Arguably London’s defining decade, the Swinging Sixties was a vibrant, technicolour time of hope, freedom and creativity. Ground-breaking movements were born and thrived. Icons emerged in the worlds of art, fashion, music and film. Mods revved Vespas, leggy models sauntered around Soho and exuberant house parties were held to the experimental sounds of a new kind of rock ‘n’ roll. There to immortalise the most significant faces and moments of the era was legendary photographer Terence Donovan, whose captivating portraits now grace the walls of our Donovan Bar.
Inspired by this wild, hedonistic period in London history, cocktail Maestro Salvatore Calabrese has created a new, innovative menu, aptly named Our Generation. “I wish I could have been present for the Swinging Sixties, but Our Generation is my way of stepping back in time and capturing the decade’s creative freedom”, says Calabrese. Comprising four themes—portrait, fashion, music and film—each drink tells a story or pays homage to a celebrated sixties icon through a blend of premium ingredients served with panache and flair.
For a taste of sultry romance, the ‘Je T’aime’, inspired by Jane Birkin’s controversial duet with Serge Gainsbourg, combines sweetness with heat. ‘Voodoo Chile’ evokes the unfettered psychedelic sounds of Jimmy Hendrix at his best through exotic, contrasting flavours, whilst ‘Paint it black’ combines rooibos and tequila to conjure the dark spirit of revelry that The Rolling Stones were famous for. ‘The Twiggy’ is fun and flirty, much like the muse and model herself, whilst a modern interpretation of Bond’s favourite beverage—named ‘Not Shaken, Not Stirred’—is guaranteed to thrill.
For more information, email thedonovanbar@roccofortehotels.com or call +44 20 7493 6020
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.
After two decades of success with his innovative take on Japanese cuisine, international restaurateur Rainer Becker is bringing Zuma to Germany for the first time with a hotly anticipated summer pop-up at The Charles Hotel. Becker, who honed his skills at Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany before falling in love with Japanese food in Tokyo, returns to his native country 22 years after launching the first Zuma in London.
