One thing I don’t give much time for these days is the good old-fashioned cocktail bar. I’m so consumed with eating in restaurants and having cocktails at my table that I’ve forgotten about the bar and nothing says a good bar like one inside a luxury hotel – especially with service as immaculate as this. In fact you’ll be hard pushed to find better at any bar in London. It’s unobtrusive, yet attentive enough and the staff are incredibly knowledgeable about what they serve. The Polo Bar’s Head Mixologist Carmine Catena and Head Chef Brian Fantoni have created something very special here. Mixing together some of London’s best cocktails, alongside faultless bar snacks to accompany them.
Choosing a cocktail here at The Polo Bar will be your hardest decision. There is such a large variety to choose from, and each so unique that you feel a bit overwhelmed – but in a good way. We started light with one of the bars Botanical Gin Experience concoctions. A collaboration between Tanqueray No.10 gin and the delicious Fever-Tree tonics. Fruity infusions are home-made on site and served in tea strainers, giving you the chance to create your own intensity. There’s a whole list of them too – we opted for a chamomile & strawberry blend. Perfectly balanced and perfectly light. Perhaps not the best drink for a cold winters evening, but perfect as a summer refresher. To settle us in some panko crusted prawns were ordered off the menu – expertly cooked, juicy and the crumb was the perfect shade of golden.
The great thing about The Polo Bar is that it just keeps on giving. When you think it can’t get any better, it does. There’s not holding back here. A visit to this fabulous Mayfair institution isn’t complete without exploring concoctions from the Polo Signature Cocktails selection. The Mayfair Gold – a magical blend of Tanqueray gin shaken with fresh lychee & elderflower, which is topped with chilled Moët Brut Rosé NV. Perhaps the most decadent drink I’ve ever sipped on and infused with more gold than my body has ever seen – yet in all its flashy exterior the flavour was punchy and sensual. If velvet was a cocktail it would be this. Some jaw dropping spring rolls made an appearance, filled with confit duck, spring onion and plum dipping sauce. A fruity saffron infused cocktail served in a martini glass was just as tantalising. I loved the idea of a mini version too – a great way to try-before-you-drink. That way there’s no fighting over who prefers what.
Choosing a favourite cocktail is always a hard choice, especially here, but one in particular really stood out for me – the house Negroni. Made up with Tanqueray gin, Campari, Picon vermouth and a touch of Cynar helped bring this classic into my top 10 favourite drinks. Mixed to absolute perfection this Negroni had a balance of sweet, sour & bitter like nothing I’ve enjoyed so much before. Yet another bar snack of smoked salmon cones were filled with London smoked salmon, crème fraiche, chives and Aquitaine caviar – another perfect few bites, delicate enough to not spoil our cocktails.
If you ever manage to visit The Polo Bar on a quiet day then try your best to reserve a table by the window – it’s the perfect place to people watch and Mayfair has some interesting characters that you won’t want to miss. The more we got into the cocktail menu here the stronger our drinks started to become. Start light and end strong – that’s my motto. If you like your cocktails heavy on alcohol and with little else then ‘The Vieux Carré’ is for you. A blend of Rittenhouse rye whiskey, Hennessey VS, Benedictine & bitters. It will blow your mind – and not just because of the high abv. Order a plate of yellow tail tuna alongside, it’s wrapped in rice paper and doused in pickled ginger, coriander, caramel soy and sesame dressing. The best quality tuna I’ve eaten all year.
Dessert cocktails with dessert you say? OK well not quite but close. The team here at The Polo Bar use imagination and skill to create drinks for every occasion and instance, such as something to wash down the incredibly addictive Frangelico Cornettos which are filled with hazelnut liquor, pastry cream, caramel and honey cress. I sipped on the finest Normand Julep I’ve ever set my eyes and palate upon, with sweet flavours of rosemary and apple from the 8yr old Château de Breuil Calvados.
The Polo Bar at The Westbury was for me the best cocktail experience I’ve had in London yet. The royal blue-tinted lounge is luxurious and decadent, the service is outstanding, bar snacks are faultless and the cocktails out of this world. I couldn’t recommend this luxury bar enough and advise you all to seek it out. The Polo Bar at The Westbury is the best cocktail bar in London. Fact. The prices may not exactly be cheap, but money can’t buy the amount of love, care and attention that goes into everything here.
10/10
