A Plush New Cocktail Bar Opens at the Berkeley in London
London’s new place to see and be seen will offer modern classic cocktails, Petrossian caviar, and a snug room
Swank hotels and excellent cocktails have long gone hand in hand. In fact, some of the very first cocktail bars in the 19th century even doubled as the lobby area. And while the famed Berkeley in Belgravia, London, attracts guests from all over the world for its legendary David Collins–designed Blue Bar, this summer it’s taking things up a notch with its latest offering: the Berkeley Bar & Terrace.
Officially debuting in August, the project is the brainchild of Irish designer Bryan O’Sullivan. The space is clad in rich paneling and accents from a 300-year-old walnut tree felled in a storm, enhanced with splashes of pastel pink, coral, and off-white.
There are Brutalist-inspired arches dotted throughout, which nod to the military history of the space—the stables of the grenadiers regiment of the British Army were originally located on the Wilton Place grounds where the hotel was built. Other standout features include a half-moon marble bar, a central fireplace, and for those who relish exclusivity, a hideaway snug with a striking mural by New York–based artist TM Davy—and its own on-the-button service.
Glass doors open out onto an intimate space that overlooks nearby St Paul’s Church.
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Guests can expect a thoughtfully designed capsule menu featuring nine old-time and modern classic cocktails with a focus on unexpected labels from under-the-radar producers such as Ichiro whisky from Japan, Fortaleza tequila, and rum maker Trois Rivières. The team has also been working with Scottish whisky producers Gordon & MacPhail on the creation of a rare whisky from 1972, the year the hotel opened. Small bites include wild sea bass ceviche, and Cornish crab and lobster beignets as well as Petrossian caviar and Irish rock oysters.
See images from the new venue below.
