A destination bar within The Langham – Europe’s first ‘Grand Hotel’ – Artesian Bar has launched a new minimalist cocktail menu. Focussing on the mantra ‘less is more’, the list’s 22 new cocktails aim to champion just two flavour combinations.
Over the space of eight months, the venue’s award-winning team of bartenders collaborated on developing the new menu, with drinks created in the Artesian laboratory, pairing thoughtfully-sourced spirits with just one key ingredient or flavour, exploring new methods of preparation and production. This modern approach to mixology contrasts the David Collins Studio-designed space with various nods to the hotel’s Victorian heritage with its high ceilings and elaborate chandeliers which work in hand with the charming service to deliver a high-end experience.
Showcasing the new drinks list, a physical “Helicone” cocktail menu has been created, based on a design by John Edmark, playing with the idea of perception and dimensions. The bespoke wooden mechanism uses motion to reflect how the drinks are simple, yet use involved, playful and interactive techniques.
Overall, the menu’s minimalist concept grasps to demonstrate the versatility of a range of spirits and ingredients, finding a harmony between the two parts. Some feature unconventional pairings, others feature components made in-house, utilising rare and unusual elements sourced from across the globe. “Champagne + Cream” (£20), for instance, features Perrier Jouet Brut paired with a crème de cream based with Grey Goose vodka that’s centrifuged with double cream and sugar. Served in a flute, the drink is dry and the cream element lends an exciting texture that’s well balanced with the acidity of the Champagne. “Zacapa 23 + Cacao Juice” (£20), on the other hand, runs with the Guatemalan rum’s ideal pairing with dark chocolate, using pulp to create a cacao juice lightly fermented with Kefir grains, amplified with a touch of citric acid, Malic and Ascorbic, creating a well-balanced, fruity rum drink.
Pairing the robust Speyside whisky with pertinent notes of peach, “Craigellachie 13 + Rin Quin Quin” (£20) sees both ingredients being added to a Rotary Evaporator, distilled until 95 per cent of the spirit is through, producing a clear drink that’s fruity and smooth without compromising the whisky’s presence. Another clear drink, “Cognac + Green Coffee” (£20) is one of the menu’s most impressive, exceptionally balanced cocktails. Pairing Courvoisier V.S.O.P. cognac with vegetal unroasted coffee beans from Clifton Coffee, prepared under vacuum, the drink has familiar texture and richness, while the coffee adds an outstanding new depth to this, clean, elegant drink. A remarkable example of the rigorous experimentation that’s gone into perfecting the bar’s innovative new menu.
Artesian Bar can be found at The Langham, 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London, W1B 1JA.
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