The Beaumont Hotel has unveiled a revived team led by Stuart Procter, who previously made waves as managing director of the Stafford. His star-studded crew includes Elvis Ziakos, a renowned sommelier and wine judge, and Antonino Lo Iacono, a spirits maestro who previously mixed martinis at Duke’s.
The bar’s theme pays homage to Surrealism, recognised in 1924 by Dadaist Andre Breton. Inspired by the works of icons Rene Magritte, Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst, Lo Iacono has crafted a fresh drinks menu which pairs paintings with cocktails.
My journey began with Le Maítre d’Ecole, a tribute to Magritte’s iconic bowler-hatted figure. LoIacono shared a tale of when he accidentally “exploded” an espresso martini over the replica painting above the bar during a busy service, which he promptly cleansed with hand sanitiser. As blue as the painting’s sky, the drink combines Broker’s gin — which wears a bowler hat as its lid — homemade Earl Grey liqueur, and clarified lemon juice, garnished with a slither of citrus mimicking the picture’s fingernail moon.
As blue as the painting’s sky, the drink is garnished with a slither of citrus mimicking the picture’s fingernail moon.
Next, I sampled the Red Tower, inspired by Giorgio de Chirico’s solitary fortress. De Chirico believed every object has two appearances: the mundane and the metaphysical, seen only by a few in moments of profound insight. This non-alcoholic drink mirrored how such moments of clarity can be observed by those who are sober in a bustling bar. Reminiscent of a Bellini in appearance, it combined hibiscus and cherry blossom.
I concluded with a classic: the barrel-aged Negroni, predating the Surrealist theme of the new menu. It starred the Beaumont’s own gin, pepped with honey from the hotel’s rooftop hives. With its ochre tint akin to Chirico’s Red Tower, it epitomised timeless elegance.
“You cannot mess with a Negroni,” Lo Iacono declared, adding, perhaps in reference to the smart Le Maítre d’Ecole figure: “Like a tailored suit, this drink will always be fashionable.”
