Cocktail lagoon opens in Westfield

Bompas & Parr has unveiled its latest Christmas creation – a 20m subterranean lagoon that guests must row across to reach a twinkling cocktail cavern.

Named Beyond the Waterfall, guests will row across a 20m lagoon, moving through waterfalls to a bar serving nautical-themed cocktails made with handmade distillates, undersea botanicals, gunpowder and ambergris – a rare substance secreted by whales.

En route, guests will be entertained by mermen who will bring to life the stories behind the cocktails.

“Creating a watery world founded on millennia-old cultural beliefs, myths and fantasies at this Westfield London experience has allowed us to channel an unlikely but enchanting Christmas experience that avoids all the usual cliches of the season,” said Harry Parr, partner of Bompas & Parr.

“By drawing together folklore and mysticism with the amazing and untapped potential of the deep blue sea we’re setting a new precedent for bringing people together at Christmas.”‎

Arriving at the hidden bar, guests will exchange shell tokens for their choice of two cocktails.

Advance tickets have already sold out, with limited walk-in availability. Tickets are £15, which includes two cocktails, with the experience open until 23 December.

Bompas & Parr is known for their imaginative cocktail-based experiences, with the team also behind Alcoholic Architecture – a breathable cocktail cloud in Borough Market. Last year the team turned the 72nd floor of The Shard into a winter wonderland, featuring giant crystals, gem-studded snow dunes, glowing crystal benches, a touch-responsive iridescent grotto and plants that sing Christmas carols.

Click through for a look at some of the cocktails on offer…

Cthulhu Margarita

Ingredients: giant squid ink Tequila, mezcal, lime, mandarin and petitgrain agave syrup, seaweed salt rim

“A tribute to Marqillor the Merman, the protagonist in Douglas Nile’s epic trilogy – The Coral Kingdom- who killed an evil giant (‘a monster too huge, too mighty too be vanquished by a man’) with his trident. Perhaps his face was Cthulhu himself, the mythical sea creature that blends characteristics of cephalopods, dragons and humans.”

The Old Man & The Sea

Ingredients: rum, rye, sweet vermouth, maraschino, benedictine, bitters

“A nod to Ernest Hemingway’s supreme ordeal between aging fisherman Santiago and his struggle to land a giant marlin. His epic battle lasted three days – referenced by our mix of three types of bitters – while the heady mix of rum and rye is a fitting tonic following your own adventures on the high seas. Served with a tiny bit of ‘age’ – imbuing the drinker with instant wisdom.”

Sea Air

Ingredients: deep sea sake, sea cucumber vermouth, fino Manzanilla, samphire, olive, sea air

“The last life-giving gasp of sea air that sea god Glaucus inhaled before he became fully Merman, rendered into a deliciously dry cocktail finished with the samphire that provoked his profound metamorphosis.”