The bars at Grosvenor House in London are serving up specially created cocktails to celebrate the hotel’s hosting of the Bafta Film Awards in February.
Its bartenders have developed drinks inspired by the films nominated for awards at the Baftas as well as the Oscars which take place in late February. They will be served in the hotel’s Bourbon Bar and Red Bar from now until February 28.
Grosvenor House is hosting the Bafta Film Awards on February 10 as well as the after-party which will be run in association with liqueur brand Disaronno. Disaronno brand ambassador Simone Caporale, who works at the Artesian Bar at London’s Langham Hotel, has created a cocktail for the event, the Disaronno Bafta Originale, made with pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, bitters and soda (pictured above).
In the Grosvenor House’s bars, the special cocktail list includes the French Revolution, inspired by Les Miserables, which is set in France during the June Rebellion of 1832.
French Revolution
50ml Ciroc vodka
75ml Cranberry juice
15ml Almond syrup
5 Fresh raspberries
1 Fresh blackberry
25ml Chambord French raspberry liqueur
25ml Double cream
Muddle fresh raspberries and blackberry with almond syrup, add vodka and cranberry juice, shake and fine-strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice. Dry shake the cream and Chambord (without ice) in a shaker to make it thick and float it on top. Garnish with fresh raspberries and a mint leaf.
The IPA – or India Pineapple Ale – is inspired by the The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which is about a group of Britons who move to India.
IPA
50ml Aviation Gin
100ml India Pale Ale
4 slices of fresh pineapple
2 spoons of white sugar
Fresh mint
Flame the fresh pineapple with sugar in a glass shaker base, add mint leaves and muddle. Add the gin, shake and fine-strain into a tall Martini glass. Top up with an India Pale Ale. Garnish with a pineapple slice.
The cocktail called The Great Emancipator is in honour of the film Lincoln, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis as the president who led the US through the American Civil War.
The Great Emancipator
50ml Devil’s Cut bourbon
2 slices of fresh orange
4 basil leaves
2 spoons of Demerara sugar
5 drops of Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters
Muddle the orange slices and basil leaves with Demerara sugar and then add the bitters and bourbon. Shake and double-strain into an Old Fahioned glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with orange peel.
The classic Vesper Martini was famously ordered by James Bond in Casino Royale, so Grosvenor House is offering The Perfect Vesper to celebrate nominations for the latest Bond movie, Skyfall.
The Perfect Vesper
75ml Death’s Door Gin
25ml Ketel One Vodka
10ml Lillet Blanc
1 Turkish Delight
Add all ingredients in a shaker, shake and fine-strain into a Martini glass with a Turkish Delight jelly on the bottom of the glass. Garnish with lemon peel. Serve with a long spoon.
Anna Karenina is nominated for outstanding British film in the Bafta Film Awards, so the fifth cocktail is a twist on a classic Mule made with a Russian vodka.
The Russian Mule
50ml Russian Standard vodka
25ml Lime syrup
25ml Fresh lime juice
Fresh ginger
Ginger beer
Muddle the ginger with the lime syrup, add lime juice and vodka and shake. Fine-strain into a highball glass filled with ice cubes and top up with ginger beer. Garnish with candied ginger.
For the second year running, Disaronno will be hosting the Grosvenor House party after the official ceremony. Exclusive content from the night, including interviews, will be available through the brand’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Disaronno and its YouTube page at www.youtube.com/UKDISARONNO. Behind-the-scenes action will also be shared via Twitter at @DISARONNO_UK.
Guests will be offered a range of Disaronno serves including the new Disaronno BAFTA Originale which is served in a tulip-shaped flute with whole pomegranate seeds and flecks of gold leaf.
Disaronno BAFTA Originale by Simone Caporale
30ml Disaronno
15ml Fresh lemon juice
15ml Monin pomegranate syrup
Bitters
Soda
Combine the Disaronno, fresh lemon juice, Monin pomegranate syrup and bitters in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake. Pour the mixture into a flute and top up with soda. Garnish with whole pomegranate seeds and gold leaf.
Other drinks being served will be a Disaronno Sour, with the sweetness of the liqueur complemented by the sharpness of fresh lemon juice, and a Disaronno Godfather, which combines the liqueur with Scotch whiskey. This was created in the US in the 1970s and became the favoured choice of screen legend Marlon Brando, the star of multi-award-winning film The Godfather. Both the serves were created by Simone Caporale.
The awards season is also being celebrated at the Wyld bar and club at London’s glamorous W Hotel in Leicester Square. Its mixologist Eric Le Pape has devised the Gold Narcissus cocktail (pictured above), combining Pommery champagne, Ketel One Citroen vodka, limoncello, crème d’abricot and cherry bitters, bringing accents of citrus and soft fruits for a fresh and sophisticated taste. It is peppered with flecks of gold, one for each star gracing the awards podium this year, finished with a lemon and cherry garnish. It is available at Wyld for £16 until March 3.
