In the heart of London’s Theatre District, mixology is now as dramatic as anything on stage at the Lobby Bar of One Aldwych Hotel. Now into autumn and the end of the summer play season in the UK capital, the “Showtime Cocktails Menu” will trod the boards with a menu themed around comedies, musicals, dramas and satires.
The Lobby Bar at One Aldwych has long served as a popular after work drinks spot for London professionals and as a hotspot for theatergoers before and after the curtain. The Showtime Cocktails selection was invented by Head Bartender Pedro Paulo to celebrate the One ALdwych role in the London theatre scene.
Paulo has a passion for all manner of cocktails, but he prides himself on his personal specialty — the Old Fashioned. While he enjoys making even the most traditional version of the classic drink, he’ll prepare a special version at your table as part of the Showtime Menu. The One Fashioned is based on traditional bourbon or the more unusual options of Patrón Silver Tequila or Bacardi 8 Rum.
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Beyond original recipes and top shelf ingredients, the Showtime Cocktails all feature some flare of theatricality in their presentation. The pomegranate, fennel and mint Cesoir uses an elegant dispenser, two valves and two cordial glasses. The brandy and champagne blessed Bishop’s Punch provides a ladle for sharing, and the rum and ginger in the Sancho Panza arrives in a glass perched atop a snifter.
Still, the award for most dramatic presentation goes to The Origin. The imbiber dons a virtual reality headset and watches a video that tracks the drink’s elements from the Highlands of Scotland through the streets of London to the Lobby Bar. Remove the headset, and the unique blend of scotch, cherry and smoke awaits along the railing.
The idea of the Showtime Cocktails Menu is to make visiting the Lobby Bar an event and ordering one of its special recipes a story to be told. In a town full of the finest performances, each concoction is a star.
