Ten new cocktail menus from May
It was all change all over the world in May, with dozens of cocktail bars mixing up their menus. Here are 10 we’ve had our eye on.
Is there something in the water? At first, we thought it was just London that was having a belated spring clean for its cocktail menus – which makes sense, after what felt like the longest winter of all time. But the ‘out with the old’ vibe seems to be happening all over the globe – as these 10 menu launches prove.
From subway-themed serves in New York to a menu told through a magazine in Dubai, here are 10 new cocktail menus worth checking out.
Grand Army Bar, New York
Luxury cars come up in the spirits world more than you’d expect – such as The Macallan’s partnership with Bentley. And did you know the Spy Bar at Raffles London has an Aston Martin embedded in a wall?
Well, sports cars are cool and all that, but most of the time, we’ll be travelling by public transport. To honour the wheels (or rails) that get us around, as well as its 10th anniversary, the Grand Army Bar has created a menu themed around the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
On the menu, you’ll find the G-Train, an homage to the 24-hour service between Queens and Brooklyn. The drink itself is a ‘taco truck-inspired’ riff on a Negroni, made with Mexican gin, coriander, poblano pepper, blanc vermouth and gentian. Like its namesake, it ‘may or may not take 20 minutes to arrive’.
Other cocktails include the Dirty Dog Martini – inspired by NY’s hot dog vendors – and the Fare Evasion – you can guess what that one is about.
Tiepolo Lounge & Terrace, Rome
Now for something a little more highbrow… The new menu at Tiepolo Lounge & Terrace, the bar at the Rome Cavalieri hotel, is based on art, in particular the property’s ‘museum-worthy’ private collection.
Head bartender and cocktail curator Angelo Severini is behind serves including The Tiepolo, which pays homage to the bar’s eponymous Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. The cocktail is made with TXLII Sartorial Gin, pink grapefruit, wildflower honey, and a hint of rosemary.
Meanwhile, A… Dollar is inspired by Andy Warhol’s Dollar Sign, which hangs in the hotel’s penthouse suite. The drink features Absolut Andy Warhol Edition Vodka, lemon, egg white, vanilla liqueur, and a dash of orange Angostura bitters.
Casa Carolina, Cartagena
Watch out, Mexico City – Latin America has a new cool kid on the block. Cartagena is quickly topping our list of must-visit cocktail destinations, thanks to bars like El Barón, Mirador and the absolute game-changer that is Alquímico.
When we finally make our way over to Colombia, we’ll definitely be considering a stay at newly opened hotel and retreat Casa Carolina – which also now offers a menu designed by El Barón’s Diana Paola ‘Luna’ Orellano.
The drinks are inspired by ‘Cartagena’s rich cultural heritage’, including serves that pay homage to Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez, Afro-Colombian ‘cantaoras’ and the hotel building itself. The former features Ojo de Tigre mezcal, Aperol, fermented tangerine and guava, and tamarind – just the thing to enjoy lazing by the rooftop pool.
La Petite Maison, Dubai
It’ll come as little surprise to hear that over here at SB, we’re somewhat partial to print media (you can subscribe here). So our ears certainly pricked up when we heard about La Petite Maison’s (LPM) new menu, which takes the form of a vintage French editorial magazine.
Called Déjà Vu, the new menu is described as a ‘tribute to the golden age of the French Riviera’. Serves include Birkin – named after the British-French actor and singer, and the iconic handbag she inspired – which is a riff on the Americano, made with Charentais melon, Bacardì Cuatro Añejo, a vermouth blend and tonic water.
Not heading to Dubai anytime soon? The menu will launch at LPM’s other sites from autumn.
Romeo’s, New York
Do cocktail menus really need a theme? Romeo’s in the East Village proves not. The bar’s new menu is divided into Highballs, Signature Cocktails and the Fun Zone. Standouts from the former include a ‘bubbly remix’ of a Pornstar Martini and Purple Drank, described as a ‘grown-up grape soda moment’.
New signatures include Claud’s Chocolate Cake Milk Punch, which is inspired by the ‘best chocolate cake in New York City’, and the Lemon Peppa’ Drop, which is all about the tart and tangy.
And if those aren’t fun enough for you, the final section offers a shareable Green Tea Pot and a freezer Martini, as well as the opportunity to ‘Ice Your Friend/Enemy’. We’ll keep those last details a secret…
Bar Les Ambassadeurs, Paris
We can’t lie, we’ve had a few nights out that we can’t fully remember. But Bar Les Ambassadeurs, located at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, is hoping to give guests something they’ll definitely remember with a new menu based around memory.
A Sense of Memories hopes to convey moments of nostalgia, such as invoking visits to the seaside through Haku Vodka, aquavit, Manzanilla, capers and oyster leaves. Trips to the funfair are imagined through Zacapa 23 Rum, sweet vermouth, Calvados, peanut, sage, and candyfloss – certainly a classier affair than we experienced in our childhood.
The Glade Bar at Sketch, London
The new menu at the Glade Bar is all about Essence & Innovation. The list takes a classic cocktail and reimagines it in three different sections: ‘Roots’, which offers a ‘perfected’, traditional serve; ‘Alchemy’, which offers an ‘inventive Sketch twist’; and ‘Essence’, a curation of non-alcoholic alternatives.
Take, for instance, the Espresso Martini. The Roots version is a ‘masterclass in balance’, blending Belvedere vodka, fresh espresso, and Fair Coffee liqueur. Meanwhile, the Alchemy reimagines it with distilled coffee and subtle notes of orange and thyme. The Essence interpretation combines Lyre’s American Malt with tonka, orgeat, and espresso, creating a serve as complex as its alcoholic counterpart.
House of the Red Pearl, New York
Chinese mustard, black sesame and pandan – ingredients you would perhaps expect to see on a restaurant menu, but less so when it comes to drinks. Chef Jean-Georges of the House of the Red Pearl is extending his culinary expertise to the cocktails, with serves including the Jungle Bird Punch, made with the restaurant’s signature sweet and sour sauce.
The Chinese Mustard Martini is a fiery twist on a Dirty Martini, inspired by the Chinese-American tradition of dipping crispy wontons into hot mustard (and yes, you get wontons on the side). Meanwhile the Fortune Cookie Milk Punch is a slurp of nostalgia, featuring oolong milk tea and Tequila.
Cantina OK, Sydney
Sydney’s ‘micro mezcal Mecca’ has introduced a new menu called Ritual, based around the ‘small moments that connect us to the wider world’. Sour OK features palo santo, which the team allegedly burn before every service, alongside Tequila, cherry wood, coconut and sago. “All over the world, woods are burned as a ritual,” said Mucho Group’s creative director Jeremy Blackmore. “We used this deep human connection to aromatic woods as the background to this drink.”
Other rituals include touching grass, imagined through the Nevada OK, which features Tequila, lemongrass and vetiver soda, pandan ice and grass jelly. The idea is touching grass is a counterpoint to spending all day on social media – and drinking it is probably good for your fibre intake.
Cat Bite Club, Singapore
Cat Bite Club is nearly two, and to celebrate, it has shaken up its menu with the help of agave and rice spirits. New cocktails include two riffs on the Old Cuban. The Corsair features Cointreau Citrus Series, The Lost Explorer Espadín Mezcal, blanco vermouth, malic acid, Fernet-Branca and Peychaud’s bitters, while the Grape Escape is made with Hachi Kome Shochu, gin, grape shrub, St-Germain, gentian, amaro, a citrus blend and sparkling sake.
The bar’s agave take on a Rattlesnake features Don Julio Blanco and Sotol Vibora, while another version is made with Tokki Gold Soju and Moutai Yingbin.
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