World Class Home Experience at London Cocktail Week

Through the power of virtual reality – you can now enjoy the excitement and atmosphere of the London Cocktail Week bars themselves, from your living room. The groundbreaking World Class at Home experience features signature serves from Gio Spezziga at The Coral Room, where the team have captured content with 360-degree cameras, meaning you can enjoy a virtual seat at the bar in the comfort and safety of your home… and no curfew in sight.
Within the box of six delicious cocktails from The Drinks Drop
you’ll find your Google Cardboard VR headsets (compatible with any smartphone), so just take a pew, enjoy a virtual reality bar tour and watch the bartenders virtually prepare your cocktail for you. And all you need to do is pour!
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THINKING GLO-BAL, WITH LO-CAL INGREDIENTS

Gio Spezziga is delighted to be part of the GLO-CAL Edition to support local community over 10 cities across the globe - As part of the contest, bartenders in 80 bars across 10 global cities have been invited to create artistic cocktails inspired by their city. The contest aims to raise awareness and support for bars and bartenders around the world.

https://www.diffordsguide.com/producer/1172/italicus/art-of-italicus-london

Photography: www.themakers.co.uk

LET’S CELEBRATE NEGRONI WEEK IN LONDON

Today marks the beginning of National Negroni Week and what better way to kick of the new working week than with the classic tipple. Giovanni Spezziga is delighted to connect with his Italian roots and be able to provide our guests at The Coral Room with a true taste of Italy, with an exclusive Negroni menu in collaboration again with the Italian dry gin, VII Hills.

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Cocktails in the City returns to London this September

Sep 11 — Sep 12 COMMUNITY SPIRIT EDITION                                                            Great to pop-up at Cocktails in the City this weekend in nearby leafy Bedford Sq Gardens, helping to raise funds in support of the bartending community. The profits of this event will assist Drink Trust UK to continue their great work supporting the industry during these increasingly difficult times.

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The finest weekend-long celebration of the London’s unrivaled drinks scene, Cocktails in the City: Community Spirit Edition, will bring together 30 of the city’s most innovative bars for an unforgettable weekend of eclectic cocktails in the sunny open-air surroundings of Bedford Square Gardens.

 

ITALICUS APERITIVO GARDEN AT THE CORAL ROOM

This August, ITALICUS – the award-winning modern Italian Aperitivo – is bringing a taste of Italy to London and taking over the garden at The Coral Room to launch an alfresco Aperitivo experience. Launching on 20th August and running to the end of September*, the ITALICUS Aperitivo Garden at The Coral Room will feature a specially curated cocktail menu and bring some much needed La Dolce Vita to the capital. Enjoy the last of the warm summer evenings in a luxury bolthole, without leaving the city.

This delectable partnership has brought us a sublimely curated menu of five cocktail creations, designed to ignite a little of la dolce vita into our soul, and I was headed along to grab a piece of this myself.

Located in the heart of Central London’s literary and theatre hubs, The Coral Bar is housed inside the historically refined settings of the restored Luytens’ 1930s, Georgian built Bloomsbury Hotel. Making my entrance through the striking original ironwork gates, followed by warm greetings by the hotel staff fully equipped with their secure face coverings, safety practices played key priority with an immediate hand sanitising and temperature check before entering.

Perfect temperatures recorded, I was led through the majestic beauty of the 1920s, country house like grandeur of a gleaming marble bar centrepiece, towering glass chandeliers and deep, vibrant coral painted walls courtesy of acclaimed interior architect, Martin Brudnizki, before settling into the charming alfresco surroundings of the Italicus Aperitivo Garden.

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Celebrate the Italian Carnevale with Italicus and cocktails create by Giovanni Spezziga

Photography: www.themakers.co.ukPhotography: www.themakers.co.uk Photography: www.themakers.co.uk Photography: www.themakers.co.ukPhotography: www.themakers.co.uk Photography: www.themakers.co.uk85075465_10156902842262057_4097182235248033792_n 84068260_10156861112847057_4198803210170793984_o

Italian aperitivo Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto are taking over The Coral Room in celebration of the Italian Carnevale - a tradition celebrated in Italy since the12th Century.

For a limited-time-only the vibrant salon-style bar located in The Bloomsbury hotel will feature a bespoke menu of five Italicus aperitivo cocktails, drawing inspiration from the vibrant and colourful Carnival character masks worn for the celebrations. Each of the cocktails represents key characters from the Carnival, from the 16th Century Italian theatre genre Comedia dell’Arte’s Columbine, Pantalone and Arlecchino, to the “King of the Carnival” Pulcinella, and the other celebrated Carnival roles of Farinella.

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To celebrate the Carnival’s finale, a Masquerade party will be held at The Coral Room on Sunday 23rd February from 5pm till late, where Riccardo Rossi of Rome’s Freni e Frizioni will be taking over the bar and presenting his Rugantino cocktail, made to celebrate the occasion. The evening will feature live music including reinterpretations of Samba Jazz, so guests can expect lively Italian Carnival songs with smooth Samba vibes.

Dalloway Terrace X Alpine Cocktails

 

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Swiss twist on the classic Hot Toddy, inspired by the affluent alpine ski resort of Gstaad. Created by Giovanni Spezziga served with a “retro viewer” enabling guests to gaze upon the silvery slopes of Gstaad.

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The highly anticipated transformation of Dalloway Terrace has returned, and this winter the most sought after spot of the season offers guests a taste of Switzerland in the heart of London. Visitor’s are transported to the affluent alpine town of Gstaad – a snow covered, picturesque winter playground for A-listers and global icons.

 

Meet London’s Most Outstanding Front Of House Professionals

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Giovanni Spezziga, General Manager of Dalloway Terrace and The Coral Room

Giovanni Spezziga has over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. After bartending at the Porto Cervo in northern Sardinia, he came to the UK in 2003 to work at Rockwell Bar at The Trafalgar Hotel. His career now includes time spent at One Aldwych Hotel, Rosewood Hotel, and the Michelin-starred Benares. “I love that I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world and have had the privilege of working in a multi-cultural environment, meeting interesting people and discovering unique ingredients that I can use to enhance the guests’ experience,” shares Spezziga.

He now heads up the teams at The Coral Room and Dalloway Terrace. “Gio is undoubtedly one of the finest hosts in London, and personally, a pleasure to work with,” says Joshua Craddock, Director of Marketing, Restaurants, and Bars at The Doyle Collection. Craddock describes Spezziga as someone who can transform the vibe of any room you put him in. “This influence, coupled with infectious Italian charm means that everyone who visits The Coral Room is greeted with warmth and enjoys his delivery of a fine and memorable drinking experience.”

https://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/food-and-drink/meet-londons-most-outstanding-front-of-house-professionals/

The Best Bars in London

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The Coral Room

The Coral Room

A strong contender for the most instagrammable London bar of 2019, the Martin Brudnizki designed Coral Room was always going to be a looker. The double-height space has bright coral walls and is adorned with inviting armchairs and scallop backed (a-la Sketch) sofas.

That’s not to say it’s just about the looks. Any bar that manages to lure head bartender Giovanni Spezziga to run the show, has something very special going for it. Under his watch, the British-inspired cocktail list has grown from strength to strength. The current menu features an attractive array of tall and handsome drinks, many including English sparkling wine alongside local ingredients ranging from Kentish cobnuts, rhubarb, rosehip and Bramley apples, which appear throughout the 14-strong drinks list.

Also worth highlighting is their emphasis on English Sparkling wine – the bar here promotes six small vineyards, whose wine is all served by the glass. We can’t think of a better place to sit back and think of England…

Coupette

Coupette

This is a tiny bar, hidden in Bethnal Green, which has made waves not only across the capital but internationally, too. Chris Moore, former head bartender at the Savoy’s Beaufort Bar decided to go it alone with the launch of this focused bar, which wouldn’t feel out of place in Soho or Mayfair. He has been handsomely rewarded – taking the No.18 spot in this year’s World’s 50 Best Bars. But it’s their great drinks, rather than glitzy accolades which keep us trekking across town to it.The French spirit Calvados is a key focus at Coupette, so expect to encounter it in many forms across their 20 strong list. Also not to be missed is their Champagne Pina Colada – a sparkling twist on the classic tiki drink.

 

The Donovan Bar

The Donovan Bar

In the competitive world of hotel bars, it takes a truly great team and concept to stand out amongst the competition. The team at Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair were clearly aiming for the stars when they relaunched the Donovan bar last year, co-opting bar legend Salvatore Calabrese to oversee an all-new menu and refurbished space – designed as a homage to British photographer Terence Donovan.

Dukes Bar at Dukes Hotel

 

Dukes Bar at Dukes Hotel

If there’s one hotel bar which we would recommend that every Londoner (and of course visitors) should visit at least once, it’s Dukes. It’s a classic cocktail bar situated in the heart of St James which has built its reputation around a single drink, the martini. For over 35 years, Dukes has been known for its martini and its unique method of service, perfected by head bartender Alessandro Palazzi.

Two things to be aware of when visiting Dukes. Firstly, there’s neither shaking nor stirring to be seen. The experience begins with Alessandro wheeling over the Dukes Martini trolley, laden with frozen bottles of gin and vodka. Once you’ve chosen your spirit of choice, he adds a few drops of vermouth into a chilled glass and a twist of Amalfi lemon twist kisses the rim before being plunged into the drink. Secondly, The Martinis average around six ounces of spirit per drink – so Palazzi has instituted a two-drink maximum. Very wise. 

Fitz’s Bar

Fitz’s Bar

Situated in the tranquil end of Bloomsbury, Fitz’s has quickly established itself as a destination worth visiting. The hotel bar for the Kimpton Fitzroy is an elegant Russell Sage-designed space which turns Jazz-Age glamour up to ten with opulent fabrics, ostrich plumes complete with a radiant disco ball.

The Gibson

The Gibson

The creation of Marian Beke who spent five years at the helm of nearby Nightjar, The Gibson is a consistent performer which found early success entering the World’s 50 Best Bars just weeks after opening in 2016. Since then this tiny bar has always been at front of mind when we’re visiting new restaurants around Clerkenwell or Old Street. As their name suggests you’ll be able to get a pretty decent Gibson Martini – theirs is created with a special edition Copperhead Gin, a savoury take which is packed with spices and 14 botanicals, distilled exclusively for the bar. There’s also an impressive list of 48 signature cocktails to work through – we’ve come to trust the bar team to suggest something exciting and delicious, a promise which they inevitably deliver on.

Happiness Forgets

 

Happiness Forgets

Hoxton’s original underground cocktail bar and one of our long-time favourite East London drinking spots, Happiness Forgets is actually, despite its name, a hard bar to forget. Headed up by Alastair Burgess (who first cut his teeth as head bartender of Pegu club in NYC) the team here are perfectly attuned to working their way through the ever-changing menu, executing old classics with new energy whilst also not afraid to throw in an inspired twist.

Kwānt

Kwānt

Shortly after guiding The American Bar at The Savoy to the number one spot of the World’s Best Bar list last year, Erik Lorincz announced his surprise departure. Immediately questions abounded as to what Lorincz would do next. The answer is Kwānt, his first solo venture, a 19th Century-style cocktail bar and lounge found beneath Momo on Heddon Street.Drawing upon Lorincz’s tenure at the top end of bartending, the design, décor and menu at Kwānt remain distinctly elegant. The interiors from designer Bambi Sloan are what we can only describe as an exotic drawing room and feature a hand-painted ceiling by French artist Alain Grandne.

 

Lyaness

Lyaness

Ryan Chetiyawardana simply cannot sit still. Shortly after securing the title of ’The World’s Best Bar’ at the 2018 World’s 50 Best Bars, he promptly announced that Dandelyan – the ground-floor cocktail bar at Sea Containers hotel on London’s South Bank – would be closing with (almost) immediate effect.

Rising from the ashes in January of this year, Lyaness took us entirely by surprise. An entirely new interior design, bar team and drinks menu was an incredible feat to orchestrate in such a short space of time.