The return of cocktails in jam jars; serves inspired by inventors; a menu that'll take you around Asia and another that'll leave a lasting impression long after you've sunk the last drop. When it comes to launching epic new menus, these bars understood the assignment.
When it comes to bars with a view, we say go high or stay home, and the highest you can get in London is GŎNG, all the way up on the 52nd floor of The Shard. WOOF! Grab a table by one of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and soak up that vista, and then soak up the fly new cocktail menu which draws on Asian customs.
Sip on the stories of lands from afar, told by the bar team through the use of new ingredients and exciting flavours. They've travelled around Asia with their tastebuds, putting some hot takes on classic serves and bringing some original experiments and inventions to the table, like the Onibasu Martini inspired by the Onibasu giant lily pads, created using Shochu, Sake, Mirin, Soy and Red Spruce to encompass Japanese minimalism.
Don't leave without trying: The Fudge Tarik, a sweet addition to the new menu which blends Havana 3-Year-Old Rum with Salted Butterscotch, Condensed Milk, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, Cherry & Cocoa. A sexy hybrid of breakfast and pudding at Happy Hour.
When it comes to visiting the No.1 on the World's 50 Best Bars list, we'd usually say you've gotta go straight for the Martinis (they're legendary, FYI) but Ago, Giorgio, Maura and the rest of The Connaught Bar crew have been working their award-winning arses off to bring out a sick new menu, and it's already had an effect on the drinkers that have tried it.
The "Impressions" menu takes inspiration from the encounters that shape our experiences, and if you've visited this legendary bar before, you'll probably remember how you felt when you first walked through the doors into that elegant bar. With the menu split into three sections, Nuances, Feels and Souls, the team have taken a fresh approach to how they use ingredients and interpret recipes to create a whole new drinking experience that'll leave a lasting impression.
Don't leave without trying: The Eclipse cocktail - a cocktail so beautiful you probably shouldn't look directly at it. Housed in a striking white glass, the inside is painted black so the liquid made up of Roku Gin, Hundred Hills New Make Wine, 1757 Vermouth Rosso, Galliano Aperitivo, Savoia Americano, Campari Bitter, Cocoa Husk Milk, fades to nothing.
There have been a lot of legendary punters that have walked through the doors of Brown's Hotel since it opened in 1837. So many, in fact, that the Maestro himself, Salvatore Calabrese, has turned to them for the inspiration behind The Donovan Bar's latest menu, "Once Upon A Time".
The imaginative new menu spans 20 new drinks which each draw on the hotel's past, present and future. Memorable personalities who have inspired these new serves include past regular AA Milne (the muse for new Campari based 'The Honey Bear'); Winston Churchill (who's serve comes in a theatrical bubble-shaped glass made using Dalmore whisky and smoke); and the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, who made his first call at Brown's itself. His cocktail is known (perhaps unsurprisingly) as 'The First Call'.
Don't leave without trying: the ‘Trust In Me’ cocktail inspired by The Jungle Book, reputedly penned at Brown’s by Rudyard Kipling, made with Pisco, Pino Mugo, pineapple and green cardamom marmalade, lime juice, London Essence roasted pineapple soda.
Looking for vibes in London Bridge? The guys at NINE LIVES have used them in every one of their 12 cocktails found on their new Tropicalifornication menu. Known for their pretty sick soundtrack, this new compilation of epic cocktails has been put together with the same passion and consideration that musicians use to compile their albums. That's why the crew, led by head bartender Roman Jakubik, have presented them as tracks.
The menu has been designed as a gatefold vinyl cover, with cover artwork designed by NINE LIVES alumni and tattooist, India Davey. There will be no arguing over who the lead artist is in this band, though. The drinks are a total collaborative vision of the whole NINE LIVES team, with each bartender designing and perfecting their own contributions to the compilation, which includes low-alcoholic spritzes and soulful stirred down numbers that make use of the carefully selected ingredients which share the same sustainable ethos as NINE LIVES.
Don't leave without trying: The title track, Tropicalifornication, made with Discarded Banana Rum, Pineapple Plantation Rum, Bitters, Lime & Egg White. They say this cocktail is like having your shoes removed and your shades polished as someone fans you with a giant palm leaf and whispers 'Born to Chill' in your ear. What more could you want?
If you haven't seen it in person, you probably already know this expansive, white-washed Clerkenwell townhouse from Instagram anyway. Mis-matched armchairs, cascading plants and an ornate abandoned bathtub in the loos. It's all glamour and garden chic here, and the B&H bar team have turned to their surroundings for their latest cocktail menu.
The Living Bar menu draws inspo from nature’s larder, using homegrown ingredients from B&H Buildings’ indoor kitchen garden. You thought cocktails served in jam jars were soooo 2012? Think again, buddy. They've got a whole section of the menu served in the kitsch vessels, and hey, we're not mad about it. Each serve they've come up with can be enjoyed on its own or modified using one of Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings’ house-made tinctures, jams or mists to add fruitiness, spiciness or a totally unique vibe.
Don't leave without trying: The Cedar House Rules made with Havana Club 3yo & quince liqueur with vetiver gris and fresh lime, served with orange and oregano marmalade on the side (shake it up, baby!)