If you've got the urge to go travelling but don't quite want to take the plunge, head to Oriole – the new bar from the folk behind Nightjar – where you'll be taken round the world via an alluring array of cocktails grouped into Old World (Europe & Africa), New World (The Americas) and the Orient (Asia, Pacific & Sub-Continent). Our picks? The Kiruna (Absolut Elyx, Cloudberry Jam, Aquavit mead, root cider and mulberry leaves) and the Alcazar, with Ysabel Regina and Padron seed infusion, inspired by the Moorish fortress near Cadiz, Spain.
When a cocktail menu is two years in the making, you know it's bound to be good. This particular one from The Donavan Bar is designed to take visitors on a tour of the seven continents, all led by sense of smell. You get a scented card on arrival before selecting your drink based on what it smells like – definitely an unconventional concept, but it works for us.
Named after its 'American-style' mixed drinks – meaning cocktails – The Savoy's flagship bar is one of the most iconic drinking dens in the world. It's been around for aeons (almost), but it's far from dated: the watchful gaze of head bartender Eric Lorincz has kept it firmly in the World's 50 Best Bars, partly thanks to his creativity when it comes to putting together menus. The most recent one, which takes you on a journey around London, is no exception – sample anything from the City of London's Pharmacist (Bulleit Rye whiskey, Barolo Chinato, absinthe) to Hackney's Town Hall (Patron Gran Platinum tequila, Martini Ambrato, Pear Eau de Vie).
Mr Fogg's Residence leverages Victorian-style whimsy to maximum effect, presenting drinkers with a compendium of a cocktail list that’s designed to take you on a whistle-stop tour around the globe.
After 40 years in the business, Salvatore “The Maestro” Calabrese is basically cocktail royalty. He takes inspiration from his globe-trotting, with the result being drinks like the Ebony, with rooibos, sorrel wine and carob ice cream; the Nazc, which is inspired by an ancient Peruvian civilisation; and the Tartan, which recreates the heather-scented hills of the Scottish Highlands – and it's even presented in horn for maximum effect.
