When I received an email from a PR inviting me on a cocktail safari, my first thought was ‘which airline am I flying and it better not be British Airways’ (they like to lose your luggage and then not care about losing your luggage), and my second thought was imagining myself in a Sass & Bide kaftan dress, lounging in a hammock (Mama-Kass-does-Safari-style), while the burnt orange African sun dips down on the horizon as I slurp back my fourth Amarula Sunset.
However, said cocktail safari actually turned out to be nowhere near Africa’s setting sun or a drink made from cream liqueur, but actually based in London amid freezing temperatures and the last of the city’s recent snowfall melting on the ground – but hey, at least I didn’t lose any luggage, and instead of wings, I was transported by the wheels of a rickshaw between two of London’s most glam hotel destinations – Sanderson and St Martins Lane.
I have to be honest, when I see a rickshaw on the roads in Central London, my face immediately contorts into a glare that says ‘I hope someone runs you off the road at the next corner’, but on this occasion, our rickshaws were operated by four lovely people who ferried us between the hotels, and our first stop – Sanderson – is where this story begins.
Now, if you’ve ever found yourself in the Long Bar at Sanderson of an evening, you’ll know that a drink there is not just a drink there – it’s a multi-sensory experience among the surrealistic and avant-garde furnishings complimented by luxe textures and a modern decor, not to mention the attractive array of bar staff on hand to tend to your every need.
On the night of our cocktail safari, myself and a group of other writers and bloggers were treated to the hotel’s ‘Remy Martin Winter Collection’, a selection of warm cocktails made with a base of cognac and infused with various other mouth-watering ingredients. From ‘The Hot Cranberry’ (a mix of walnut-infused Remy, cranberry and a lemon foam) to ‘Le Bon Temps’ (Apricot-infused Remy, hot cranberry, lemon zest fragrance, creole bitters and a cinnamon stick) and the ‘Pick Me Up’ (a twist on the classic Espresso Martini – Remy, coffee, expresso cream and lemon zest), to my particular favourite – the ‘Apple Crumble’ (a candied mix of Remy, hot apple puree, crushed biscuits and fluffy cream) – it’s the kind of drinks menu that transports you to an Après-ski log cabin in Whistler with a roaring fire and Daniel Craig under your double slanket.
Long Bar, Sanderson Hotel
After that heady mix of winter warmers, we walked (read: stumbled) into the hotel’s Purple Bar, this time to try a delicious mix of alcohol-infused hot chocolates to take with us on our rickshaw adventure.
Now let me just say, the Purple Bar is the kind of bar I would like installed within my own home. It’s a decadent mix of antique-looking mirrors and silk curtains all framed under a padded violet roof as you’re submerged into darkness and flickering candlelight. As I found out from Nick Bain, our handsome host for the night (and Regional Social Media Manager), the Purple Bar is also the place you can wander in of an evening and tell one of the master mixologists to match your mood – for example, ‘I’ve had a really bad day and may end up crying/singing “One Day I’ll Fly Away” by Randy Crawford to myself before I leave this bar‘ (on all fours) – and voila, the mixologist will make you that EXACT cocktail. Well, his/her interpretation of what your breakdown might taste like anyway.
But back to the hot chocolates, and we tried a velvety smooth mix of drinks made with Ecuadorian and Venezuelan chocolate, some of which were infused with red chilli and 8yo rum (‘The Spicy One’), banana liquor and marshmallow (‘The Mellow One’), cognac, orange curd and mint jaffa cake (‘The Orangey One’) and my choice – ‘The White One’, a creamy mix of Kalhua, Chambord and white chocolate – it was like tasting every happy dream involving chocolate I’ve ever had.
As we boarded our boxes on wheels, hot choc’s in hand, my mind strayed to how rickshaws might actually be more fun if they included a cup/glass holder, a heater (in Winter), a spritzer fan (in Summer), and the person peddling away had a flat screen TV strapped to their back showing re-runs of Come Dine With Me. But I digress.
After a short ride through Soho’s busy streets, arriving at St Martins Lane, your eyes are immediately met by the Philippe Starck trademarks in the Kubrickian-esque lobby with its life-size chess set, gold tooth stools and Louis XVI armchairs. Wander through into the high-concept Light Bar, and the minimalist aesthetic fuses with colourful mood lighting and walls decorated with black & white images of people making silly expressions, which were shot by renowned French fashion photographer Jean Baptiste Mondino (he also directed music vids for Madonna, David Bowie, Sting, Björk and Neneh Cherry, among others).
The Light Bar, St Martins Lane London
With London Fashion Week fast approaching, what better way to embrace style than by trying some of the highly stylised cocktails on offer, many of which the Light Bar has become famous for. We tried out the new season of cocktails aptly called “Front Row” (that’s the ‘frow’ to you fashionistas out there in the know). All six cocktails on the menu are a figure-loving mix of flavours for the weight conscious which are light on calories but heavy on the taste-factor. From the ‘Size Zero Hero’ (Tequila with muddled strawberries, earl grey tea, agave syrup and orange bitters), to the ‘$10,000 Breakfast’ (Vodka infused with jasmine and clove, créme de pêche, lemon juice and egg whites) to the ‘Plum a la Mode’ (Muddled fresh Plum, maraschino cherries, appleton rum shaken with lime juice, plum wine and agave syrup) – not one of those slimmers delights in a glass is over 180 Kcal, unless you drink them all, which is extremely tempting.
Priced at £12.50 each, these cocktails are the best alternative to being on a real front row, which can often leave you shaken, but not stirred. I should also point out that the Light Bar boasts a catwalk-length walkway, so my advice would be to try out your best strut before you start on the $10,000 Breakfast’s.
And that folks is where the story ends, well, from what I can remember anyway…..
For more info on the ‘Remy Martin Winter Collection’ and the ‘Front Row Cocktails’, head to www.sandersonlondon.com and www.stmartinslane.com
