GONG at The Shard launches film-inspired cocktail list

GŎNG Bar at The Shard in London has turned to big screen directors for the inspiration behind its latest cocktail menu, inventing cinematic serves such as Wingardium Leviosa, Feel the Force and Dirty Business.

Furthering a trend for cocktails that tell a story, the new menu is named the ‘Director’s Cut’ and is inspired by the greatest film directors of all time, weaving their passion for storytelling into 16 unique serves, grouped into five film genres that reflect each cocktail’s flavour profile.

For example, the Adventure/Fantasy category features light and refreshing cocktails, whereas Romantic/Sci-Fi explores drinks with fruity notes, flora and spices. Serves inspired by Thriller/Drama cinematic offerings bring together sweet and sour, while its Crime/Action cocktail creations are strong and full of character.

‘Fear The Jungle’, which sits in the Adventure/Fantasy category, is inspired by Steven Spielberg, director of the 1993 classic Jurassic Park, and combines BarSol Quebranta Pisco, banana, pineapple skin sherbet, lime and chocolate. Served in an ivy-covered highball, it comes with a real scorpion as a garnish.

“The cocktails have been inspired by different film directors who are globally recognised masters of their craft,” explained GŎNG’s head bartender Christian Maspes.

“Just as a great film is a harmony of cinematography, sound and great acting, the same can be said for a truly fantastic cocktail through its blend of ingredients, technical skill and the atmosphere it creates.”

GŎNG bar is located on the 52nd floor of The Shard in London, and is the highest hotel bar in Western Europe offering views across London and an infinity Sky Pool Bar, which opens daily from 9pm.

The view from GONG at The Shard

Click through for a taste of GŌNG’s new cinematic menu…

Frhed H.C Cocktail

Category: Thriller & Drama – sweet & sour

Inspired by Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE, who directed Psycho, ‘Frhed H.C. Cocktail’ is a gin-based cocktail served shaken in a flute glass. The drink comes complete with a written scroll and hidden anagram message. A silhouette of the ‘Master of Suspense’ is stencilled on the surface of the drink.

Ingredients: Sipsmith London dry gin, cherry liqueur Morlacco blood, barley malt, lemon, cardamom bitters, absinthe and egg white.

Tea with Daisy

Category: Thriller & Drama – sweet & sour

Inspired by film director Baz Luhrmann, this light vodka-based cocktail is fruity with a bitter finish, combining blueberry and jasmine shrub with Port, topped up with olive tea soda. The drink is presented in a rocks glass with an ice ball, nestled in a lacquered theatre box. The box itself takes inspiration from two of Luhrmann’s most prolific movies, with the red velvet interior and theatre mask reminiscent of Moulin Rouge and the gold art deco painted design resonant of The Great Gatsby.

Ingredients: Cîroc vodka, blueberry and jasmine shrub, unfiltered Port, olive tea soda.

Wingardium Leviosa

Category: Adventure & Fantasy – light & refreshing

Inspired by David Yates, who directed Harry Potter, ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ combines gin and tamarind tea with butter-finished pale ale and is served shaken, presented in a ceramic mug badged with a griffin and garnished with an edible “magic” (liquorice) stick.

Ingredients: Plymouth Navy strength gin, tamarind tea and butter-finished pale ale, sourced from Anspach & Hobday – micro- brewery in Bermondsey.

Feel The Force

Category: Adventure & Fantasy – light & refreshing

Will you choose the dark side cocktail or opt for the light side cocktail to ‘Feel The Force’? Inspired by George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars films, each of the two vodka-based cocktails are served in a levitating cup powered by an electro-magnetic force.

Ingredients:
The Dark side – Manzanilla sherry, clarified lime, Campari, chilli and pomegranate. A bitter punch with spicy notes and red in colour.
The Light side – Aromatic coconut, glacial pastis and blue curaçao. Notes of peppermint and aniseed and blue in colour.

Hidden Self

Category: Romantic & Sci-Fi – fruity

This creation is inspired by Christopher Nolan, director of the mind bending films Inception and Memento. Ingredients are intended to represent the conscious and unconscious mind, paired together in a two-part glass and intended to be sipped as one.

Ingredients: Vintage umami sake, red rice wine, Chase vodka, sloe, Ponzu Japanese dressing and orange bitters with a hint of mushroom.

Hypnoid State

Category: Thriller & Drama – sweet & sour

Hypnoid State is a vodka-based inspired by Stanley Kubrick, director of A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. Served in a highball glass, the drink is accompanied by an MP3 player that plays Beethoven’s Ninth symphony, intended to stimulate the senses.

Ingredients: Absolut Elyx vodka, lemon verbena, rice milk, egg white.

Vienna to Versailles

Category: Thriller & Drama – sweet & sour

Vienna to Versailles is a smooth, Cognac-based cocktail is not unlike a crème brûlée and is inspired by Sofia Coppola, who directed Marie Antoinette. It combines Rémy Martin 1738 Cognac with oaked verjus which is derived from the first pressing of grapes and aged in a barrel, and is served in a glass coupette swathed in a royal blue satin ribbon, symbolic of the French Monarchy.

Ingredients: Rémy Martin 1738 cognac, Noilly Prat Ambré vermouth, advocaat, oaked verjus and chocolate bitters.

Bullet Proof

Category: Crime & Action – strong

From Sofia Coppola to her father Francis Ford, Bullet Proof is an homage to the director of The Godfather, who also happens to make very good from his Napa estate in California. This whisky-based “gentleman’s drink” oozes scents of leather and smoke for a punchy nightcap and served stirred in a short tumbler with an indented bullet.

Ingredients: Cardhu 12-year old Speyside single malt Scotch whisky, Italicus bergamot aperitivo, Oloroso Sherry and liquid smoke.

Atlantis

Category: Crime & Action – strong

Inspired by Michael Bay who directed the Transformers film series, ‘Atlantis’ is a bourbon-based cocktail with bitter notes. Roots herb spirit, bourbon and Asian pear is combined with Gagliardo – an Italian liqueur which many years ago used real ladybirds as a key ingredient. The drink is served in a conical whisky tasting glass on a stone coaster and comes complete with its own special effect.

Ingredients: Michter’s small batch bourbon, Gagliardo, nashi Asian pear and Roots herb spirit.

Fleming Sweep

Category: Crime & Action – strong

A martini-style gin cocktail, Atlantis combines Cocchi Americano with elderflower, champagne and sour hop for a fruity, floral finish. Inspired by Sam Mendes, best known for directing the James Bond films Spectre and Skyfall, ‘Fleming Sweep’ is served stirred in a classic black and gold coupe.

Ingredients: Tanqueray No. Ten gin, Cocchi Americano, elderflower, champagne and sour hop sourced from local micro- brewery Anspach & Hobday in Bermondsey.

Dirty Business

Category: Crime & Action – strong

Inspired by the legendary Martin Scorsese, director of seminal films including Casino, Goodfellas and more recently The Wolf of Wall Street, Dirty Business is a complex after-dinner drink with notes of coffee and liquorice, served in a coupette glass with a roulette card and chip. It combines bourbon, cold pressed coffee liqueur, Fernet and stout reduction, topped with a light foam of apricot tea, Champagne, cream and lemongrass.

Ingredients: Woodford Reserve bourbon, Mr Black cold pressed coffee liqueur, Fernet amaro, stout reduction. A light foam features apricot tea, champagne and lemongrass