London was always the center of all things sartorial and the bits and parts which made life good and enjoyable and made it a pleasure to dress and to be received as a well dressed man.
It may be me, but my sense is that is coming to an end. Tailors are retiring, traditions and standards lost, commercialism taking over...All the usual complaints of someone nostalgic for an era and sense of a country in which he never belonged anyway.
I'm sure rob o is correct when he writes that London is not England.
I can never really know as a passing tourist. Sure, my experiences were seen through tinted glasses, but still even the few experiences I gathered while in London were enjoyable when it came to my short sartorial visits there.
I guess I'm just trying to say that I miss the old days and the old days were not that distant for me. Cocktails at dukes and a few other bars reminds me of that.
Cocktails
Talking about cocktails, the mixing of "non doms" together with "city spivs" in the same sentence doesn´t quite seem like a fair one.Rob O wrote:London is no longer England. The non doms and city spivs have changed its character forever. Transfer your patronage to Mahon in Cumbria and rediscover England in all its glory.
I also have my doubts that the "glory" of England was based on beautiful lakes and pristine empty spaces.
Regarding moving patronage to Mahon, well....yes, we can talk about it.
I am for the Goring.
The last time I was there, there was a bloke standing at the bar, sporting the most fabulous outfit. I think it must have been a Royal Navy 'undress tailcoat' with mess trousers. The 'undress' in the title is misleading. The overall kit was basically white tie, but with a few special additions. The trousers were black, with lightning conductors down the sides (in other words, a gold stripe, about two inches thick, down the outside of each trouser leg). The coat looked like a normal evening tailcoat, but with a mass of gold frogging on the sleeves, gold buttons rather than black, scallop-shaped pocket flaps, and another thick gold stripe running down the edge of the tails. He wore a small decoration just below his white bow tie: presumably it was his KBE. He sank four martinis in about twenty minutes. Then, without the merest hint of unsteadiness, he strode briskly out to a waiting black Rolls-Royce Phantom; got in the back; and was driven off, presumably to have dinner at the Palace.
You don't get that at Duke's. And certainly not at the Connaught.
The last time I was there, there was a bloke standing at the bar, sporting the most fabulous outfit. I think it must have been a Royal Navy 'undress tailcoat' with mess trousers. The 'undress' in the title is misleading. The overall kit was basically white tie, but with a few special additions. The trousers were black, with lightning conductors down the sides (in other words, a gold stripe, about two inches thick, down the outside of each trouser leg). The coat looked like a normal evening tailcoat, but with a mass of gold frogging on the sleeves, gold buttons rather than black, scallop-shaped pocket flaps, and another thick gold stripe running down the edge of the tails. He wore a small decoration just below his white bow tie: presumably it was his KBE. He sank four martinis in about twenty minutes. Then, without the merest hint of unsteadiness, he strode briskly out to a waiting black Rolls-Royce Phantom; got in the back; and was driven off, presumably to have dinner at the Palace.
You don't get that at Duke's. And certainly not at the Connaught.
Great first post, msefton9!
Welcome to the LL, and keep them coming.
Welcome to the LL, and keep them coming.
Hello, first post and I am talking about a subject I know a bit about. Some cocktails:
People mentioned the Negroni - 30 ml Campari, 30 ml Gin (seriously a beefeater will do), 15 ml Cinzano Rosso. This is a standard good negroni. To make it excellent you do three things, use a blood orange rind, squeeze a bit of the juice (with or without pulp depending on company) and add a dash of extra Campari to taste. Most importantly, chilled heavy bottomed razor thin lipped crystal glass and stirred - not strained. For gods sake spend some time on the rind, remove the pith, have it at least 8cm, slice diagonally at the ends and to finish it off rim the glass making sure to get essential oil from rind onto rim. Stir it vigorously with ice and rind inside.
I know I may have lost some readers on the beef eater part, but it doesn't make a noticeable difference and that's how they do it at Negroni bar in Florence. This gives you a good, deep ruby Negroni that has the perfect balance between bitter and sweet. This is my recipe - I've not been able to find better anywhere else in the world.
Other good gin based cocktails - classic gin fizz, aviation (very hard to get made competently), a simple gin and tonic with Old Raj and Fever Tree, passion fruit gin martini (for the ladies).
People mentioned the Negroni - 30 ml Campari, 30 ml Gin (seriously a beefeater will do), 15 ml Cinzano Rosso. This is a standard good negroni. To make it excellent you do three things, use a blood orange rind, squeeze a bit of the juice (with or without pulp depending on company) and add a dash of extra Campari to taste. Most importantly, chilled heavy bottomed razor thin lipped crystal glass and stirred - not strained. For gods sake spend some time on the rind, remove the pith, have it at least 8cm, slice diagonally at the ends and to finish it off rim the glass making sure to get essential oil from rind onto rim. Stir it vigorously with ice and rind inside.
I know I may have lost some readers on the beef eater part, but it doesn't make a noticeable difference and that's how they do it at Negroni bar in Florence. This gives you a good, deep ruby Negroni that has the perfect balance between bitter and sweet. This is my recipe - I've not been able to find better anywhere else in the world.
Other good gin based cocktails - classic gin fizz, aviation (very hard to get made competently), a simple gin and tonic with Old Raj and Fever Tree, passion fruit gin martini (for the ladies).
Welcome to the LL, fchralph
Another great first post. I was tasting the cocktail in my mind as I was reading it. Delicious!
What is your take on the Negroni sbagliato? Too sweet for you? It has been one of my lower alcohol aperitivi at a local restaurant where Roberto, its Italian owner and chef prepares the most wonderful cichetti.
Regarding the gin, when it comes to this cocktail, I think you are right. When I want my real Negroni, I forgo the perfume of my otherwise favorite gin -the American Leopold´s- for whatever the barman, sorry, the mixologist is using from the shelves.
Another great first post. I was tasting the cocktail in my mind as I was reading it. Delicious!
What is your take on the Negroni sbagliato? Too sweet for you? It has been one of my lower alcohol aperitivi at a local restaurant where Roberto, its Italian owner and chef prepares the most wonderful cichetti.
Regarding the gin, when it comes to this cocktail, I think you are right. When I want my real Negroni, I forgo the perfume of my otherwise favorite gin -the American Leopold´s- for whatever the barman, sorry, the mixologist is using from the shelves.
Ah it's been a while since I've had time to peruse the lounge.
I have recently had the novelty of actual opportunities to explore the cocktail bars of london with friends since parting ways with my ex, which has been interesting (although I still find it irritating that the best bar I've found for actual drink quality is all the way up in hackney).
I'm partial to a boulevardier (recipe credited by Harry McElhone to one Erskine Gwynne). It is essentially a Negroni with Bourbon in place of the gin. You still get the bitter-sweet interplay but on a richer background. I'm partial to one with an orange twist.
Vodka is not my tipple but I did have an excellent vodka old fashioned with blackberry/pear syrup and cardamom bitters by Felix Cohen of the Manhattans project. (His bar Every Cloud is the one in Hackney I mention.)
lx
I have recently had the novelty of actual opportunities to explore the cocktail bars of london with friends since parting ways with my ex, which has been interesting (although I still find it irritating that the best bar I've found for actual drink quality is all the way up in hackney).
I'm partial to a boulevardier (recipe credited by Harry McElhone to one Erskine Gwynne). It is essentially a Negroni with Bourbon in place of the gin. You still get the bitter-sweet interplay but on a richer background. I'm partial to one with an orange twist.
Vodka is not my tipple but I did have an excellent vodka old fashioned with blackberry/pear syrup and cardamom bitters by Felix Cohen of the Manhattans project. (His bar Every Cloud is the one in Hackney I mention.)
lx
A pleasantly dangerous endeavour...lxlloyd wrote:I have recently had the novelty of actual opportunities to explore the cocktail bars of london ...
20-25 years ago, the bar at the Savoy was full of hookers and the average pub landlord thought that a cocktail was rum & coke or a G&T...
By 10-15 years ago, the cocktail renaissance from NYC had made it over the pond but there was more noise than light, so to speak.
There is now an excellent cocktail scene, only lessened, in my personal curmudgeonly case, by the fact that I rarely like innovations, in cocktails.
I agree with you that many of the most interesting and quality joints are ‘out East’, with the West End often charging prices that bear no relation with the quality of the drink. However, if you find yourself ‘out West’, I would recommend highly the bar at China Tang (beneath of the Dorchester), the bar at the Beaumont and the Fumoir at Claridges.
China tang is good but missing something in it's atmosphere in my opinion. Have you tried 69 colebrooke row?
Indeed!
Haven't tried China Tang but I like the last two Luca mentioned, especially the Fumoir. Not a bar, but I must say that I had the best Champagne cocktail of my life in June before dinner at Corrigan's Mayfair. Excellent Champagne base, of course, but there was something magical in the composition--perhaps their house-made bitters. Anyway, just stunning. Dinner wasn't bad, either--as usual.
Another west end establishment with some very unusual but tasty drinks (and food) is Gymkhana on Albemarle Street.
Haven't tried China Tang but I like the last two Luca mentioned, especially the Fumoir. Not a bar, but I must say that I had the best Champagne cocktail of my life in June before dinner at Corrigan's Mayfair. Excellent Champagne base, of course, but there was something magical in the composition--perhaps their house-made bitters. Anyway, just stunning. Dinner wasn't bad, either--as usual.
Another west end establishment with some very unusual but tasty drinks (and food) is Gymkhana on Albemarle Street.
Besides my two entries from 3 years ago (Goring's bar and The Library at the Lanesborough), now I add the Connaught Bar, which I visited earlier this year after a most pleasant stroll down Mount St. One could find the environment a bit over the top, but the mixologists sure deliver.uppercase wrote:Please keep the names of your favorite London bars coming.
The story about the naval officer does not surprise me and, to my cost, sums up my experience of imbibing with representatives of the RN. Perhaps it is something to do with the fact that "navy strength" gin is 57% proof - apparently you can spill this on gun powder and the powder will still light. If you are used to that strength then you will need at least three of the standard 40% stuff to register an effect!
My experience of London bars is confined to the West End and I judge them by their ability to make the only cocktail I regularly drink - a very dry martini. Not difficult you might think, but so many seem incapable of getting it right. I love the bar at Dukes but I am afraid that I don't hold with making a martini by pouring frozen gin into a frozen glass. It certainly has to be ice cold but I prefer mine mixed. That said I did ask for a mixed martini at Dukes and, despite a look of disdain, was provided with a perfect specimen. The bar at the Langham is frequently voted the best in the world. It must be great if you like your drink served in a crystal skull or a plastic pineapple. Their martini's are well mixed but they make the mistake common to many - serving in an inadequately chilled and too large glass. I like the American bar at the Savoy and the bar at the Ritz is not bad. Also had a good martini in the bar at the Churchill Hyatt.
My experience of London bars is confined to the West End and I judge them by their ability to make the only cocktail I regularly drink - a very dry martini. Not difficult you might think, but so many seem incapable of getting it right. I love the bar at Dukes but I am afraid that I don't hold with making a martini by pouring frozen gin into a frozen glass. It certainly has to be ice cold but I prefer mine mixed. That said I did ask for a mixed martini at Dukes and, despite a look of disdain, was provided with a perfect specimen. The bar at the Langham is frequently voted the best in the world. It must be great if you like your drink served in a crystal skull or a plastic pineapple. Their martini's are well mixed but they make the mistake common to many - serving in an inadequately chilled and too large glass. I like the American bar at the Savoy and the bar at the Ritz is not bad. Also had a good martini in the bar at the Churchill Hyatt.
A lot of nice bars are addenda to restaurants, like the Gilbert Scott at St Pancras.
Never been to 69 colebrooke row, but have heard about it.
A couple of places I’d like to try: the Booking Office Bar at St Pancras and Scarfe’s Bar in Holborn.
Sayyyyyy…. Shouldn’t we organise a LL cocktails crawl?
I love the look of China Tang (and the drinks… and the handy location…) but sometimes the clientele can be a bit ‘oligarch-wth-professional-escorts’ lxlloyd wrote:China tang is good but missing something in its atmosphere in my opinion. Have you tried 69 colebrooke row?
Never been to 69 colebrooke row, but have heard about it.
Sticking to W/WC postcodes, to the list above, I would add ‘Purl’ (Marylebone), the bar at the Zetter Townhouse (H.P. Corner but also one in Clerkenwell). The Wolseley’s front-room bar is lovely but their license requires you order food, too (their caviare is reasonably priced…), the bar at Brown’s (Mayfair).uppercase wrote:Please keep the names of your favorite London bars coming. This is always interesting information to have handy.
Very good drinks and spiffing nibbles at the Connaught. Somehow, I’ve never really taken to it; not sure why. One highly PR’d place which I really don’t think worthwhile is the Artesian (at the Langham).hectorm wrote:...I add the Connaught Bar, which I visited earlier this year after a most pleasant stroll down Mount St. One could find the environment a bit over the top, but the mixologists sure deliver.
A couple of places I’d like to try: the Booking Office Bar at St Pancras and Scarfe’s Bar in Holborn.
Sayyyyyy…. Shouldn’t we organise a LL cocktails crawl?
...
Last edited by DavidS on Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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