London’s most lauded and luxurious bar – Artesian – is the place for tipples this festive season with a limited run drinks menu making spirits bright until the new year.
I dropped by earlier this week for a preview of the menu, loved all I sipped, and found one cocktail particularly to my liking.
The drink, called We Three Kings, bears the gifts of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Dubonnet, Cocchi Americano, Sauternes, and bitters with – get this – a side of foie gras. It’s a finely crafted mélange with a rich but well based flavour profile. Priced at £35, it’s a Christmas wish out of reach for many but one that’s suitable for the celebratory of seasonal events.
The other three cocktails on the menu weren’t quite so excessive in expression or price (I reckon it was the tagalong dollop of foie gras tipping the scale for We Three Kings) but were just as worthy of glad tidings and good cheer.
They are …
Joy to the World (Cenever, Refosco, Cocchi Torino, Unicum, and Artesian spices, £17);
I Wonder as I Wander (Plymouth Gin, Bulliet Rye, fino sherry, mango vinegar, pickle, mandarin, and bitters, £17); and
Candlelight (Laurent-Perrier Rosé, Olmeca Altos Blanco, citrus, and Galliano, £25).
In addition to the opportunity to taste the Festive Cocktail Menu, the visit was my first chance to size up the work of newly appointed Head Bartender, Gabor Fodor. If this menu is any indication of Artesian’s future with Fodor at the helm, then fans of sophisticated drinks (and splendid settings from which to enjoy them) need not worry about this award-winning bar losing its lustre anytime soon.
Artesian at the Langham is located at The Langham London, 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, W1B 1JA. Find out more at artesian-bar.co.uk.
