From Lady Gaga to Albert Einstein: how Bar-Pope Salvatore Calabrese creates a liquid monument to great names
Salvatore Calabrese, also known as "The Maestro", is once again setting a benchmark with his new bar menu. Together with his team from the "Velvet Bar" in London's "Corinthia Hotel", he brings stars from Lady Gaga to Albert Einstein to life in liquid form.
Salvatore Calabrese, also known as 'The Maestro', is certainly the closest thing we have to a mixologist pope and his Velvet Bar, which he opened in London's Corinthia Hotel in November 2022, is without doubt one of the most opulent, seductive and intimate cocktail bars in the city. Here, he and his team celebrate the magic and theater of hospitality and reinterpret the art of cocktail preparation in a wonderful new way. Now the master has once again set a benchmark with his new bar menu.
From Lady Gaga to Elon Musk
The innovative cocktail menu called "The Quote Book" is an inspiring collection of Calabrese's classics, ranging from the legendary "Breakfast Martini" to luxurious "Golden Era Vintage Cocktails". It contains a total of 21 new cocktails ranging in price from £22 to £45. The team also drew inspiration from iconic personalities of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and portrayed them in the cocktails in an extremely creative way. From Lady Gaga to Michael Jordan and Elon Musk to Albert Einstein, famous quotes have been used to transform them into individual cocktails.
Liquid Walk of Fame
Each drink is housed in an individual glass, from a carbon fiber car for Elon Musk's "Bored Child" cocktail to a heart-shaped balloon filled with strawberry helium that floats above Banksy's "Above the Clouds". Each glass is intended to evoke memories and feelings and stimulate the imagination.
You taste with your eyes, nose, mouth and hands. Feeling the glass is important for the journey of the drink. From the aroma when you pick it up for the first time to the last sip
Extravagance in and on the glass
The drink "Above the Clouds", inspired by street artist Banksy, shows what this looks like. Based on his quote: "Sometimes it's wrong to do the right thing", Salvatore Calabrese created a cocktail that is served with a balloon filled with strawberry helium. "'The Girl with the Balloon', which appeared on Waterloo Bridge in 2004, is Banksy's most iconic artwork," Calabrese continues. "The work is picked up here with the garnish of the drink, which is served with a helium balloon injected with strawberry flavour. When you breathe in the air from the balloon, your voice will change."
"Above the Clouds"
- 4 cl N3 gin
- 1 cl honey syrup
- 1 cl Mancino Secco Vermouth
- 10 cl Blush (homemade hibiscus wine)
Pour the first three ingredients into the glass with a large ice stick and top with carbonated blush. Decorate with a helium balloon.
