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Gŏng launches Director’s Cut menu

The Shangri-La Hotel’s Gŏng bar, located 52 floors above ground level at London’s The Shard, has unveiled a new cocktail menu inspired by world-famous film directors and their “passion for storytelling”.

The Star Wars-inspired Feel the Force features on Gŏng’s new cocktail menu

Director’s Cut features a total of 16 cocktails and four mocktails, which span five categories – Adventure/Fantasy; Romantic/Sci-Fi; Thriller/Drama; Crime/Action and Animation/Superhero.

Adventure/Fantasy features “light and refreshing” cocktails, whereas Romantic/Sci-Fi explores drinks with “fruity notes, flora and spices”.

While the Thriller/Drama section is described as “sweet meets sour”, and creations are “punchy and full of character” in Crime/Action.

The list closes with Animation/Superhero, which features “herbal and earthy” non-alcoholic flavours.

Head bartender Christian Maspes and his bar team spent 12 months developing the menu, with each cocktail created by an individual member of the team.

Each cocktail has its own unique method of invention; from the brewing of pineapple and coriander with cold coffee, to infusing a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with pine needles and honey.

The menu features homemade infusions with rare ingredients such as red rice wine, carbonated olives and chai tea foam and unusual spirits including Gagliardo, Glacial Pastis and Root Herb Spirit.

“We are thrilled to be sharing these adventurous, unique drinks with our guests,” said Maspes. “The cocktails have been inspired by different film directors who are globally recognised masters of their craft. Just as a great film is a harmony of cinematography, sound and great acting, the same can be said for a truly fantastic cocktail through its blend of ingredients, technical skill and the atmosphere it creates.”

Click through the following pages to see a selection of cocktails featured on Gŏng’s new Director’s Cut menu.

Fear the Jungle

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

Ingredients: BarSol Quebranta pisco, banana, pineapple skin sherbet, lime and Xocolatl Mole bitters.

Inspired by the infamous Steven Spielberg, director of Jurassic Park, Fear The Jungle is a tropical, fruity and refreshing pisco mix “reminiscent of exotic locations and epic adventures”. Served shaken in a clay highball swirled in ivy, the drink is garnished with an edible scorpion (preserved in alcohol).

Fleming Sweep

Genre: Crime/Action

Ingredients: Tanqueray No Ten, Cocchi Americano, elderflower, Champagne and sour hop sourced from Anspach & Hobday in Bermondsey.

This gin Martini is inspired by Sam Mendes, who is best known for directing James Bond films Spectre and Skyfall, Fleming Sweep is served stirred in a classic black and gold coupe.

Atlantis

Genre: Crime/Action

Ingredients: Michter’s small batch bourbon, Gagliardo, nashi Asian pear and Roots herb spirit.

Inspired by Michael Bay who directed the Transformers film series, Atlantis is a Bourbon-based cocktail with bitter notes and features Gagliardo – an Italian liqueur which many years ago used real ladybirds as a key ingredient. The drink is served in a conical whisky tasting glass on a stone coaster and comes complete with its own special effect.

Bullet Proof

Genre: Crime/Action

Ingredients: Cardhu 12 Year Old, Italicus bergamot aperitivo, oloroso sherry and liquid smoke.

This straight-up whisky based gentleman’s drink oozes scents of “leather and smoke” for a punchy nightcap. Inspired by Francis Ford Coppola who directed the infamous American crime series The Godfather, Bullet Proof is served stirred in a tumbler featuring an indented bullet.

Vienna to Versailles

Genre: Thriller/Drama

Ingredients: Rémy Martin 1738, Noilly Prat Ambré, advocaat, oaked verjus and chocolate bitters.

Vienna to Versailles is described as a smooth, Cognac-based cocktail with notes of crème brûlée. Inspired by Sofia Coppola who directed Marie Antoinette, the drink is served in a glass coupette and swathed in a royal blue satin ribbon symbolic of the French Monarchy.

Hypnoid State

Genre: Thriller/Drama

Ingredients: Absolut Elyx, lemon verbena, rice milk, egg white.

This vodka-based cocktail is said to “heighten all of the senses” – taste, texture, smell and sound. Inspired by Stanley Kubrick, director of A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, Hypnoid State is served in a highball glass and accompanied by an MP3 player that plays Beethoven’s Ninth symphony.

Tea with Daisy

Genre: Thriller/Drama

Ingredients: Cîroc vodka, blueberry and jasmine shrub, unfiltered port, olive tea soda.

Inspired by Australian film director Baz Luhrmann, this drink is presented in a rocks glass with an ice ball, nestled in a lacquered theatre box. The box itself takes inspiration from two of Luhrmann’s films with the red velvet interior and theatre mask reminiscent of Moulin Rouge and the gold art deco painted design resonant of The Great Gatsby.

Frhed H.C. Cocktail

Genre: Thriller/Drama

Ingredients: Sipsmith, cherry liqueurm Morlacco blood, barley malt, lemon, cardamom bitters, absinthe and egg white.

This cocktail is described as “full-bodied with complex spicy notes and sour sensations”. Inspired by Sir Alfred Hitchcock who directed Psycho, Frhed H.C. Cocktail is served shaken in a flute glass. The drink comes complete with a written scroll and hidden anagram message. A silhouette of the Master of Suspense is stencilled on the surface of the drink.

Hidden Self

Genre: Romantic/Sci-Fi

Ingredients: Vintage umami sake, red rice wine, Chase vodka, sloe, ponzu Japanese dressing and orange bitters with a hint of mushroom.

Guests are invited to reveal their ‘Hidden Self’ with this creation inspired by Christopher Nolan, director of Inception and Memento. Ingredients “representing the conscious and unconscious mind” are paired together in a two-part glass to create a fruity aperitif which can be sipped as one.

Storm & Marbles

Genre: Romantic/Sci-Fi

Ingredients: Ron Zacapa 23 Rum, Barolo Chinato, Ratafia, passion fruit and chai tea foam and Perfecto Amor aperitif wine.

Inspired by Woody Allen and his films Annie Hall and Manhattan, this cocktail offers three flavours served in three separate ceramic cups. The ‘mind’ concoction is a spicy, nutty rum based drink, while chai tea foam and passionfruit create the ‘passion’ drink. The ‘love’ cup features a Perfecto Amor aperitif wine.

A Cat With No Name

Genre: Romantic/Sci-Fi

Ingredients: Beefeater 24, yuzu and umeshu cordial, lavender and China lung green tea.

This fruity gin tea is inspired by Blake Edwards who directed Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Pink Panther. The drink is served stirred in an afternoon tea cup and garnished with a chocolate coated plum.

Feel the Force

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

Ingredients: The Dark side – Manzanilla sherry, clarified lime, Campari, chilli and pomegranate. The Light side – Aromatic coconut, glacial pastis and blue curaçao.

Choose from either the dark side cocktail or opt for the light side cocktail to ‘Feel The Force’. Inspired by George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars film series, the two vodka-based drinks are served in a levitating cup that is powered by an electro-magnetic force.

Wingardium Leviosa

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

Ingredients: Plymouth Navy Strength, tamarind tea and butter-finished pale ale sourced from local Anspach and Hobday micro-brewery in Bermondsey.

Inspired by David Yates, Wingardium Leviosa takes inspiration from Harry Potter. It is presented in a ceramic mug badged with a griffin and garnished with an edible magic stick (liquorice).

History Became Legend

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

Ingredients: Havana Club Selección de Maestros, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc slow cooked with pine needles and pine-cone honey, powdered beetroot, forest fruit and black sesame bitters.

Containing “earthy notes and forest flavours”, History Became Legend is inspired by Peter Jackson, director of Lord of the Rings. The drink is served shaken in a mate tea pipe and accompanied by fragrant, torched Mediterranean herbs served in a tiny box.

Dirty Business

Genre: Crime/Action

Ingredients: Woodford Reserve, Mr Black cold pressed coffee liqueur, Fernet Amaro, and stout reduction. A light foam features apricot tea, Champagne and lemongrass.

Dirty Business is an after-dinner drink with notes of “coffee and liquorice”. It is served in a coupette glass with a roulette card and chip and is inspired by Martin Scorsese, director of The Wolf of Wall Street, Casino and Goodfellas.

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