Curtain up at new Waldorf Hilton bar

The Waldorf Hilton in London has opened Good Godfrey’s, a bar and lounge designed to fit with the hotel’s Theatreland location.

The venue is named after Howard Godfrey, bandleader of the Hilton’s in-house band the “Waldorfians” during the 1920s, who became a household name with hit records including “My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes”.

The theatrically themed renovation features a grey, burgundy and gold colour scheme, large antique mirrors, decorative wallpaper and an uplit bar made from marble, chrome and granite.

Head mixologist Nelson Bernardes has compiled a drinks list of classic cocktails and “innovative twists on traditional favourites”. These include the Hot Gin Punch for two, served in a teapot and the bourbon-based Astor Hip Flask, which arrives in an actual hip flask.

Other drinks draw on aspects of the hotel’s history, from the Very Very Pretty Champagne cocktail, which refers to the only requirement for the “Gaiety Girls” who performed next door, to the Thé Dansant, a reminder of the Waldorf’s famous tea dances.

Gabriel Savage, 12.04.2011