London Calling …… With Great Cocktails

I recently had to take one for the team and accompany my wife on her business trip to London.  Talk about a First World problem, right?  If you’re still reading it means this post made it through the sarcasm filter on your computer or smartphone.

London is a dynamic city with many iconic sights.  As it is one of the great cities of the world, not surprisingly it has a hell of a good cocktail scene.  My wife and I went to the place at the top of our list — the Savoy Hotel, which exudes class and old school wealth (neither of which I have ha ha).

First up was the Beaufort Bar, which won the Best International Hotel Bar award at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail conference.  The bar itself is gorgeous and the drinks are exquisite.  After that we backtracked through the lobby to the legendary American Bar.  We had the opportunity to converse with Erik Lorincz, an award winning bartender    Combine some sublime cocktails with a pianist covering Frank Sinatra tunes and the total experience is …. brilliant (in the British meaning of the word).

The cocktails at both bars are very classy, very expensive, and worth every British pound.  Unless you are rich or drinking on someone else’s tab, choose carefully from the options.

While imbibing I wondered if the old song Stompin’ at the Savoy (Benny Goodman made it famous, but I think the version from Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong is better) refers to the hotel.  It does not.  It refers to the Savoy Ballroom club in New York City.

So regardless of whether you prefer the music of Ella Fitzgerald or The Clash (read the subject title again), if you have the opportunity to drink cocktails in London, seize it.  Cheers!