MASTERFUL MIXOLOGY: ZETTER TOWNHOUSE
Post by Judith Schrut Email Judith
Eccentric, charming, discreet and heavenly are phrases which trip easily off the tongue as you pass through the deceptively plain blue front door and enter the Zetter Townhouse cocktail lounge. ZTH, as it’s affectionately known, is the weird sister to Clerkenwell’s Zetter Hotel, one of London’s hippest hotels in its coolest quarter. Think Downton Abbey, stir in Potter’s Museum of Curiosities and garnish with a teaspoon of Hogwarts School, all set in this fascinating part of Dickensian London, once hedged with breweries and gin distilleries.
You may remember seeing the winning team in a recent episode of BBC’s The Apprentice whooping it up with ZTH cocktails and wishing you were there. Although a relative newby on the scene, it’s already swept up a whole bunch of accolades, including Good Hotel Guide’s London Hotel of the Year, and has quickly become a favourite haunt for the capital’s cleverest cocktail lovers. Once inside, get comfy in a battered armchair in front of the crackling fire, surrounded by odd portraits, unusual knick knacks, taxidermied cats and a stuffed kangaroo, and believe us, you won’t want to leave. And then there are those cocktails!
Behind all the magic is the talented and respected Grandbardaddy of alcoholic alchemy, Tony Conigliaro, of Drinks Factory and Colebrooke Row fame. His cocktails, cordials and infusions are inspired by old recipes for tinctures, bitters and herbal remedies. Wizard Tony’s new recipe book, Drinks, shows he knows as much about alcohol in perfume as in beverages and puts this knowledge to unique use in his cocktail creations.
Our bartender William showed pure joy as he glowingly described each entry in ZTH’s cocktail menu, all innovative tipples, handmade with carefully sourced ingredients and love. Signature drinks include the naval- themed Master at Arms, a combo of Myers rum, port evaporation and homemade pomegranate based grenadine. The result is a deep, dark and deliciously addictive tipple, served in a rope wrapped stem coupette glass for added nautical flavour. The Koln (as in Cologne) Martini, is a heady mixture of dry gin, Martini and homemade citrus aromatics and described to us as drinkable perfume, whilst Somerset Sour toasts a cross-Channel alliance of Somerset cider brandy and Breton cider. The Flintlock, made with Beefeater Gin, gunpowder tea tincture, dandelion, Fernet Branca and burdock bitters, includes a showstopping performance with a lit fuse.
Impressed as we were so far, our visit was lifted to an even higher level when our enchanting server, Aga, appeared with a fat spread of Bruno Loubet nibbles, including melt-in-the-mouth parmesan shortbread, pork crackling pigtails with apple sauce, rarebit baked spuds and ecstasy producing deep fried anchovy olives. Eat a bowl of those olives, down a couple of Masters at Arms and you’ll go to bed happy. That’s a promise.
Zetter Townhouse, St John’s Square, Clerkenwell (House Cocktails from £8.50)