BAR BOOK CONTENTS Champagne & Sparkling Cocktails 4 - 5 Cocktails 6 - 10 Prestige Collection 11 Martinis 12 - 13 Whisky & Whiskey 14 - 18 CONTENTS Spirits & Aperitifs 19 - 21 Liqueurs & Digestifs 22 Beer & Cider 23 Non Alcoholic Cocktails, Soft Drinks & Hot Beverages 24 - 25 CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING COCKTAILS The origin of Champagne cocktails is unclear, but some believe they first splashed on the scene in 1861, when England went into mourning for Prince Albert. According to historians, a bartender at London’s Brook’s Club decided that Champagne also should mourn, and paired it with Guinness stout to make a Black Velvet. 4 CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING COCKTAILS Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial 125ml £11 Bottle £65 Three years ageing result in a Champagne with body, flavour and harmony. Elements of lime and blossom on the nose. Medium bodied palate, elegant finish. Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial 125ml £12.75 Bottle £75 Lively and expressive nose dominated by the scent of wild strawberries. Full-bodied, zestful, assertive and fruity on the palate. Classic Champagne Cocktail £13.50 A timeless classic where bitter meets sweet. The bubbles help carry the bitters through brown sugar, releasing soft and pleasing aromas. Hennessy Fine Cognac, Angostura Bitters, brown sugar, Moët & Chandon Champagne Rally Fizz £11.20 The floral and sweet attributes of Prosecco are emphasized with the inclusion of gin and elderflower liqueur. They in turn are balanced out with a little lemon juice. Together they create a fresh crisp drink perfect for warmer seasons. Prosecco, Hendrick’s Gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon A Night in Paris £12 Dubonnet was first created in 1846 in response to a competition run by the French government to find a way of persuading French Foreign Legionnaires in North Africa to drink quinine to combat malaria. It was repopularised in the late 1970s and is known to be a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II and the late Queen Mother! Dubonnet Rouge, Angostura Bitters, white sugar, Moët & Chandon Champagne Old Cuban £14 The Old Cuban is one of the few well known cocktails of which the origin is uncontroversial since the recipe was only published in 2002 and was created by the barkeeper Audrey Saunders from Pegu Club in New York. Prosecco, Bacardí 8 Años, Angostura Bitters, sugar syrup, lime 5 COCKTAILS The term ‘Cocktail’ first appeared in print over 200 years ago and at that time the description was less generic than it is today. Now we group nearly every mixed drink under the umbrella of ‘cocktails’, but if you wandered into a bar in the mid 1800s and asked for a cocktail you would be given only one choice: ‘For the recipe book let the following be copied... Cocktail is composed of water, with the addition of rum, gin or brandy, as one chooses, a third of the spirit to two thirds of the water, add bitters and enrich with sugar and nutmeg’ J.E. Alexander, Transatlantic Sketches, London 1833. Here at Blythswood Square Hotel we have developed our cocktail list over the years and offer an eclectic mix of the classic and contemporary - enjoy! 6 COCKTAILS Roxanne £9 The Police lead singer Sting wrote the song ‘Roxanne’ after being inspired by the individuals he saw near the band’s seedy hotel in Paris while the band were lodged there in October 1977. The red lights in windows of our hotel give a cheeky nod to the similar history of Blythswood Square opposite, where ‘ladies of the night’ used to ply their trade. Edinburgh Gin, Edinburgh Gin’s Raspberry Liqueur, lemon juice, lemonade Gin Basil Fix £9.50 This is a great pre-dinner cocktail that’s both zesty and fresh and is perfect for those who don’t like bitter drinks. Thai basil leans more towards anise than its European cousin and so cosies up with the notes from the gin and pear liqueur. Hendrick’s Gin, Crème de Poire, lemon juice, sugar, Thai basil Rocket to Plantino £10 Tequila provides much needed get up and go when you are feeling the effects of the night before. This cocktail embraces that effect wholeheartedly, with the peppery green bite of fresh rocket and a mustardy kick to balance out the drink. Tapatio Blanco, Green Chartreuse, pink grapefruit, lime, sugar, fresh rocket Self Starter £10 This is an elegant drink that plays well in all seasons. It’s delicate and light enough despite the lack of citrus for the summer, yet complex enough to be enjoyed in the winter, where the lack of citrus helps. Daffy’s Gin, Lillet Blanc, Crème de Apricot, lemon juice, Absinthe Tropical Iced Tea £11.50 A tropical take on the (in)famous Long Island Iced Tea which has origins going back to the early 1970s in Babylon, New York. The fact that the cocktail looks like ordinary non alcoholic iced tea has led to theories that it might have originally been created during the prohibition era to avoid suspicion. Ketel One, Tanqueray Gin, Bacardi Superior, Triple Sec, Kwai Feh Lychee Liqueur, elderflower, lemon, Diet Coke 7 COCKTAILS Papa Doble Daiquiri £9 Created for Ernest Hemingway by the legendary Constantino Ribalaigua Vert of the El Floridita in Havana, Cuba, after he walked in to use the facilities. He had an aversion of sugar due to a rare disease. We add sugar to this cocktail to balance the drink, but if you would prefer the original then just ask and we’ll be happy to oblige. Bacardi Superior, fresh lime, pink grapefruit, Maraschino, sugar Side Car £11 A close relation to a Brandy Crusta, the Side Car was first created around the end of World War One and is directly named for the motorcycle attachment. This is a complex but balanced sour - if you would prefer a sweeter option then please do ask for a full or half sugar rim. Hennessy Fine de Cognac, Cointreau, lemon, sugar Chamomile Daisy £9 The fine balance of rum, elderflower and chamomile make for a perfect lazy day cocktail. Chamomile possesses anti anxiety properties and is also known to help with stress and insomnia. Elderflower is fresh and fragrant and brings some sweetness to the drink, and rum helps with all the above! Bacardi Superior, Fiorentine, lemon juice, chamomile syrup Eiffel Daisy £9.50 Named after Gustave Eiffel, designer of the famous Parisian tower and part of the distillery in Thuir, France, where the fortified wine Byrrh is made, this drink follows the DNA of a classic Daisy cocktail, and delights the taste buds. Byrhh Grand Quinquina, crème de cassis, fresh lemon, sugar, raspberries French Martini £10 Everyone’s guilty pleasure, this fun and fruity cocktail was invented in the decade of big hair and even bigger shoulder pads. Ketel One, Chambord, pineapple juice 8 COCKTAILS Clover Club £9 The Clover Club cocktail pre-dates prohibition and is named after the Philadelphia men’s club of the same name which met at the Bellevue Stratford hotel from 1882 until the 1920s. The cocktail was all but forgotten until recent years, but thankfully has been rediscovered and is now celebrated. Tanqueray Gin, Martini Rosso, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, egg white White Lady £9 The White Lady is believed to have been invented by famous bartender Harry McElhone while he was working at London’s Ciro Club in 1919. At that time, he used equal parts of white crème de menthe, triple sec and lemon juice. It was not until he had his own Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, in 1923, that he adapted the recipe by swapping the crème de menthe with gin. Harry Craddock, of The American Bar at The Savoy in London also gets a fair bit of credit. In 1930 he published the recipe in his Savoy Cocktail Book, increasing the volume of gin and therefore making the drink drier. It was Peter Dorelli, legendary former manager of The American Bar, who suggested adding a dash of egg white to bind the drink together and give a smooth and silky finish. Tanqueray Gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white New Orleans Fizz £10 Also known as a Ramos Fizz, the New Orleans Fizz was created in the late 1800’s by Henry C. Ramos in New Orleans. The cocktail became so popular that by the 1915 Mardi Gras celebration Ramos’ 35 ‘shaker boys’ could not keep up with demand. Tanqueray Gin, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar, cream, egg white, soda Hanky-Panky £10 This cocktail was invented in the 1920s by Ada Coleman who was head bartender of The Savoy Hotel’s American Bar in London, and is named after actor Sir Charles Hawtrey, for whom the cocktail was created, after he proclaimed ‘By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!’ upon tasting it. Arbikie AK’S Gin, Martini Rosso, Fernet-Branca 9 COCKTAILS Negroni £9 While the drink’s origins are unknown, the most widely reported account is that it was first mixed in Florence, Italy, in 1919. Count Camillo Negroni concocted it by asking the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano, by adding gin rather than the normal soda water. As the drink was conceived before the invention of dry gin, the kind of gin used would have likely been barrel aged or Old Tom style. Makar Old Tom, Martini Rosso, Campari Penicillin £9 Originally created by New York bartender Sam Ross, the Penicillin Cocktail takes the warming, soothing flavors of honey, lemon juice and fresh ginger, and fortifies them with a good dose of Scotch whisky. Black Bottle whisky, lemon juice, honey ginger syrup, Ardbeg spray Manhattan Like so many cocktails, the origin of the Manhattan is lost to time, but it is believed to have been invented in the late 1800s and was variously known as a Turf Club cocktail, a Jockey Club cocktail and a Manhattan cocktail.