Gŏng bases new menu on plant’s lifecycle
The Shard’s 52nd floor bar, Gŏng, has launched a signature cocktail menu called Nature & Earth.
Nature & Earth takes its inspiration from the lifecycle of a plant with each of the eight cocktails centred around a single ingredient.
It was created by Gŏng’s assistant director of food and beverage Julien Casanova, bar manager Simone Ghiozzi and assistant bar manager Davide Capirola.
The menu sweeps guests across ancient forests, tea gardens and fragrant spice markets, with each ingredient showing a different stage of the plant’s evolution, from seed to juice.
For instance the Buckwheat blends Toki Japanese Whisky, buckwheat shochu and peach and jasmine soda. It is garnished with a hand-moulded savoury fried buckwheat noodle.
The Flesh, meanwhile, ‘channels the pulse of growth at its peak’ with Enemigo Blanco Tequila, mezcal, mango, citrus, sesame and oriental spices. The cocktail is described as having a ‘fiery profile’ and is garnished with a dried chilli to stimulate the intensity of fruiting and flowering.
Other highlights include the Flower, which pays tribute to nature in full bloom through a combination of Orientalist Gunpowder Gin, chrysanthemum honey, clarified citrus and Champagne.
The Sugar Cane then uses fresh sugarcane juice from the Raya stall at the bar’s neighbouring Borough Market to form the cocktail’s cordial base, which is combined with Havana Club three-year-old rum, agricole rhum, pimento and citrus. The Sugar Cane cocktail highlights Gŏng bar’s commitment to freshness and local collaborations.
The menu has an Asian thread running through it with a number of different ingredients from the region used in the cocktails, such as rambutan, galangal, makrut lime, matcha and mango.
Lastly, guests will also spot a ninth ‘invisible’ serve on the new menu, which represents a donation rather than a drink. Named The Evergreen and created in partnership with Veritree, guests who opt to make this gesture will see their contributions go towards funding the planting of a native tree in the English countryside, in Kent.
Casanova said: “This menu is a tribute to nature’s quiet brilliance – a reminder to slow down, reconnect, and appreciate the balance around us.
“Nature & Earth was born from our passion for natural ingredients, our respect for cultural heritage, and our company’s growing commitment to environmental stewardship.
“Our new partnership with Veritree inspired us to think more consciously about every step in the creative process – and it led to cocktails that don’t just taste good, but also do good.”
Gŏng opened in Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard in 2014 and its 52nd floor setting – as one of Europe’s highest bars – offers guests skyline views of London.
The bar’s signature menu changes every year with a standout from last year’s list, titled Hues of Culture, being the The Regalia.
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