London’s Scarfes Bar has just revamped its celebrity-themed cocktail menu – take a look

Scarfes Bar in London’s Rosewood Hotel has just relaunched its notoriously extravagant cocktail menu with new tipples inspired by British celebrities from Sir Richard Branson to Ali G.

Greg Almeida – Head Bartender – Scarfes Bar (Photo: Edith Hancock)

The menu — a 77-page novella illustrated by Private Eye cartoonist Gerald Scarfe — was devised by the bar team headed up by master mixologist Greg Almeida. It is a tongue-in-cheek take on the key players in the past 16 years of British history, with Ricky Gervais, David Attenborough, J.K. Rowling and Boris Johnson all getting a send-up through the medium of drink.

On Tuesday the drinks business strolled down to Holborn to take in the bar and sample Almeida’s caricature creations, which put a particular emphasis on molecular gastronomy.

Keep scrolling to get a sneak peak at the new cocktail menu at Scarfes.

Office Gossip — Ricky Gervais

What: A negroni with “burnt cauliflower campari”, Carraway seed, Port, pumpkin seed fat-washed Tanqueray 10 gin and a “healthy snack”

It’s hard to say which is the bigger mouthful, the recipe or the drink itself. Fat-washing has been a big deal in London’s cocktail scene for a while now (thinking back to Aqua Shard’s novelty Burns Night cocktail made with smoked salmon fat-washed maple syrup), and this one uses ingredients inspired by Ricky Gervais, who in the past has insisted he is a flexitarian (tries to only eat meat a couple of times a week).

Almeida comes from the culinary world, and has a real passion for incorporating unorthodox flavours into his drinks, hence the superfood salad ingredients.

Negronis can be harsh for an entry-level cocktail drinker, but we found this one was very smooth on the palate, had a balanced mouthfeel and just the right amount of sweetness to make it a crowdpleaser.

Zingy Stardust – David Bowie

What: A gimlet made with Absolut Elyx vodka, zara lebu, lemongrass, kaffir lime and a little copper lightning..

One of the easiest-drinking cocktails on the menu, a gimlet is usually made with gin, but Almeida said they opted for Absolut’s new single-estate vodka instead after listening to their customers’ feedback.

“People really wanted a vodka cocktail instead,” he said, “and we have to keep up with what our guests want.”

The Ziggy Stardust also uses the zest of zara lebu — a peculiar type of lime that contains no juice at all, but has an extremely potent, almost floral fragrance. In keeping with the theme, a copper lightning bolt has been painted onto the inside of the glass, so no matter what angle you drink from, once your finished it’ll reflect onto your own face and you can look like Bowie himself.

The Booyakasha — Ali G

What: a margarita with Patrón Silver tequila, Martin Rubino, dried mango, habanero, verjus, pink grapefruit and Guzano

“I still don’t know how I got this past management.” Almeida’s favourite drink on the menu is one that will sit comfortably in the heart of any millennial who for some reason has £18 to put down on a margarita.

Coming back to the gastronomy element of the menu, Almeida and his team have been busy in their lab (there is an old cupboard in the Rosewood that has been turned into an actual laboratory so the staff can make their bespoke spirits, liqueurs and wines for the drinks menu) and have created a spirit that has all the flavour of a habanero pepper, with the heat stripped out completely, and for that he deserves respek.

Garnished with worm salt (what, yours aren’t?), this is one of the weirdest cocktails on the menu, bursting with nods to the show. They’ve even used verjus — made with unripe grapes — to honour me Julie. It’s tropical, very drinkable, and so lethal that if you’re not careful by the end of the night you’ll end up selling your car for 24 chicken McNuggets. (sorry I’ll stop now).

Neck-it — Sir Richard Branson

What: A banana colada of sorts, made with Zacapa 23 rum, Jameson’s Redbreast Lustau whiskey, banana wine and marzipan, garnished with a fig leaf and a spritz of citrus.

While we’re on a tropical theme, Almeida was keen to show us the Neck-it, playfully named after Branson’s Necker Island. It may look like a piña colada, but as with everything at Scarfes, the truth is far more complex.

You would be amazed at quite how much fruit goes to waste in upscale hotels like the Rosewood. To combat this, the staff collect leftover bananas from all over the premises and use it to make banana wine, which forms one of the key components of this summery serve along with a base of Guatemalan rum, Irish whiskey ages in sherry casks, and finished with a perfume-like spray of lemon.

The Naturalist – David Attenborough

What: Star of Bombay gin, “earth”, “grass”, “flowers”

So we already said the Booyakasha was out there, but it has nothing on this cocktail which incorporates a white spirit the team have somehow made taste exactly like soil. In a good way.

This is a slow-drinking, heady, botanical cocktail dressed with edible flowers to honour national treasure and Planet Earth heavyweight David Attenborough. Perfect for welcoming the warmer weather, it has delicate notes of rose and violet, and you can definitely taste the soil.

The Macca-iato— Paul McCartney

What: A White Russian with Johnnie Walker Black label, Lucano Anniversaro, Roasted Pecan, Speculoos crumb, plum sake, and coffee.

While we’re on the subject of national treasures, it seemed fitting to end the night on something sweet with a caffeine kick. This cocktail recognises Paul McCartney’s record deal with Starbucks signed in 2007. A globalist’s take on the White Russian, it uses everything from Bourbon to speculoos biscuits to plum sake.