s a fabulous spot dedicated to two of the best things in life: Champagne and Martinis – the latter mixed table side from a retro trolley.
Soda
Method: Muddle the bitters and sugar with a splash of soda for one minute in a Rocks glass. Add your chosen spirit and fill the glass with ice. Garnish with the orange twist and cherry. old-fashioned-week.com
December – Warming up to Christmas Something to curl up with
thened.com
Jameson Irish Coffee
L’Oscar
10ml Demerara and Muscovado sugar syrup
90ml medium roasted espresso coffee
With its low lights, deep, rich fabrics and everso seductive decor this recent addition to the Bloomsbury scene bar oozes lasciviousness. Never mind the fact it’s set in the former HQ of the Baptist Church, prepare to give in to all kinds of temptation.
1 vanilla pod or cinnamon for garnish
loscar.com
Freshly grated nutmeg
18/81
35ml Jameson whiskey 30ml lightly whipped double cream
Method: Stir sugar syrup into Jameson Whisky in a warmed glass. Whip the chilled double cream lightly until it starts to stiffen. Brew a 45ml shot of coffee into the glass from your espresso machine. Reload and brew in a second 45ml shot. Pour the whipped cream over the back of a spoon so it floats on top of coffee. Garnish with a stick of cinnamon and grating of nutmeg.
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18/81 is all about premixed drinks of the highest order from Rob Wood with love to the people of Birmingham. Bookings are essential – not just to guarantee a spot in the light, airy, firstfloor space but to get much needed directions. His trademark tasting menu of cocktails paired with mini dishes is available – enquire when you get confirmation. SMS 07802 364282.
IN-formed
In praise of the long drink Who says long drinks are just for summer? Sip on this tequila-based stunner from Patrón Perfectionist UK winner Nicole Sykes from Satan’s Whiskers and prepare for your mind to be blown. Recipe: 40ml Patrón Silver tequila
HOT
* Premium rums, like Havana Club Icónica, Angostura No. 1, Bacardí Facundo Paraíso XA, and many more * Bartender brands – look out for PS Soda from Australia coming soon * Independent Irish whiskies. Warm your cockles with JJ Corry created by Louise McGuane
NOT
* Comedy gins and liqueurs – enough already * Drinking like a loon during the party season – it’s not big and it certainly isn’t clever. Try pacing yourself with long drinks (and water) instead. * Brands jumping on the no-alcohol bandwagon. Make sure they taste good before unleashing them into the world.
20ml Martini Riserva Speciale Ambrato 10ml fresh lime juice 20ml pickled dry crab apple reduction 70ml coriander seed soda Lime zest spray to finish Method: Shake all ingredients (apart from soda) with cubed ice then double strain into glass over cubed ice. Top with coriander seed soda and spray lime zest over the top of the drink. Garnish with apple crisp on the glass. patronperfectionists.com
TCL Partner
AT BAR CONVENT BERLIN 2018
DISCOVER THE BRAND NEW
RUMS FROM HAVANA CLUB
If you’re lucky enough to be at Bar Convent Berlin head straight to Hall 7, Stand A10. Here you’ll discover the new range of small batch, innovative and experimental rums from Havana Club International – designed to push the boundaries of rum. The Havana Club stand is a creative clash between classic Cuba and modern evolution in an experimental zone. There’s also an interactive bar showcasing the journey from traditional flavour to flavour revolution. Bartenders, media and the drinks industry can experience an exclusive preview tasting of these limited-edition rums, neat and in new signature serves. Please drink responsibly
Media and other trade attendees can also join special seminars devoted to the new rums on Monday 8 October (2:30pm-3:15pm) and Tuesday 9 October (3:45pm-4:30pm) at Demo Bar A. Completing this very special launch will be Havana Club international marketing director, Nick Blacknell, global brand ambassadors and Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix winner, Ninon Fauvarque. Together they’ll be able to tell you everything you need to know about the new range. And if you’re not at Bar Convent Berlin? Please be patient, more news on the new range will be heading your way soon. The new Havana Club Professional Editions will be launched on Monday 8th October, at Bar Convent Berlin 2018, Hall 7, Stand A10.
havana-club.com The Cocktail Lovers - 67
IN-ternational
HAVING A DAM GOOD TIME FALLING FOR AMSTERDAM'S BARS
IN-ternational
You know when you’re getting old when rather than getting your kicks in a coffee shop or the Red Light District on a visit to Amsterdam, you’re drooling over the 17th century canal side houses with their stunning gabled facades. That’s not to say that you don’t want some night life. You simply prefer it in a more salubrious setting. Thank goodness for its cocktail bars, then. Cool enough that they attract the youngsters; chilled enough for oldies to bagsy a seat and still feel like part of the crowd. Bonus points for the fact that everything is close enough to navigate by foot. Or bike if you want to be like the locals and you’re feeling particularly adventurous. But why make things hard for yourself? Save any serious thinking for choosing what to order from the following menus.
The sexy one Pulitzer Amsterdam
pull up a seat at pulitzer bar
Prinsengracht 323, 1016 GZ pulitzeramsterdam.com In-keeping with the luxury theme of this issue, and to prove that in addition to its many hostels and backpacker-friendly hotels Amsterdam does have a glam side, we stayed at Pulitzer’s, which when it opened in 1960 was the first five-star hotel in Amsterdam. Clever us. First, it meant that we could get inside those majestic houses that overlook the canals and secondly, its central location is the ideal base from which to explore all the major attractions. Yes, that includes the bars… Cor, is it gorgeous. Be prepared: Pulitzer’s is a glorious higgledy-piggledy, maze of a place sprawling over 25 historic houses – make things a little easier on yourself by just accepting that you’ll get lost at least once navigating your way around. Mind you, that’s an adventure in itself – everywhere you look you’re faced with Instaready set-ups; from the sometimes quirky but always striking artworks, to the basket swings in the courtyard, and the designer-style furniture carefully and artfully dotted around. If you really want to embrace the luxury mood, upgrade to one of the 19 suites – not for nothing do five of them come with an Extraordinary Suite status. Each is uniquely themed to tell the story of the previous owner of the house (music, book, antique and art collector, for instance) and is accessed from its own front door. We won’t lie, we would have stayed in one if our budget allowed but as all of the rooms, even the entry level ones, are thoughtfully kitted out with a munchies-friendly pack of Stroopwafels (Dutch cookie waffles with an extremely moreish, thin caramel filling) for each day of your stay, a bicycle repair kit and – joy-oh-joy – a bespoke drinks cabinet, complete with shaker, ice bucket and fancy glassware, we didn’t mind too much. We restrained ourselves from cracking the mini bar open to shake up our own drinks and
instead took the much wiser option of heading to the Pulitzer Bar downstairs. Dark, sexy and seriously stylish, it oozes glamour even if you’re sitting there nursing a coffee or celebrating your mini holiday with a glass of fizz at 3pm. As it gets later, the mood gets slinkier – which is perfectly in-keeping with the mis-matched velvet and handsome wing-backed leather chairs positioned in the two rooms (there’s an ante room with board games to the front too, should the idea of playing Snakes & Ladders while you sip on your Martini tickles your fancy). We opted for the best seats in the house, propped at the bar where we could watch and engage with the knowledgeable and extremely affable bar team. Don't be shy, chat to them about the drinks list and ask for their suggestions for your particular palate. The new menu has launched since our visit but if the Jack Rose is still listed, we urge you to give it a go.
The serious drinkers one Bar TwentySeven Dam 27, 1012 JS. hoteltwentyseven.com Dodging the tourists on Dam Square, then taking the lift up three floors and stepping into Bar TwentySeven is like entering another world. With its ornate decor, boudoir-esque velvet lounge seats and the fact that it’s listed as a six-star bar, you’re never going to find anyone chugging back beers here. Good job too, there’s some seriously fine cocktails to get acquainted with. If you’re on a big date by all means find yourself a quiet corner and lose yourself in Wim van de Oudeweetering’s smouldering interior but if you’re a bona fide cocktail lover, you’re advised to book yourself a spot at the glowing onyx bar. Not for nothing was head bartender Eric van Beek crowned Bacardí Legacy Global Champion earlier this year. And if his probiotic drinks list sounds out of your comfort zone, we urge you to give it a try – the Cariño is an absolute treat. There are other gems too; we loved the fresh and earthy Beet Me Up (fermented beetroot, cocchi, lemon juice and honey), as well as the Flower Bomb
The Cocktail Lovers - 69
clockwise from left: loti's at the hoxton; eric van beek at bar twentyseven, the frontage at pulitzer amsterdam
(St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse, Ocho Blanco Tequila, dash of salt and topped with tonic), easy-going, light and refreshing it’s one we could order again and again.
the likes of tomato, apricot and truffle. Launching on 2 October, each of the 12 drinks have been designed to pair easily with lunch, dinner and afternoon tea. We’ll be back to try it.
The freelancers one
The bartenders one
Lotti’s at the Hoxton
Tales & Spirits
Herengracht 255, 1016 BJ. thehoxton.com
Lijnbaanssteeg 5-7, 1012 TE. talesandspirits.com
Anyone who knows the format at the growing number of Hoxton Hotels around the world will know what to expect at Lotti’s. There’s the customary retro living room vibe with lots of break out spaces for beautiful people to lounge around, either catching up with friends or work on their laptops. The bar tucked away at the rear of the open plan lounge/restaurant/bar space is pretty laid back in the scheme of things – whispering quietly about its presence rather than shouting to be heard. Like most places, you get a different experience when you perch on the stool and interact with the bartenders. Go for one of the Hoxtails or if you’re starting your evening, the Aperitif O’Clock (Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, Pekoe Supreme Ceylon Tea Liqueur, Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth, Copperhead Energeticum Bitters and sesame oil), it’ll set you up very nicely.
Although distinctly Dutch in flavour, T&S reminds us of an Edinburgh bar, both in looks and feel. It’s local but in an in-the-know kind of way – you’ll find it off the beaten track down a centrally located alley. Once inside, the room itself is like a friendly hug, cosy, warm and unpretentious with pumping music and amiable, knowledgeable bar staff. Their energy is infectious – seeing them buzzing around smiling and joking, you feel like you’re a guest at a very cool party. The cocktail menu offers up an array of great choices including House Specials and T&S Favourites that have been hits ever since the bar opened in 2014. Mostly though we love the fact that they’ve devoted a whole page of their menu to the Old Fashioned. Take your pick from 11 riffs on the ultimate nightcap, including The Nutcracker (Zacapa 23 Rum, hazelnut-honey syrup, Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters and honeycomb) and the less traditional Orchid (Porter’s Gin, pink peppercorns syrup, Dr Adam Elmegirab’s Dandelion & Burdock Bitters and lemon zest). And if you’re feeling peckish, there’s also a full dinner menu.
The foodies one The Duchess Spuistraat 172, 1012 VT. the-duchess.com First and foremost this is a restaurant, and a bloody good one it is too. But if you don’t have the time or appetite for the Nouveau-Niçoise Cuisine (a delicious mash-up of the flavours of Southern France and Italy, in case you’re wondering), which is the specialty here, then be sure to at least call in for a swift one at the bar. Naturally, with its foodie focus, it’s heavy on pre- and post-dinner drinks, although its à la carte section has a few treats in store for the cocktail curious. Look out for the new menu, a full-on food pairing number with one, maximum two flavours at the core – zoning in on
70 - The Cocktail Lovers
The proudly Dutch one Flying Dutchmen Cocktails Singel 460, 1017 AW. flyingdutchmencocktails.com Tess Posthumus and Timo Janse are big deals on the Amsterdam cocktail front. And their latest bar, which opened at the end of December, has the makings of being the same. It’s a beautiful room, all modern stained glass and rich, deep green walls. Their focus is the average cocktail drinker which, Tess explains, most homegrown drinkers are. So they’ve picked things that people
IN-ternational
rosalia's menagerie; below; bar twentyseven
might have heard of, like the Martinez for instance, with the aim of guests discovering new flavours and making connections to the common ingredient. Hence the menu is divided into three sections: Walk (for entry level cocktails from the 1800-1900s, essentially the grandmother of the drink); Run (the drink that replaced it, mostly from 1940ish), and Fly (the modernday interpretation). For example, The Evolution of Genever Cocktails goes like so: Walk: Martinez (Notaris Bartenders Choice Genever, Cocchi Vermouth Di Torino, Luxardo Maraschino and Boker’s Bitters); Run: Holland House (Bobby’s Genever, Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth, lemon juice and Luxardo Maraschino), and Fly: Flying Dutchmen Cocktail (Bols Genever BarrelAged, lemon juice, Speculaas Gum syrup, orange bitters and orange flower water).
The contemplative one Rosalia's Menagerie Kloveniersburgwal 20, 1012 CV. rosalias.amsterdam Our test is always, if this was a neighbourhood bar, would we use it as our local? In this case the answer is a big, fat yes. The drinks are great, the décor – with its collection of curiosities and novelties – is cool and the overall mood is incredibly welcoming. It’s the sort of place that you won’t want to rush, and while walk-ins are catered for, it’s a one-man operated bar with table only service, so if you want to guarantee yourself a spot, bookings are advised. They’re worth it. Forget the craziness outside (you’re in the thick of party central here and that’s why the bartender will make sure guests know they’re entering a cocktail bar, rather than a rowdy pub) and enjoy the welcome drink that’s given to you as you peruse the menu. The one we got was inspired by mythical creatures, starting with Highballs and building in intensity – the scarier the creature got, the more intense the flavours. Trust us, thanks to the expert skills of Wouter Bousch there isn't a dud in the house.
AND TO EAT? Jansz Pulitzer Amsterdam If you’re after somewhere that’s grown-up, relaxed but elegant and not overly bonkers on the wallet, Jansz fits the bill perfectly. It’s open for lunch and dinner but we went somewhere in the middle and plumped for an early-ish sitting, after Martinis in Pulitzer Bar and before hitting up the second lot of venues on our list. Recommended: starters – diver scallops or cauliflower and mushrooms – both cooked to perfection. For mains, the salmon, black rice and bimi came recommended and we’re glad we listened to our host – it was delicious; failing that, push the boat out and go for lobster risotto. Fully sated, you’re ready to take on the world.
The Cocktail Lovers - 71
IN-sight
The last word in luxury Shhh! Don’t tell everyone, the intimate Fumoir Bar at Claridge’s is the ultimate hideaway when you’re looking for some indulgence but want to escape the crowds. With its stunning Lalique crystal panels and seductive decor, the former smoking lounge positively purrs with luxe and is the perfect place to sip on vintage spirits, Champagne cuvées, signature serves and your favourite classics. claridges.co.uk
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