The Blue Bar at luxury London hotel The Berkeley has launched its latest cocktail menu, positioned at the “antithesis of the expected extensive drinks list”.
The “experiential” new menu is made up of four categories: Fresh & Easy, Elegant & Bubbly, Crisp & Clean and Rich & Bold, and lists a total of 16 serves. Accompanying illustrations tell the story of each drink, alongside details such as ingredients, tasting notes and ABV.
According to the team at the Blue Bar, guests will be “caught off guard” by appearances. The Spoom (pictured above), for instance, resembles milk, causing expectations of a heavy, creamy texture, whereas in fact, the cocktail has the “lightness, freshness and zing” of a soda.
Unexpected flavours are paired throughout the ‘Meta’ menu, such as yuzu and marzipan, banana and tobacco, and red pepper and apricot.
The Bread is Gold sees rum blended with toasted bread, taken from hotel leftovers to reduce wastage, and topped with caramel cascara, mead and Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée. The result is a “sweet and bubbly cocktail with nutty and woody notes”.
Th menu also boasts a range of low-alcohol and alcohol-free tipples. Examples include Peachy Life, a fruity and floral concoction made with Seedlip Garden, orange, peach and jasmine, and Garibaldi-no, blending blood orange, Everleaf and vertiver.
The Blue Bar’s head bartender Andrea Melis said: “The ‘Meta’ menu was designed as the antithesis of the expected extensive drinks list which people can often find overwhelming.
“We’re allowing guests to open, be guided by a mood or preference and discover incredible drinks from a tight and considered edit – all of which will instantly satisfy!
“You inherit a legacy when you join the Blue Bar and I hope the ‘Meta’ menu will become a significant part of the bar’s future.”
