5 New Bars To Try This Month
Ziggy’s
In 1973 David Bowie threw a party at Hotel Café Royal to bid farewell to his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, and invited the likes of Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Lulu to help him celebrate at a party dubbed ‘The Last Supper’. Now the celebrity haunt is giving guests the chance to relive the star-studded bash at a bar named after Bowie’s most colourful character. A selection of the singer’s favourite tipples are served alongside cocktails inspired by his 1972 album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Many of the drinks are named after lyrics from the record, including ‘Cat From Japan’ (cognac, coffee beans, burnt maple syrup, pineapple juice, lime juice, tonic water) and ‘Tigers on Vaseline’ (a twist on a pina colada). The decor is resplendent in intimate portraits of Bowie, taken by his long-standing photographer and friend Mick Rock. Each tipple is £15 – go a raise a glass to the Starman.
10 Air Street, Piccadilly, W1B 4DY
Visit HotelCafeRoyal.com
The Clumsies x Blind Spot
This week – and this week only – the St Martins Lane hotel is waving a final goodbye to the summer heatwave with a four-day residency from multi award-winning Athens bar The Clumsies, in collaboration with Grey Goose. Ranked sixth place in ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars’ last year, The Clumsies is popping up at Blind Spot, the hotel’s elusive speakeasy, from 25th-28th September. Guests will be able to sample a selection of the team’s award-winning serves, including the ‘Popeye and Olive’, a sweet and sour mix of Star of Bombay gin, mint, spinach, green apple and green olive; and the ‘Clumsy Negroski' – Grey Goose La Poire vodka, house-blended sweet vermouth, Campari, beeswax and pepper. Bespoke to Blind Spot will be the ‘Clumsy Martini’, a new take on the classic consisting of Grey Goose vodka, pickled rhubarb, manzanilla sherry, and Otto’s Athens vermouth. Don’t hang about.
45 St Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, WC2N 4HX; 25th-28th September
Visit MorgansHotelGroup.com
Mr Fogg’s Society of Exploration
The fifth of Inception Group’s Phileas Fogg-themed set of bars (we’re a big fan of the taxidermy-filled ‘Residence’ original in Mayfair), Mr Fogg’s Society of Exploration has pulled into The Strand, just around the corner from Charing Cross Station. Themed around the train station where our titular character made his very first voyage, this new bar offers guests a journey around the world via a train carriage (there’s a life-sized Orient Express right in the middle of the bar, where guests can – and should – book banquettes for the evening), map room and multi-sensory menu. We like the sound of the ‘Mechanical Mixology’ (Star of Bombay gin, Martini Riserva Speciale Rubino vermouth and Martini Riserva Speciale Bitter aperitif) and the ‘Valley of Silence’ (Bombay Sapphire gin, sake, milk and vanilla mirin, lime and egg white), plus its range of sharing cocktails.
1a Bedford Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9HH
Visit Mr-Foggs.com
Old Compton Brasserie
Old Compton Brasserie is a new all-day drinking and dining destination in Soho. Aiming to recapture the identity of ‘forgotten Soho’, the space is smattered with bespoke artwork from local street artists, pop-art paintings of Twiggy and Kate Moss, and urban pieces that celebrate the area’s iconic history. We’re most interested in the statement horse-shoe bar, which takes centre stage on the ground floor. A cutting-edge cocktail menu has been curated by The Talented Mr Fox, the brainchild of acclaimed mixologist Matt Whiley (the man behind Worship Whistling Shop and Peg & Patriot). Taking inspiration from some of Soho’s most notorious figures, cocktails are bold and punchy – standouts include ‘The Paul Raymond,’ an ode to the ‘King of Soho,’ made with champagne, strawberry, white chocolate and verjus, served in a faux fur jacket flute; and the ‘Regina Fong’, a homage to the 60s cult impersonator made with Ciroc apple, pear purée, lemon juice and ginger ale and black pear foam.
36-38 Old Compton Street, Soho, W1D 4TT
Visit OldComptonBrasserie.com
The Lost Alpaca
Lima Floral in Covent Garden has re-launched its bar with a new name and menu to match. From Mexico’s mezcal and tequilas all the way down to Brazil’s cachaça and Venezuela’s award- winning rums, The Lost Alpaca brings Latin flair to Covent Garden with an inventive cocktail menu that celebrates South America. The 30-cover basement venue has undergone a refurbishment with retro wording printed on distressed brick walls and a newly designed bar counter, carved from reclaimed timber. Aside from the classic ‘Pisco Sour’, highlights include the ‘Palo Santo Vibe’ (Palo Santo smoked pisco, tobacco liqueur, mint, chicha morada syrup and ginger beer) and the Brazilian-inspired ‘Alpaca Punch’ (Cachaça, dark rum, cherimoya, guava and lucuma finished with a touch of prosecco). A punchy bar snack menu, which includes Peruvian fried chicken with a lime and lemongrass dip; and corn cakes with sour cream and peanuts; adds a classic Lima touch to the experience (and will help to line the stomach after two or three ‘Pisco Sours’…).
14 Garrick Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9BJ
Visit LostAlpaca.com
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