London Larder was devised in 2012 to bring you the ultimate eating and drinking guide to London. It was borne out of a need for up-to-date, quantitative and whole-heartedly recommended places to eat and drink.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Gin & Jazz at the Intercontinental Hotel

Cocktails
Park Lane

There are certain drinks that are unequivocally associated with specific types of music. Blues and whiskey, indie and lager, rum and reggae. When it comes to jazz however, there is no more appropriate accompaniment than gin and so Park Lane's Intercontinental Hotel have matched them up for a regular evening of cocktails and live music; notably Gin & Jazz.

In the Arch bar within the hotel (overlooking the Wellington Arch, naturally), guests are invited to party like it's 1929 with food and drink inspired by the era, plus performances from jazz acts accompanied by delightful flapper dancers. The evenings, which come around once a month, have different bands each time and our visit saw an appearance from 52 Skidoo, a trio of musicians playing jazz, ragtime and vaudeville, providing a very civilised accompaniment to our evening. The gin feels deliciously decadent in this context. A personal favourite was a twist on the Long Island Iced Tea with gin, vodka, rum, lemonade, Cointreau and a dash of Coke. Other signature cocktails include the sweet and sour Cloudy Moonshine which combines the gin with tea, benedictine and vanilla, and the Bootlegger; a fragrant, slightly bitter short of Galliano, port, orange juice, angostura and Peychaud bitters complementing the gin.

Alongside this, we also recommend the sharing platter of tasty nibbles. Mini cheeseburgers, duck rillette on sour dough toast, scallops and halibut ceviche, spicy chicken skewers and mini chorizo sausages with garlic mayo; all providing delicate, elegant mouthfuls. 

Gin & Jazz provides a very sophisticated evening and would be highly recommended for a date if you're looking to impress. Be warned though, they do get very busy and reservations are essential, so make sure to book ahead. A decadent and elegant evening, highly recommended.

The next Gin & Jazz is taking place on Thursday 19 July. Book by calling 020 7409 3131 or by clicking here.

Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane, W1J 7QY

Sharing Platter: £25
Signature Cocktails: £9.50
Food/Drink: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Value: 4/5

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