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Like James Bond? Like drinking alcohol? Well, have we got the spot for you.
Following a big-money renovation, Park Lane’s historic 1930s Dorchester hotel has opened a brand new cocktail spot, the Vesper Bar.
The newly reopened ground floor of the luxe Mayfair landmark includes the brand new Artist’s Bar – complete with Liberace’s legendary mirrored piano – and a swanked-up Promenade area, but The Vesper Bar is one for the real spy heads.
Formerly home to the acclaimed Bar at The Dorchester, the new space has been whipped into shape by Stockholm-born Martin Brudnizki, the interior designer behind the lavish Annabel’s as well as various Soho House ventures. Head bartender Lucia Montanelli will be on hand to whip up classics and house specialities, including, of course, the Vesper Martini – popularised by James Bond author Ian Fleming in his 1953 novel ‘Casino Royale’.
And what is a Vesper Martini, we hear you ask? We’ll leave that to Bond himself. ‘Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet [a bitters containing quinine]. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?’ We have!
The bar itself is inspired by the 1930s, the era when the Dorchester was built and its revamp also includes a new dedicated entrance direct from Park Lane, as well as an outdoor terrace with views over nearby Hyde Park.
Dorchester hotel, 53 Park Lane, W1K 1QA.