Slice of the City - Spring Edition 2023

SLICE OF THE CITY NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS, INSIGHTS & INVITATIONS FROM THE DOYLE COLLECTION

ISSUE 15 SPRING 2023

We write the spring issue in January and it’s always the oddest feeling trying to imagine those balmy days bathed in light spring sunshine. But once spring settles in the population can take a moment to exhale – head up, shoulders back, and breathe. This issue is all about newness – there’s a very important refurb of The Bristol to consider, a sensational new cocktail menu in The Sidecar at The Westbury to enjoy, and a piece marking London’s evergreen celebration of all things new – the Chelsea Flower Show. With some of the most extraordinary gardens on earth, created for a few short days at the end of May, the whole world comes to Chelsea every year and it’s easy to see why…

THE CROKE PARK

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OF ALL THE BARS… Think of the 20th century’s most iconic bar and Humphrey Bogart’s Casablanca ‘gin joint’ will be up there – along with greats like Harry’s Bar, Raffles and El Floridita. The difference, clearly is that Rick’s Café Americain was merely a fleeting presence on a 1942 Warner Brothers soundstage, its irresistible combination of classic cocktails and the principled non-conformity of its eponymous proprietor feels modern to this day. Rick’s at The Bristol is a brand-new space, inspired by the glamour of a member’s club in a far-flung destination and designed to capture its namesake’s spirit, without aping its look and feel. Designed in natural materials around 2

hand-woven rattan lighting, Rick’s features double-height ceilings, an open fire, outdoor terrace and an abundance of greenery. Cocktails are impeccable, wines, spirits and local pours are carefully chosen, and the evening sharing plates utilise the best of seasonal, regional produce. Guests and visitors come through the main entrance in Narrow Quay, to join us in celebrating all the wonderful libations and provender this part of the world has to offer.

Opening hours: Wednesday 4-11pm, Thursday 4pm-12am, Friday 12pm-12am, Saturday 10am12am, Sunday 10am-5.30pm. ricksbarbristol.com

ON THE COVER Illustration by Anne Harriet Fish as used on The Human Zoo cocktail menu (see p.18) Slice of the City is published on behalf of The Doyle Collection by Rivington Bye Ltd. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. All details correct at the time of publication but may change.

For all editorial enquiries: enquire@rivingtonbye.com

SUITE ELITE With over 20 years in the business, Elite Traveler is the self-professed ‘marketleading guide and curator of the global luxury lifestyle of UHNW individuals’, and purveyor of the best in show for luxury travel. So, we are delighted to announce that in 2023 Elite Traveler has named The Penthouse Level at The Dupont Circle in its soughtafter listing of global top 100 suites, with special mentions for sustainability, service and luxury. Newly refurbished and featuring 12 exclusive suites, The Penthouse Level offers unparalleled views of D.C., via vast windows and outside terraces, with the 3,000 square foot, two-bedroom Grand Penthouse Suite, complete with heated terraces, marble floors and epic views the pinnacle. Find out more, doylecollection.com/hotels/ the-dupont-circle-hotel/suites

TEA FOR ALL You can judge a London hotel by the quality of its Afternoon Tea – everybody else does! Just one reason we felt it was high time to reintroduce Afternoon Tea at The Marylebone, bringing a new twist of fabulousness to the capital’s tea scene. Served in

well as a mighty fine champagne and wine list), the new Tea is an essay in deliciousness, with impeccable brews, fine china, perfect sandwiches, heavenly cakes, cloud-like scones and all the trimmings. Tea is served Thursdays-Saturdays.

News & Views FINE DINING Connected as it is to Croke Park Stadium, home of Gaelic Football, we have a divine new reason to visit The Croke Park’s fine resupremely luxurious and opening in April 2023 - but even with an

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A NIGHT AT THE DONMAR The Donmar Warehouse in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, is one of London’s most exciting theatres and, although its reputation as a magnet for some of the world’s biggest stars (Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen and Kit Harrington, to name just a few) may precede it, regulars go for the award-winning productions. Regardless, it’s always one of the hottest tickets in town so we’re delighted to partner with the Donmar in a Suite Package on offer until the end of 2023 and including a night for two in a suite at The Bloomsbury, two tickets to the Donmar Warehouse, a three-course dinner with complimentary glass of champagne and breakfast in the morning. doylecollection.com/hotels/ the-bloomsbury-hotel/ packages/a-night-at-thedonmar 3

MEET THE MAESTRO Michael Sammour, new Chef at The Dupont Circle

At The Kensington we’ve always been proud of our affiliation with the Royal Albert Hall and are offering our guests some of London’s most sought-after tickets for what promises to be unforgettable nights out.

While 2023 offers all the highlights you’d expect, we’re thrilled that this season will feature the return of Cirque Du Soleil – unarguably the world’s most exciting circus/dance/acrobatic hybrid - or, as they call it, ‘contemporary circus’.

To celebrate, we’ve created a pre-theatre menu with a cocktail list inspired by Cirque du Soleil (our Cabinet of Curiosities menu), and three courses served in plenty of time for overture and beginners at the nearby Albert Hall.

Priced at £30 for two courses and £35 for three, find out more at townhousekensington. com 4

GREEN DAY, 17TH MARCH For a Scots or Welsh born fourth century Brit of Roman parentage

When your hotel restaurant is a DC institution and garnerer of many the fine review, a new chef is big news. But we’re especially excited to introduce Chef Michael Sammour, whose career has taken in some of the southern States most famous kitchens and destinations.

named Maewyn Succat, St Patrick (he took the name Patricius on becoming a priest) has had quite the legacy. Kidnapped at 16, he was held captive in Ireland for six years, after which he managed to escape – having become a devout Christian. After 15 years’ religious training, an angel told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. As an Irish speaker and one familiar with the country’s nature-based pagan beliefs, Patrick was smart enough to weave the traditions of the day (taking the shamrock as his emblem) into the Christian faith and spread it by engaging with the people. Today, St Patrick’s Day is marked by hundreds of millions of people all over the world, with parades, parties and celebrations of all kinds. We will be celebrating at The Westbury, The Bloomsbury and The Dupont Circle, while

After studying at the rigorous Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh, he started his career in the Sunshine State at The Ritz Carlton before moving onto The Ritz South Beach, Miami and the Waldorf Astoria in Boca Raton. He also Executive Chef’d at Marvel Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, catering to a variety of superheroes.

every one of our cities hosts their own parades and events. Find out more doylecollection.com.

AN ADVENTURER’S TEA Our Around the World Afternoon Tea, inspired by 80 days in the life of one (fictional) Phileas Fogg is heading for pastures new, moving from the flavours of London, Paris, Rome and Cairo to the further-flung climes of Hong Kong, Yemen, Singapore and India.

The Tea itself will marry some of the wonderfully exotic flavours and tastes into the classic menu that has made Town House at The Kensington something of an afternoon destination and we look forward to an unveiling for early spring (we’re hearing some pretty delicious rumours). Afternoon Tea cocktails, too, will be something of a talking point, with spicy chai, clean green tea, fruity lychee, deep wine syrup and tangy Umeshu shaken, not stirred. townhousekensington.com/afternoon-tea

We took a minute to quiz Michael Sammour himself, but like all good chef interviews, this is all we could carve from his dawn-to-dawn schedule…

Chef Michael’s father was also a chef, but even though Sammour grew up around kitchens he very sensibly waited until completing his training before taking his first professional role. Working his way up at The Ritz Carlton, Chef Michael carved out a niche for himself as a highly inventive chef forever experimenting.

Naturally, Chef Michael comes with a restaurant pedigree that’s absolutely in keeping with the super-high standards of the D.C. restaurant scene - but we’re still trying in vain to get some of those Marvel stories out of him…doylecollection. com/hotels/the-dupont-circlehotel/bars-restaurants/thepembroke

A STONE’S THROW Take a short walk from The Westbury and this is what you’ll find…

THE LITTLE MUSEUM OF DUBLIN One of the city’s best loved, this is the place to learn about the history of Dublin, or, as the Sunday Telegraph put it, “One of my favourite attractions is the Little Museum of Dublin, a gem of a place housed in a beautiful Georgian townhouse on the north side of St Stephen’s Green, and filled with material and items, which tell a vivid story of twentieth-century Dublin. This is history at its most captivating and human”.

With wonderful expert story tellers (AKA guides) to bring times past to life, via museum tours and walking tours of the immediate area, as well as exhibits, it’s a unique celebration of what being a Dubliner is all about. littlemuseum.ie

THE ABBEY THEATRE Further north, on the other side of the Liffey you’ll find The Abbey – the national theatre of Ireland, one of its leading cultural institutions, and a hot ticket almost every week of the year.

A vibrant showcase for Irish writers, directors and producers, The Abbey Theatre was founded

by WB Yates and one Lady Gregory and, since it opened in 1904 has consistently lived up to its founding manifesto, “to bring upon the stage the deeper emotions of Ireland”. abbeytheatre.ie

Trinity College Dublin builds on ancient origins to offer one of the best modern educations in the world. It’s Ireland’s oldest and best-known university, with stunning architecture, beautiful grounds and one of the world’s most extraordinary libraries (its lofty shelves laden with ancient texts only reachable by storeys of sliding stepladders and immortalised in many a film). Home to The Book Of Kells, a priceless 9th Century copy of the New Testament, handwritten and illuminated by monks, guided walking tours of university grounds and the library (go see said Book Of Kells) are bookable daily, and the college is just five minutes’ walk from The Westbury. tcd.ie

ST STEPHEN’S GREEN If you can tear yourself away from the rather excellent shopping nearby and head south instead, you’ll be rewarded with an oasis of quintessential city park, with ornamental planting, trees, benches and water features – perfect for getting away from it all in the heart of the city. Named after a 13th century church, St Stephen’s Green’s 21st century tranquillity

belies

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history – we recommend a guided walk to tell the full story. Or you can find a potted history here ststephensgreenpark.ie

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BRISTOL FASHION Following a reimagining of the lobby, The River Lounge and The River Grille and the creation of a brand new cocktail bar, Rick’s, The Bristol is looking far more than simply shipshape

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The refurbished lobby and lounge at The Bristol were inspired by the glamorous styling of an ocean liner in its Art Deco heyday…

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nyone who has ever straightened tie, smoothed hair or checked teeth for lipstick just before a meeting knows that first impressions count – and it’s a fact certified in numbers. According to the experts, businesses have about seven seconds to make a good impression, whereas with people we’re a little more generous, gifting an actual human up to 30 seconds to be memorable for the right reasons.

So, entrances make a difference. The lobby at The Bristol has always walked that fine line between being lofty yet welcoming, spacious yet cosy. And in its newest incarnation, inspired by the look and feel of a 1930s Art Deco Ocean liner (a nod to the city’s eight or so centuries of heritage as a global port, as well as one of our favourite decades in design) we think the new space feels really rather fabulous.

Lit by the diffused illumination of an impossibly handsome vintage Murano chandelier (sourced in London, like a delightful rescue

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puppy, it was originally commissioned for a project that changed direction, leaving it brand new but in search of a forever home) a sweeping flight of marble stairs with chrome balustrade and mirrored walls draw the eye upward, while the luxe comfort of deep upholstery in soft leather and mohair, and dark wood furniture in The Jessop Lounge invite one to linger.

The upholstery in both The Jessop and The River Lounge is a story in itself. Our previous chairs and couches were beautifully crafted to last, but needed refreshing, so we took them to the experts (the lovely Julie in our case) at family-run Bristol Upholstery and they worked their magic reupholstering in a symphony of blush pink and mauves.

Above Soft light from the vintage Murano chandelier illuminates the lofty lobby while stairs lead up to The Jessop Lounge.

Right The art of reupholstery alongside, well, actual fine art. bristolupholstery.co.uk

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Like a Parisian brasserie by the shimmering Seine, the light-filled, Manila palm-lined conservatory, The River Grille brings destination dining to Bristol’s harbourside

For The Bristol, location has always been a big draw - there are few better in the city than right beside the water in this once busy dock now buzzing with arts, culture and night life, as working warehouses have been converted for anybody who wants to experience a multicultural city at its best. In The River Grille, opening right onto the water, diners enjoy floor to ceiling windows that don’t just overlook the waters, but also line the roof, giving endless sight of sun, sky and, by night, moon and stars.

The space is bright and light in the day and warm and atmospheric at night, perfect for diners enjoying the delicious modern European cuisine including fine steaks from the Josper Grill, legendary Sunday roasts and delicious Afternoon Teas. Wooden floors are softened with cushioned dark rattan chairs, giving a country club feel, completed with custom wood lamps hanging high in the ceiling.

On the mezzanine above, The River Lounge overlooks The River Grille, and is flooded in soft light. It features a grand piano and, 10

with its timber-edged monochrome checkerboard carpet, reupholstered seating, butter-soft leather barstools and gorgeous blush rose quartz bar, it is a really cosy, comfortable space. It’s buzzy but chilled and atmospheric, the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail or a bottle of wine with a sharing board of West Country cheeses.

Following the refurbishment of The River Grill and The River Lounge, a brand-new bar, Rick’s, is opening in the space next door. Rick’s is a must-visit new addition to the Bristol bar scene, so watch this space as we’re working towards an opening date in early spring.

Above The soft light and luxe comfort of The River Lounge, perfect for a bite and a drink.

Right Lofty and flooded with natural light, The River Grille has a slightly holiday feel whatever the weather.

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JOLLY GOOD SHOW Chelsea Flower Show might be the oldest in the world but every May it’s host to a brave new world of garden design on an epic scale

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s the old saying goes, an Englishman’s home is his castle – so what of his (or hers, or any other pronoun’s) garden?

Well, in literal terms obviously it’s the space outside, the lungs that surround. A place to sun, to play, to cook, to unwind, to work, and to take a deep breath away from the stresses and strains of everyday life. It’s a place dedicated to admiring the view, taking in the changing seasons, and where the never-ending yet polite tussle unfolds of taming nature - bending it to our will.

From Cicero to Sitting Bull, Thomas More to Alice Walker, since ancient times humans have waxed ever so lyrical about the joys, the rigours and the absolute delights to be found in that space outside. For the everyday gardener, the challenges and rewards tend to centre mostly on keeping the chaos at bay - pruning, weeding, dead heading, pollarding and planting. It’s all about working with nature to keep it under some sort of control.

Trips to the garden centre to buy bulbs, bags of compost, gardening gloves and replace the occasional fork feel like trips to the supermarket - essential and workaday. Yet when you’re choosing between different shades of wax begonias, you’re doing much more than simply selecting a bedding plant – you’re picking and choosing from a curated selection that reflects garden trends from all over the world.

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MELTING ICE While the ice block cube centrepiece to 2022’s Plantsman Ice Garden (see left) looked a little like aliens had sneakily landed in plain sight, the message was even more dystopian. Since 1994, 28 trillion tons of ice have disappeared from the earth’s surface with the melting permafrost mirrored by the real-time melting of this garden’s 15-tonne ice cube. While it’s making a serious point about climate catastrophe, The Plantsman’s Ice Garden also marks the release from their icy resting place of seeds buried over 30,000 years ago which are now being successfully germinated by Siberian scientists.

PERCHANCE TO DREAM In 2006, the migraine relief people 4head, partnering with medal winners Marney Hall and Heather Yarrow, created the serene and tranquil Garden of Dreams. In a woodland setting complete with babbling brooks and encircled by a thorny hedge, its ‘Island of Reflection’ featured a reclining topiary woman, with rushes for hair, deep in slumber, aided, no doubt, by the borage, lavender and chamomile all around - herbal remedies for busy minds and broken sleep.

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CARVED IN STONE James Bassoon’s 2017 M&G garden divided the critics for many reasons – slabs of quarried stone from Malta with scrub plants of the kind you might see in very dry ground, alongside the ‘best in show’ award initially bemused public and press alike. But Bassoon’s thoughtful, intuitive planting (it’s all about where human meets nature), native tree, shrub and flower valiantly taking ownership of the terrain made it a moving and unusual addition to the Show.

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EAGER BEAVER Look right. A slate slab dry stone wall, an old timber walkway, an old woodshed alongside lazy river - anyone who’s ever enjoyed a big old yomp in the English countryside could be forgiven for thinking they’re taken an un-signposted detour into the woods.

However, 2022’s Rewilding Britain Landscape is all about the essential part beavers play in our ecosystem. By turns educational and nostalgic, the riverside planting and artfully constructed beaver dam (and old wooden shed) won this garden best in show.

While a brick gatehouse-like folly with rising roof, dancing hedges, revolving lawns, a very inventive shed and the brightest of bed give a sideways take on the English cottage garden.

GOD’S OWN COUNTRY While it’s a region lauded for spectacular terrain, 2019’s Welcome to Yorkshire Garden designed by Mark Gregory was also a tribute to an industrial heritage and enduring spirit that’s quintessentially of that place. With its drystone walls, lock keeper’s canal-side cottage complete with actual, fully functioning lock, and wonderful diversity of native wild and cultivated flora, it was a pleaser of crowd and critic alike.

A lifelong love of Yorkshire inspired one of Chelsea’s most evocative gardens According to award-winning garden designer (and creator of Chelsea Flower Show 2019 gold medal winning Resilience Garden) Sarah Eberle FSGD, “you can date a garden by its plants”. A sentiment with which Cleve West MSGD, concurs.

“Grasses were a novelty when I started designing. Today I can’t imagine not using them.”

Dedicated followers though they are, fashion isn’t just about the plants, stemming (pardon the pun) instead from trends in lifestyle.

James Scott, MSGD explained that last century “people viewed their gardens simply as a place to be gardened” but that today our outside spaces are much more an extension of our homes – to be shaped, landscaped, designed, styled and finished in keeping or contrast with that look and feel.

Regardless, trends have always been a big part of gardening, especially when it came to the great gardens of yesteryear. Around the time BC turned to AD, Romans brought their classic enclosed courtyard designs with them to the UK – adaptations to account for the weather included bringing much of the al fresco socialising

safely indoors but, while they may have mourned their olive groves, vineyards and fig trees, their orchards absolutely flourished here.

In Medieval times gardeners grew fruit, veg, herbs and medicines, while separate spaces were set aside to feast the eyes (on flowering shrubs mainly) and calm the mind. The Tudors, unsurprisingly, were all about show, ornamental designs favouring mazes (Hampton Court springs to mind) and elaborate fishponds, segueing into the formal landscaped gardens of the 17th century.

Georgian times favoured experience – open vistas, large lakes and sweeping avenues spoke of natural grandeur while fancy follies added a playful sensibility. Victorian trends were rather overblown; riots of blooms (ideally from exotic outposts of empire), balustrades, fountains, hothouses (for those pinched cuttings and tropical fruits), and acres of lake and ornamental pondage.

It wasn’t until the 20th century that gardens became ubiquitous.

Initially spare yet stately (arts and crafts influenced) this aesthetic married with mostly natural-looking plants. The first genuine 15

PLASTIC FANTASTIC One of the Show’s most controversial; creating James May’s 2009 garden, Paradise in Plasticine, took a village. Artists, school children, Chelsea pensioners, even Jane Asher toiled together to shape their masterpieces, presided over by a bust of plasticine inventor, William Harbutt and flanked by lawn, fruit trees, borders, vegetable patch and a full picnic tea, all in the hyper-bright children’s modelling putty.

Visitors loved it – fellow garden creators less so. In an act of masterful diplomacy, the RHS awarded the garden a plaque made of, yep, plasticine.

ENGLISH ECCENTRICS When Harrods wanted to celebrate the best of British eccentricity, they turned to Irish-born crowd pleaser, Diarmuid Gavin. Taking inspiration from English cartoonist, artist and imagineer of the whimsical contraption, Mr W Heath Robinson, the resulting Harrod’s British Eccentrics Garden featured a brick gatehouselike folly with rising roof, dancing hedges, revolving lawns, a very inventive shed and the brightest of beds - a sideways take on the English cottage garden.

It’s the rare combination of playfulness and ambition that really says ‘Chelsea consumer trend – the rock garden – was universally popular (slices of grey rock piled up with hardy alpine plants poking through) right through until the mid 1980s and dominated many gardens at early Chelsea Flower Shows.

Once the largest flower show on earth (a title now held by Hampton Court) Chelsea yet remains the oldest and most prestigious. Launched in 1862 as the Great Spring Show, brainchild of the Royal Horticultural Society, RHS (the gardening charity founded in 1804 with seven members – today it boasts over 500,000) the show took place in one of the society’s own gardens, in Kensington.

Removed for a stint to Temple Gardens, in 1912 the event was further relocated into its current location, the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, before being renamed after its new location and The RHS Chelsea Flower Show was born. And, aside from a year or two during each world war and this century for Covid, the show has opened its doors every year since.

There’s a plethora of fabulous facts from the Chelsea Flower Show.

It once boasted the world’s largest tent – a marquee erected in 16

1951, which measured an incredible 3.5 acres and when decommissioned in 2000 was turned into 7000 bags, aprons and jackets.

Gnomes have always been banned (as is fake grass) with one exception – in 2013 the gnome ban was lifted to allow luminaries from Elton John to Helen Mirren to paint one each, to be exhibited and sold for charity.

Main Avenue’s famous plane trees simply puff out pollen throughout May and everybody duly sneezes and wheezes their way through the show – it’s known as the Chelsea Flu. Despite the thousands of exhibitors showing all manner of plants in the various vast marquees (best in show are selected by 100 experts every year), it is the gardens that have always been the star.

And they are becoming more elaborate than ever. If you can, we urge you to go to the show.

Chelsea flower show 2023 is open to visitors 23-27 May, tickets are available from the RHS and sell out fast. The RHS host many other shows and events throughout the year. rhs.org.uk

TALL STOREYS “Design a spectacular garden, please, superstar designer, Diarmuid Gavin”, said Irish sponsors, Westland Horticulture. “A seven-storey pyramid, you say? With a different garden on each level? Ascended by lift? With a tubular slide to leave by if you dare? Perfect…” And so, it came to pass. Sadly, logistics denied the general public the chance to ascend 2012’s Westland Magical Tower Garden and exit by slide, but on press and preview days the queue was committed, with many the Chelsea pensioner being denied a slide on account of his advanced years.

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Inspired by the impossibly glamorous golden age of cocktails, we launch our latest menu at The Sidecar, introduced by award-winning cocktail maker and bar manager, Oisin Kelly

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esigned as a ‘modern take on a ‘30s cocktail bar’, The Sidecar at The Westbury is a jewel of a bar and eloquent tribute to the fabulousness of Art Deco and the energy and the optimism of an extraordinary bygone era.

The 1920s is a decade that captivated the entire century that followed. A decade in which we the people shrugged off the shackles of war and convention (for women, corsets were binned, hair was bobbed and waved, hemlines rose), and came together to charleston, tango and lindy hop into a brighter, bolder future.

There was an almost palpable spirit of optimism in the two decades between world wars. Fashion was democratised, with ready-to-wear putting choice into many more people’s reach and the stylised look and feel of Art Deco (imported from France) added a gilded modernity to design.

While we could have a drink this side of the pond – and women joined men in that – Stateside, prohibition was in full swing (1920-33). On both sides, the act of drinking assumed a decadence and a sense of urgency that made it all the more intoxicating.

Coming from the USA, cocktails became a hugely popular way of consuming their contraband – partly to disguise the necessity of using bathtub spirits, but mainly to breathe theatre into a new genre of consumption. Necessity may have been the mother of that invention in that case, but cocktails have never wavered in popularity in the ten decades since.

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Before such a febrile backdrop, sharpened by uncertainty, irreverent wit and satire became cultural currency - holding a mirror up to the establishment - poking fun and being amplified to the masses in newspapers and magazines of the day.

Anne Harriet Fish was a Bristol-born artist whose illustrations took her from the west country of her birth via London and Paris to the metropolitan energy of New York City, where she was published by the top magazines of her day - Vanity Fair, Vogue, Tatler, The Sketch and Punch. She didn’t just illustrate, she created her own character, a young woman named Eve, for Tatler, whose escapades were later published in the ‘Book of Eve’, which ran to three volumes.

When we were looking for a visual style that captured the essence of that time – the flapper, the Jazz Age - the witty pen drawings of Anne Harriet Fish made her illustrations a shoe-in for our new menu. To further evoke the era, we juxtaposed her cartoons with some of the pithiest quotes from the day, from the evergreen Dorothy Parker to the redoubtable Margot Asquith, the icon that is F Scott Fitzgerald to society snapper and man about town, Cecil Beaton.

The creation, evolution and perfecting of the cocktails took months (normal service, obviously, continued during this time). And if we were to share even a fleeting sense of the precise alchemy involved in the process, we simply had to speak to Oisin Kelly.

The man behind the concept, Oisin is a serial award-winning cocktail maker – though he’s best known to us as the bar manager of The Sidecar. Oisin heads up a team of 17 and eight of his best bartenders from all over the world were involved in the creation of these cocktails – each bringing their unique perspective.

THE ALCHEMY

Above It is the tiny Art Deco details that make The Sidecar so special. Even the Martini trolley (centre) is period perfect.

Right and Overleaf ‘High Sobriety’ and ‘Rockefeller Touch’ cocktails from the new Human Zoo Cocktail Menu.

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In every cocktail bar, there are the classics. The drinks a good cocktail barman can create with their eyes closed. Obviously, The Sidecar team does those to perfection. In addition, about once a year they brainstorm ideas for a concept and create a whole new menu to dance across the tastebuds of anybody wanting to try something a little bit different.

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Here’s Oisin…

“With this menu every cocktail is built around a ‘pillar’ – with the flavours layered in total harmony. We’re also bringing those curious bottles – and bitters and herbaceous flavours - down off the high shelf and into the mix.”

“Take High Sobriety. Anyone who loves a gimlet or daquiri will love this. But we’ve used Ciroc vodka (from grapes) with bergamot Italicus Strega (herbal liquor), orange bitters, lemon, elderflower and frozen grapes in place of ice cubes – so it looks like a dirty martini, but the ‘ice’ doesn’t dilute and it has a unique sour, fruity flavour.”

“Forbidden Fruit was created by our bartender from Columbia and is so much more than a fruity vodka sour – it’s all melon and saline, topped with layers of matcha and ginger foam. While Rockerfeller Touch is made using Gunpowder Gin from an independent Irish distiller (it was developed as a test spirit for whisky production and was so good it has recently become the biggest selling gin in the USA!), which we mix with lemon, sugar, and fresh basil, then clarify it overnight, for layers of distinctive flavour that’s surprising in a drink so clear.”

“Voguette is a clarified milk punch – another clear liquid but this time flavoured with fresh coconut and pineapple like an ultralight pina colada – so you get all the flavours without that cloying richness.

Beginner’s Luck spins off an espresso martini, but using a malty Irish whisky, our own coffee blend, spices, and lemon foam, anchored

by Barolo (a rich Italian red) for amazing deep layered flavours.”

At The Doyle Collection we believe that, if unsure, of course one should ask ‘But is it Art?’. In the case of this eponymous cocktail, we’re quietly confident there can be no doubt. The fine rum and bittersweet orange vermouth are lifted by lychee, pineapple, orgeat (a sweet syrup marrying almonds and orange flower water) anchored by bitters – it’s a beautifully choreographed flavour dance.

Ace of Hearts is one for negroni lovers who fancy a dry yet fruity variation on their usual - pairing gin, calvados and martini with Swiss gentian bitters, plum bitters and apple and cinnamon cordial. One of our favourites, Girl’s Best Friend, introduces pisco infused with aromatic jasmine to rue berry (an aromatic cordial made from the fruit of an Ethiopian spicy mountain shrub), an ume fruit liquor (marzipan-y bitter shiso), saline and a fruity, minty soda.

Back to Oisin, “In addition to the new recipes, we’re looking at new ways to serve. Martinis come frozen to the table on our ornate, gilt martini trolley, where they’re shaken, poured, and garnished to order.

In our quest for sustainability, we save all the citrus we squeeze and infuse the zest into sugar for the rims of our glasses, we freeze fruit in place of ice and dehydrated cherries into leather for optimal natural flavour. Basically, we spent months creating this new menu and could talk about our 16 new cocktails for hours, but, really, you have to taste them – and we cannot wait to share them with our guests”.

23

VIEW FROM THE TOP A peek inside one of our magnificent Penthouse Level Suites at The Dupont Circle in D.C.

24

The Grand Penthouse Suite in The Dupont Circle, Washington D.C. 25

Events & Happenings Step out of your hotel and into our pick of this month’s most captivating events

The Bloomsbury SHOESTRING CINEMA A little can go a long way in filmmaking. The creatives featured at the London Independent Film Festival produce extraordinary features on minimal budgets. Frights, fantasy, feel-good - whatever you’re into, you’ll find a film to fall in love with at the LIFF, all enjoyed in the renovated arthouse comfort of East London’s Genesis Cinema.

London Independent Film Festival Genesis Cinema 14th-23rd April liff.org FORGED IN STEEL What does it mean to replicate a symbolic object in a new context? That is the question behind this profound installation, in which Rachel Mars will forge a replica of the stolen ‘welcome’ gate from

and sound. Two 27-metre

Dachau concentration camp -

hanging sculptures, woven

live at the Barbican over four

from materials including

days. With audience members

plant fibres, cardboard and

donning welding masks and a

local found objects, are the

live-composed soundtrack, this

centrepiece of an immersive

is sure to be an extraordinary

experience that asks how we

experience.

can come together to repair

Rachel Mars: FORGE

the destruction of our forests

The Pit, Barbican Centre

and indigenous communities.

17th-20th May

Cecilia Vicuña:

barbican.org.uk/

Brain Forest Quipu

whats-on/2023/event/

Tate Modern

rachel-mars-forge

Until 16th April tate.org.uk

SEE THE WOODS Cecilia Vicuña brings an ancient South American art of record-keeping to the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in an installation of sculpture

26

WHAM BAM AM DRAM

FOUR MILES TO GLORY

for a day of spectacle and

of the occasion as a neutral

The premise of The Play That

One of the oldest amateur

jeopardy (will they sink?).

onlooker - the Boat Race is

Goes Wrong is simple: in the

sporting events in the world,

Choose your side on this

always a great day out.

Cornley Polytechnic Drama

the Oxford & Cambridge Boat

infamous university rivalry,

The Boat Race

Society’s new murder mystery

Race still draws huge crowds

or simply embrace the spirit

Putney to Mortlake

production, everything that

26th April

can go wrong, does! This

theboatrace.org

side-splitting theatrical demonstration of sod’s law

GANGNAM STYLE

has been delighting audiences

From Samsung to Squid Game,

for a decade. Never mind

the products and popular

whodunnit - the question is,

culture of South Korea have

can this uproariously unlucky

rocked the world for decades.

show hold itself together until

This V&A exhibition explores

the final curtain?

the brilliance and wonder

The Play That Goes Wrong

of Korean art, fashion and

Duchess Theatre

design, and how its recent

Until October 2023

meteoric rise has captured

theduchesstheatre.co.uk

imaginations around the globe.

Hallyu! The Korean Wave V&A

The Kensington

Until June 2023 vam.ac.uk

TO BOLDLY GROW

QUACKING GOOD FUN

The world’s most famous

The London Wetland Centre

flower show returns in May,

encompasses over 100 acres

teeming with gardening

of lakes, pools and gardens,

inspiration. From accessible

home to water birds, rodents,

gardens designed to support

amphibians and damp

the recovery of the injured to

minibeasts of every kind.

rewilding gardens from the

Spring is a perfect time to

mountains of Korea - and even

visit, as birds return from their

a mushroom garden - there’s something for every green thumb and green mind.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show Royal Hospital Chelsea 23rd-27th May rhs.org.uk/shows-events/ rhs-chelsea-flower-show

Top left Rachel Mars welds to a live-composed soundtrack at The Barbican centre.

Left The London Wetland Centre in Barnes.

Top Korean art, fashion and design at the V&A. Right The Oxford & Cambridge boat race victors pass the post.

27

Bristol

winter holidays - including a

of his director, John Gielgud

few special ducks who like to

as they prepared for the

hide along the Easter trail…

legendary 1964 Broadway run

VITAL VOICES

followed in his wake. Come, join

Spring activitiesand Easter trail

of Hamlet. Johnny Flynn plays

Folk fever flourishes in late

us and witness the city’s most

London Wetland Centre

Burton, Mark Gatiss is Gielgud

April, as the Bristol Folk Festival

wonderful works of wall art.

hails from the city, as do many of the artists who inspired and

Throughout Spring

Bristol Street Art Tours

wwt.org.uk

Where The Wall Saturdays & Sundays year-round wherethewall.com

The Marylebone

DIE HARDBACK PAINT THE TOWN GREEN

A group of strangers gather

St Patrick’s Day in London is a

in a city hotel on a stormy

celebration of the many things

spring weekend. They pore

Londoners and the Irish have in

over cryptic texts, exchanging

common - not least their love of

whispers in shady corners.

a good party! Join the 50,000

Who or what is behind this

revellers expected to take part

mysterious behaviour?

in the annual parade from Hyde

CrimeFest, of course. The

Park Corner for its 20th year,

International Crime Fiction

and enjoy the very best of Irish

Convention is coming back

art, music and food.

to Bristol - best go along and

St Patrick’s Festival

investigate…

12th March

CrimeFest

london.gov.uk/events/st-

Mercure Bristol Royal Hotel

patricks-festival-2023

11th-14th May crimefest.com

STRINGS OF SPRING Classical it may be, but the

A JOLLY JAUNT

Spring/Summer programme

On your feet! There’s nothing

at the Southbank Centre is

quite like a good walk, and that

far from stale. This is a wide-

simple pleasure is celebrated for a whole month by Bristol

ranging slate of performances that explores and celebrates

The Motive and the Cue

draws incredible musicians from

Walk Fest. Whether your

the many directions in which

National Theatre

the west country and all around

preference is for a social ramble

orchestral music is moving

From 20th April

the world to the stages of the

or to challenge yourself -

in the 21st century, from

nationaltheatre.org.uk

city. From the greatest players

whatever your speed, there’s a

of traditional tunes to the bold

path for you at Walk Fest.

contemporary edits of beloved works to brand new 2020s

BEAN SCENE

experimenters mixing old with

Bristol Walk Fest

compositions.

There are few greater

new, there’s something for Folk

Throughout May

Classical Music Programme

celebrations of the global

folks of every flavour.

bristolwalkfest.com

Spring/Summer 2023

passion for the beautiful

Bristol Folk Festival

Southbank Centre

brew than the London Coffee

28th-30th April

February to June 2023

Festival. Enjoy curated

Multiple venues

southbankcentre.co.uk

selections in the Tasting Room,

bristolfolkfestival.org

The Westbury

meet coffee artisans at the

28

RIGHT ON CUE

Roasters Village, enjoy barista

WALL-TO-WALL WONDER

PASTEL PERFECT

The politics of the rehearsal

skills in Latte Art Live, discover

Many of us never think twice

Unrelated to sugared shades,

room come out front in this wry

the finest coffee kit for at home

about the blank walls flanking

pastel is a unique artistic

production of Jack Thorne’s

it’s rocket fuel heaven.

our city streets. But where

medium with a history spanning

brilliant new play, directed by

London Coffee Festival

some see brick and mortar,

more than four centuries. This

Sam Mendes, which witnesses

Truman Brewery, Brick Lane

others see canvas. Bristol has

fascinating exhibition brings

the inevitable clash of Richard

20th-23rd April

had a thriving street art scene

that history to light with a

Burton and the exacting vision

londoncoffeefestival.com

for decades - Banksy himself

rich and varied collection of

works, documenting the rise

moment in British history.

BACH TO BASICS

around the world every year.

of pastel’s popularity in the

Hangmen - Martin McDonagh

Composed for a Good Friday

It is simply a masterpiece

18th century and the many

The Gaiety Theatre

service in Leipzig 299 years

- dramatic, devotional,

ways it has been used since.

11th March-8th April

ago, Bach’s St John’s Passion

profound and intricate, an

Pastel Revealed

gaietytheatre.ie

still captivates audiences

experience for people of all

National Gallery of Ireland Until June 2023 nationalgallery.ie ROCK OF THE IRISH The oldest rocks in Ireland are a mind-bending 1.7 billion years old, formed somewhere south of the equator. Dublin itself sits on limestone from the tropics, dating around 330 million years ago. This exhibition brings those extraordinary timescales to life, telling the geological story of Ireland through centuries-old samples, everyday objects and an eight-by-six-metre floor-map.

Down to Earth: Exploring Ireland’s Geology National Museum of Ireland Open year-round museum.ie HANGING OUT What’s the second-best hangman in England to do on the day they abolish hanging?

Written by Martin McDonagh, famed for dark comedic works

faiths and none. This year,

like In Bruges and 2022’s

the National Symphony

highly acclaimed The Banshees

Orchestra collaborates with

of Inisherin, this major new

some of the most expressive

production turns a comedic lens

vocalists in Ireland to bring

on a momentous and bizarre

the Passion to life once more.

J.S. Bach’s St John’s Passion National Concert Hall 7th April (Good Friday) nch.ie

Left Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton are reimagined in The Motive and the Cue at the

The Croke Park

National theatre.

Right, top Pastel drawing

GREEN DAY

re-appraised and celebrated at

Being in Dublin on St Patrick’s

Dublin’s National Gallery.

Day is an experience like no

Right below London landmarks

other. The famed parade will

glow green to celebrate St.

wind through the streets all day

Patrick’s Day.

Friday before rising star rockers

29

Pillow Queens take over the

now as when it was first

it take to pay that price?

TAKE ME TO CHURCH

Festival Quarter on Saturday

staged 55 years ago. What

The Price

We all love to have a drink and

along with 12 incredible Irish

is the price of family duty?

Gate Theatre

a dance - but how often do

music acts. Literally unmissable

Of personal ambition? And

From April 13th

you get to do that in a restored

- you couldn’t avoid the

what kind of person does

gatetheatre.ie

17th century church, complete

celebrations if you tried!

with spectacular stained glass

St Patrick’s Day Festival

and an original Renatus Harris

17th & 18th March

organ? The Church bar and

stpatricksfestival.ie

café is just that, perfect for a special evening in the heart

TARTUFFE TIMES

of Dublin. Drop by Sunday-

The titular criminal beguiles

Thursday for free traditional

the head of a noble French

music and dance.

household in this modern

The Church Bar

reimagining of the 17th century

Open year-round

comedy reluctantly banned

Free traditional Irish music &

at the time by King Louis XIV.

dance Sun-Thurs from 7pm

The rest of the family set out

thechurch.ie

to bring down l’imposteur - but when the going gets tough, will Tartuffe get going, or double down on his deception?

The Dupont Circle

Tartuffe - Frank McGuiness Abbey Theatre

SPOKEN WORLD

3rd March-8th April

Step inside the world’s first

abbeytheatre.ie

voice-activated

museum

and

see the words you use every day OH BROTHER, WHO

brought to life in some rather

ART THOU?

new and exciting ways. You can

Arthur Miller’s classic tale

hear the word on the street on

of two estranged brothers

Lexicon Lane, paint adjectives

meeting to settle their father’s

across

estate remains as compelling

Word Worlds room or get your

a

landscape

in

the

karaoke on and learn how the legends of songwriting conjure their hits.

Planet Word Language Museum Open Weds-Sun, year-round planetwordmuseum.org

Above Behind the scenes at Crawford Art Gallery, Cork.

Left The world’s first voiceactivated museum dedicated to the spoken word, Washington.

Right The Cork International Choral Festival hosts choirs from all over the world in April.

30

HORSING AROUND

emphatically in. Go!

FRAME OF REVERENCE

periods of musical history

Follow in the hoof-steps of the

Angels in America Part One:

Great works of art can stand

brought to life by the Cork Opera

steeds that carried Woodrow

Millennium Approaches

alone - years of experience

House Concert Orchestra, from

Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt

Fichandler Stage

and passion encapsulated in

Symphony No. 1 to Revolution 9.

on an enchanting ride through

24th March-23rd April

a single object. But peel back

The Cork Proms: Beethoven,

Rock Creek Park. An oasis of

arenastage.org

the paint, look behind the

Broadway and the Beatles

The River Lee

frame, and you’ll find that each

Cork Opera House

is made of dozens of stories

6th-13th April corkoperahouse.ie

calm in the bustling city, the park’s 1700 acres make for great exploring on foot, but the best way to see them is from the saddle. And if you fancy making some more animal friends when you’re done, the park connects directly to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Rock Creek Park Horse Center Rock Creek Park Seasonal opening times rockcreekhorsecenter.com PRETTY IN PINK We hope you like pink, because for four weeks in spring, that’s the shade almost every D.C. vista is cloaked in. It’s for the Festival that commemorates 1912’s gift of cherry blossom trees to Washington from the then Mayor of Tokyo. Smarten up for the Pink Tie Party, move to the rhythm of the Taiko drums at Sakura Taiko Fest, and join the crowds for the legendary parade on April 15th.

National Cherry

IN FINE VOICE

of creation, restoration and

Blossom Festival

Five days, five thousand voices

research. It is these stories

20th March-16th April

raised in song. The Cork

that this pioneering Crawford

INIMITABLE ISLAND

nationalcherryblossom

International Choral Festival

Art Gallery exhibition tells,

Carved into the cliffs, the

festival.org

invites choirs from across

bringing the lives and histories

architecture of the rarely-

Ireland, Europe and around the

of key works from the National

inhabited Dursey Island should

AIDS AND ANGELS

world to lift spirits of audiences

Collection into the light.

be seen to be believed. For its

One of America’s great

in venues, churches, schools

BEHIND THE SCENES:

size, this starkly beautiful little isle

theatrical epics, Angels in

and on street corners around

Collection at Work

has quite the rich history. Take a

America is Tony Kushner’s

the city. With an eclectic

Crawford Art Gallery

boat around the shore to witness

multi-award winning 1991 drama

programme and a welcoming

Until 10th April

its hidden wonders, or make

of two couples struggling

atmosphere, it’s the perfect

crawfordartgallery.ie

landfall across the treacherous

through the AIDS epidemic.

way to get immersed in choral

In a timely adaptation, director

culture.

ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN

cable car! It’s an adventurous

János Szász brings part one

Cork International

What do Beethoven, Broadway

day trip from Cork.

of this historic and thoughtful

Choral Festival

and The Beatles have in

Dursey Island

duology to the Fichandler

Venues across Cork

common? It’s no riddle - they’re

2hr drive from Cork

stage in an in-the-round format

26th-30th April

the subjects of this year’s Cork

Cable car reopens on 1st March

that brings the audience

corkchoral.ie

Proms! Three very different

durseyisland.ie

Dursey Sound on Ireland’s only

31

24 HOURS BROWSING

ARTS AND ARTEFACTS

The Royal Borough of Kensington is London’s most chichi, so arts, crafts (and shopping) on offer to browse and buy are fabulous.

8.30 ARISE AND BREAKFAST LIKE CHAMPIONS Whether you like your eggs Benedict, Royale, Florentine, truffled, scrambled, poached, on the side of smoked salmon or atop smashed avocado, Town House at The Kensington awaits. doylecollection.com 10.30 SHAKE A LEDBURY Wend your way to where Ledbury Road meets Westbourne Grove. It’s a destination for galleries (we love Bartha and Flow), antiques (check out RKade and Robin Martin) and fashion (try L’Appartement Sézane and Wild and Gorgeous for kids).

1.00 ALL THAT GLITTERS Head down Kensington Church Street and turn right to the gallery of Malcolm Betts, meticulous handcrafter (in his back of store workshop) of the very finest jewellery. malcolmbetts.com 1.30 OH SANAIY If magical carpets and antique textiles are your thing, Sanaiy Carpets on Kensington Church Street is a treasure trove of vintage rugs, runners, and kilims, as well as extraordinary centuries-old tapestries. sanaiycarpets.co.uk 2.30 JAPAN BOUND With exhibitions, crafts, cookware, books, music and arts, Japan House London is part gallery, part shop, part restaurant, part performance space. From manga to woodcarving, there is always something to do and see, best preceded by a pause for sustenance in Akira Restaurant. japanhouselondon.uk 4.00 SMITH & PARTNER (S&P) Specialists in original artworks and limited-edition prints, S&P is an online gallery with a physical space showcasing a revolving door of artists at all stages of their careers. spgallery.co.uk 5.00 NOT SO FARR Globally known for his glorious rugs, Christopher Farr’s hand has been turned to cloth. The result is a riot of exquisite dyes, textures, patterns, and weaves. Browse, delight, and shop. christopherfarrcloth.com 7.00 RESTORE, REPAIR Back at The Kensington we prescribe a warm bath or invigorating shower, followed by cocktails and a light, leisurely supper before bed. doylecollection.com

32

CLIFTON BRIDGE IN 1790 (AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN)

THEN When wine merchant William Vick left £1,000 in his will (back in 1754) to be invested until it reached £10,000 (enough, he conjectured, to build a stone bridge spanning the Avon Gorge), he could have had no knowledge of the twists and turns, or the pared-back icon eventually created. He was also unlikely to have dreamed that the earliest serious submission for the bridge would take a village to fill

it. The 1790s creation of pleasingly named architect William Bridges, this extraordinary multi-storey Italianate façade (digitally imagined above), was to house galleries, museums, a granary, corn exchange, tavern, library, stables, general market, marine school, offices, and chapel, but, at a time of riots, was eventually deemed too extravagant and expensive a folly.

Our loss, perhaps?

& NOW Aged just 24 and recuperating in Clifton following an injury, the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel became aware of a competition to design a bridge spanning the gorge and jumped at the chance.

The first round in 1829 was thrown into disarray by renowned engineer Thomas Telford, who persuaded the committee to reject all submissions in favour of his own gothic towered

CLIFTON BRIDGE, TODAY

unpopular, so the competition was re-run in 1830 when Brunel’s iconic suspension bridge design prevailed (a story in itself). Brunel had been inordinately proud of his design, and the city were ultimately thrilled with his bridge, which was completed after his death, calling it “that stupendous work, the ornament of Bristol and the wonder of the age”.