The glamorous American Bar at The Savoy, forever synonymous with style and elegance, last week launched The London Menu – a new medley of cocktails, demonstrating once more their flair for originality. The selection combines theatre and storytelling as they take you on a journey of around six of the hotel’s surrounding London Boroughs.
The fascinating places in London aren’t only the universally recognisable landmarks but also the secret haunts only the locals know of – each cocktail on the menu has its own story to tell. Head bartender Erik Lorincz and Declan McGurk have collaboratively and creatively embarked on this unique menu that brings the city to life through tastes, textures flavours and stories.
Guiding the fortunate devil that should find himself in the midst of this menu, through historic events in London and also catapulting the glamour of the jazz age into the present day, there’s something for even the fussiest of sippers. One may take their pick from the “Green Park” or perhaps a glass of Abbey Road, [a nod to the studio where you have all seen The Beatles walking across the zebra crossing, you know the one!] would be more tempting? A Punk Rock 80s concoction is also there for the taking. Whatever has brought you to London, or the special place it holds in your heart, there is sure to be something that tickles your fancy.
Incorporating London’s famous buildings, gardens and hidden treasures, the cocktails from each borough are inspired by London’s broad cultural landscape. From Westminster to the city, to Hackney, tower hamlets and from Islington to Camden, results in a plethora of representation of the city’s 2000 year literary, musical, social and economic history. The savoy itself, a London landmark entwined in the stories each cocktail tells.
A bespoke sharing cocktail named picketing place features 2 drinks and draws inspiration from London’s last known site for a duel. The creative team behind this fantastic new menu have created a short silent film about Pickering place which visitors to the American bar will be able to view when enjoying their cocktails.
Joe Wilson, also known for the beauforts bars spectacular pop up menu, presents the cocktails visually as wonderful hand drawn illustrations. With four from each of the six boroughs, the 24 cocktails are expressed beautifully, in delicate detail. Merging traditional and contemporary styles and techniques and using ink pencil and digital colour Joe has created a menu that is art in its own right. McGurk says of the new menu: “essentially when coming up with the concept, we wanted to do a menu that very much celebrated London as a city. In doing so we felt it would fit perfectly with the Americans bars tradition of story telling through cocktails.”
When?
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday: 11:30 am – 12:00 am
Sundays: 12:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Where?
American Bar
The Savoy Hotel
100 Strand
London
WC2R 0EZ
How much?
Cocktails cost approx £20