Hotel Café Royal pays homage to one of its most renowned past patrons and one of Britain’s most globally recognised pop icons by debuting a bar in his honour. Ziggy’s will establish itself as a playful tribute to David Bowie, who famously held the retirement party for his alter ego Ziggy Stardust at Café Royal in the 1970s. Adjacent to newly opened restaurant Laurent, helmed by internationally renowned chef Laurent Tourondel, on the first floor, the bar will serve a modern twist on some of Bowie’s favourite drinks plus classics and innovative new creations.
Ziggy’s will offer a range of cocktails inspired both by David Bowie’s life and his famous album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”, with each drink named after a lyric from the record. Hotel Café Royal’s Bars and Beverages Manager Fabio Spinetti, formerly of The Connaught, has worked collaboratively with the Ziggy’s bar team to create this unique menu. A believer in understated and classic cocktails, Spinetti’s varied menu caters to all tastes, and include carefully considered liqueurs and garnishes, all nodding to Bowie’s life and his eccentric character.
Highlights from the new menu include:
- Darkness and Disgrace – This drink draws inspiration from several classic cocktails, namely the Rum Flip and Espresso Martini. The combination of dark rum, tawny port, coffee liqueur, sugar syrup and egg yolk creates a light and creamy drink, perfect for finishing off dinner or to start the night ahead.
- Animal Grace – An ‘orange shrub’, made with leftover orange skins, orange juice and Chardonnay vinegar, is mixed with tequila, Ancho Reyes (a spicy liqueur), apricot liqueur, agave syrup, lime juice and soda water. Finished with an orange and chilli crusted rim, this makes a spicy yet refreshing serve.
- Tiger on Vaseline – Inspired by the 70s classic the Pińa Colada, this elevated version of the cocktail is a mix of Cachaça, Tanaka spiced rum, roasted pineapple juice and lime juice. The drink is then topped with a homemade coconut and white chocolate foam, finishing on a sweet and tropical note.
- Femme Fatale – This cocktail has been created with Bowie’s love of martinis in mind. Linked with the restaurant’s extensive range of sushi, it uses Japanese liqueur sake and French aperitif Byrrh (a sweet vermouth), and is garnished with a delicate rose petal floating on top.
The room will also feature a curated selection of photography of David Bowie by prolific music photographer Mick Rock, who was Bowie’s official photographer during the last years of Ziggy’s career. The selection will include some of the most well-known images of Ziggy alongside some more intimate and rarely seen before photographs.
Ziggy’s is open Monday – Saturday from 5pm – 1am.
