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A drinks history of the American Bar
As The Savoy celebrates its 135th anniversary, Louis Thomas discovers how the drinks offering at the hotel’s iconic American Bar has changed over the years.
Spilling the secrets on its quaffable history, Angelo Sparvoli, head bartender at The American Bar shares that the iconic cocktail bar, founded in 1893, four years after The Savoy itself, still tries to pay homage to the past: “Menus are inspired by a traditional offering of cocktails, elevated with a modern touch of ingredients and techniques. Drinks are served in elegant, art deco-style glassware and garnishes are minimalistic.”
He suggests that the hotel’s other drinks den, the Beaufort Bar, offers something rather different.
“The Beaufort Bar on the other hand, takes a more modern approach,” says Sparvoli. “Some of our most theatrical serves feature dry ice and smoke, and flavours are more experimental. The Croissantini, for instance, blends the buttery flavours of croissants and Champagne with a vodka Martini.”
While mixology has evolved considerably in the intervening years, there are a few veteran drinks that remain on the American Bar’s menu.
“One of the most famous classic cocktails still on the menu today is the Hanky Panky,” Sparvoli reveals. “Mixed for the first time by legendary bartender Ada Coleman at the American Bar in the early 1920s, the Hanky Panky is composed of equal parts London Dry Gin, sweet vermouth and a touch of Fernet Branca, an Italian amaro.”
Though some cocktails never went away, others have experienced something of a renaissance.
“There has been a huge comeback of classic cocktails lately, however, the techniques have evolved significantly,” suggests Sparvoli. “The current list is inspired by the historic Savoy Cocktail Book, written by then-bartender Harry Craddock and published in 1930, highlighting some of the best-known classics such as the Dirty Martini and the Ramos Fizz.”
“Drinks which feature fresh ingredients are always very popular,” he adds.
Less popular over the years have been cocktails featuring the likes of Cognac and Armagnac, but Sparvoli believes that there is still potential in this drinks genre: “Brandy cocktails have never been very popular with the public, but I think they have great potential for a comeback. When mixed in the right way they can be extremely surprising as they have body, flavour and a pleasant woody and fruity note.”
What’s new?
While grape spirit cocktails might have some way to go before becoming a regular order, those which eschew alcohol altogether are in the ascendant.
“Alcohol-free cocktails are certainly more of a trend these days, as guests are more conscious about alcohol consumption and the market has evolved massively in the last few years to accommodate this demand. We have several non-alcoholic cocktails on our menu, including King’s Cobbler and Homecoming,” he shares. “We have offered alcohol-free options for a long time, but I believe they are becoming more curated in terms of research and ingredients.”
The wine selection available has also shifted to reflect new tastes and areas of interest, though Sparvoli still insists that it veers closer to the “classic” side – as the size of the Champagne selection attests to.
“The English wine market has grown in the last few years, and as a British icon, The Savoy is keen to support this local market. English labels will appear on our new menu, both from the wine world with Nyetimber and the spirits world, such as The Lakes whisky – a great English single malt,” he shares.
The new menu will also feature a special drink to mark the hotel’s 135th anniversary, one “largely inspired by the 19th century Rob Roy cocktail”: “It will be classically made to pay homage to the history of the American Bar, consisting of Scotch whisky, sweet vermouth, and bitters.”
Guest list
Over the years, the American Bar has seen its fair share of famous faces too, from royalty to those who climbed the greasy pole of politics.
Winston Churchill, no stranger to a sharpener, was a fan (and today The Savoy features Pol Roger’s cuvée made in tribute to the Prime Minister in its Champagne selection). It is rumoured that the bulldog-faced wartime leader had his own whisky stash locked away behind the bar.
Though the name of the bar is a reference to it serving ‘American style’ mixed drinks, it has certainly had an appeal for transatlantic travellers – Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe were among those to have imbibed on what is now hallowed ground for cocktail lovers.
According to Sparvoli, Ernest Hemingway, one of the great writers of the 20th century and the originator of the ‘Iceberg Theory’ of narrative minimalism was particularly partial to the American Bar’s Dry Martini – suitably chilled, of course. His preferred ratio of gin to vermouth was an eye twitching 15:1, a figure intended to echo Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s desire to have an army 15 times the size of his enemy’s before battle.
From the frosty tip of the iceberg all the way to outer space, the bar also provided what was supposedly the first alcoholic drink consumed by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins once they had left quarantine after landing back on Earth from the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969. Barman Joe Gilmore mixed up the Moonwalk, a concoction of Champagne, orange flower water, Grand Marnier, grapefruit bitters and a sugar cube, and had it sent to Houston, Texas in a flask. One small sip for man, but a giant leap for the American Bar’s international fame.
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