This winter, you can drink and dine La Dolce Vita at Brown’s Hotel with its incredible Italian takeover. Celebrate the season with mixologist, Salvatore Calabrese, who is taking up residence in the elegant Donovan Bar. His extraordinary Martini and Negroni menu includes some of his own greatest hits, as well as exclusive bespoke creations.
One of the world’s best-known bartenders, Salvatore’s lovingly crafted cocktails have endured as icons over the decades. You’ll have the opportunity to sip his renowned Martini (created for Dukes Hotel in the 1980s), and his signature Breakfast Martini, which is lent a citrusy kick with a soupcon of marmalade.
His Negronis are sophisticated and imaginative takes on the classic, like the Bello e Sbagliato (‘Beautiful Mistake’). “It’s a beautiful cocktail,” explains Salvatore. “Simple, and it gives you a hint of bitterness and punchiness, and a spark of Prosecco.”
How does he feel about the takeover? “I’m excited to come back to Mayfair, and what better place to start work than in an iconic hotel like Brown’s, which has truly seen everyone who’s anyone. For me, Brown’s has always been one of the most amazing places in London.”
Growing up on the Amalfi Coast, Salvatore poured his first drink – a Coca Cola – behind the bar at 12 years old. From there, his love of cocktails blossomed and his illustrious 40-year career saw him creating drinks for distinguished bars and hotels all over the world, not to mention A-list celebrities. “I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many famous and influential people: Fidel Castro, Nelson Mandela, Presidents of the United States left, right and centre. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, I could write a book about all people I’ve served.”
What better way to ring in 2018 than in the sublime environs of the Donovan Bar, toasting the New Year with a Salvatore Calabrese creation?
Also in residence is esteemed chef, Heinz Beck, of three Michelin star, La Pergola in Rome. He will be serving a special menu at Ora, an Italian-inspired pop-up restaurant at Brown’s Hotel.
Brown’s Hotel’s Italian takeover runs for six weeks, from 13th November 2017. Bar booking is available at thedonovanbar@roccofortehotels.com and restaurant booking at brownsrestaurant@roccofortehotels.com.
The name Bernardo Buontalenti might not mean much to those outside of Florence, but it should. A prestigious Florentine architect and artist favoured by the Medici, he is also widely credited with inventing gelato. This frozen delight is now as synonymous with Italy as pizza and is deeply intertwined with Florence’s heritage. Take a tour of the city’s most celebrated gelaterias, curated by the expert concierge team at Hotel Savoy.
Maestro Salvatore Calabrese and Federico Pavan, Director of Mixology at Brown’s Hotel, discuss the creative process behind Happily Ever After, the Donovan Bar’s new fairytale-inspired cocktail menu, launching on 28th May.
This summer, Masseria Torre Maizza turns up the volume on a cause that needs our attention. Save the Olives, a non-profit organisation championed by Dame Helen Mirren, whose mission is to raise awareness of Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium devastating Puglia’s olive trees and impacting the local economy and ecosystem. In support, we have devised an incredible calendar of music and art amidst our Masseria’s olive groves – a poignant setting, grounded in the cause.
