St James Bar at Sofitel London St James is delighted to announce their new menu, ‘Once In A Lifetime’, is launching today on the 1st September. Inspired by the incredible experiences that often appear on bucket lists, this experiential concept delivers, in cocktail form, some of the most thrilling adventures and breathtakingly spectacular locations around the world.
The creation of the new menu has been a truly collaborative team process, led by the bar’s award-winning Head Bartender, Angelo Sparvoli. Each one of the sixteen cocktails that appear in Once In A Lifetime is a unique take on a classic serve. From driving a Formula One car and climbing Mount Everest, to riding a hot air balloon or traveling on the Orient Express, the new menu will take guests on an inspiring journey of adventure and natural wonder. Each cocktail is created with ingredients designed to evoke an experience through sight, taste and smell. For example, Green Lights draws on Nordic Aquavit, pine needles and crisp clean lemon to recreate the experience of lying on snow, watching the Northern Lights. Meanwhile, Javari comprises Canaima gin, made with Amazonian botanicals, and a red amaranth garnish, as well as cocoa, yerba mate, soapbark and timur pepper, which combine to create the native humid aromas that we’d imagine inhaling when exploring the Amazon rainforest.
As always with St James Bar, the guests’ full experience, from sitting down to receiving their drink is at the forefront and excellent service is as important as innovative drinks. Additional examples from the menu include:
Kasumi
Cocchi Extra Dry vermouth, umeshu, shiso, Roku gin, peach bitters – £18
Moon Shadow
Bulleit bourbon whiskey, fig, Barbeito dry madeira, sherry & acacia honey gastrique, lemon foam – £21
Into the Wild
Discarded banana peel rum, Fernet Branca menta, Leonor palo cortado, cold brew coffee, muscovado, coconut – £20
Volto
Discarded grape skin vodka, Amaro Santoni, orange oleo, Franklin & Sons soda water, Moët & Chandon brut champagne –£22
The menu itself will showcase eye-catchingly beautiful illustrations of each tipple, by the artist Simon Grant. The designs emulate a 1930s industrial travel poster style, combining a strong graphic design element and a freehand painted feel.
Situated in the heart of London, on the corner of Pall Mall and Waterloo Place, St James Bar is tucked into the depths of Sofitel London St James, giving the bar a luxuriously clandestine feel. Curved plush velvet seating in opulent jewel shades complements brass accents, while a striking marble-topped bar with colourful rows of bottled handmade tinctures, bitters and liqueurs is the room’s centrepiece. The interior design also subtly combines French and English themes to match the hotel’s blend of French and local culture.
