Cocktail of the Week: The Scarfes Bar ‘Golden Hour’
In celebration of London’s sun-soaked evenings, the Covent Garden institution has skimmed the spirit of the city’s skyline into a signature serve…
Words: Jonathan Wells
There’s no place quite like London to experience the ‘golden hour’. Summer in the capital shines with a uniquely honeyed hue; towers drizzled in it, parks drenched in it. And no buildings look better during these splendid, warm weather sundowns than the palatial, ornate grand hotels of the city.
Hotels like The Lanesborough, The Dorchester and The Ritz. As opulent as they are deftly detailed, each of these institutions comes alive during the golden hour. But one hotel, Covent Garden’s Rosewood London, shines even brighter. Construction began on the iconic hotel exactly a century ago, in 1912. And today — Grade II-listed and glorious to behold — it boasts one of the best drinking dens in London; Scarfes Bar.
It’s a must-visit bar for martini enthusiasts; a place where artfully creative cocktails pair with live jazz every night of the week. The most recent cocktail menu, titled ‘Off the Wall’ takes intoxicating inspiration from British icons — everyone from David Attenborough to The Rolling Stones. But the best serve on offer isn’t influenced by Elton John’s feathery flamboyance or Sean Connery’s slick scotch brogue; it’s inspired by London’s golden hour.
By blending an unconventional whisky from Naked Malt with French brandy, clarified maple and something the bar evocatively calls ‘Sesame Sepia’, Scarfes has managed to skim the spirit of a London evening off the city’s skyline and pour it — dazzlingly and deliciously — into a signature serve. Here’s how to mix it at home…
How to make The Scarfes Bar ‘Golden Hour’
Ingredients:
- 40ml Naked Malt
- 30ml Avallen Calvados
- 10ml Lillet
- 15ml Maple Syrup
- 20ml Lime Juice
- 120ml Whole Milk
- Sandalwood
- Sesame Seeds
- Golden Berries
- Gypsophila (to garnish)
Method:
- Add the whisky, brandy and Lillet to a mixing container
- Drop in the sandalwood, sesame seeds and golden berries
- Allow to infuse for 12 hours
- Strain out the solids
- Add the syrup and lime juice
- Slowly pour in the milk and refrigerate for 24 hours
- Slowly strain through cheesecloth
- Add chunks of ice to a candle glass
- Pour your milk punch into glass
- Garnish with gypsophila
Want more creative cocktails to mix at home? Here’s how to make The London No.1 Gin ‘Lychee Martini’…
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