At the 5 star Langham Hotel’s cocktail bar, less is more.
Except when it comes to the decor.
It’s been designed as a nod to the old Victorian cabinets of curiosities: desks, sideboards, even rooms brimming with exotic objects brought back from around the world… although really the result is somewhere between that, and what you’d expect from a £350-a-night hotel bar.
Mirrored shelves lined with bottles are displayed in gilded, pagoda-style frames; lamp shades rest on horse heads; and the seating is all purple leather. However it also boasts a few classical touches, like the floor-to-ceiling bay windows which flood the space with light during the daytime, and huge, over-sized chandeliers that bathe it in a warm, yellowy glow at night.
It’s possible you already know about Artesian, as it was crowned World’s Best Bar four years in a row (2011-2015) – though it’s changed hands since then. Holding the reins nowadays are Head Bartender Remy Savage (previously of Paris’ Little Red Door, which he also helped to get to #11 on the World’s Best list), and Bar Manager Anna Sebastian (who spent many years with the esteemed Beaufort Bar).
After a period of stripped-back minimalism, featuring drinks made with two key ingredients, theatricality is back on the menu at Artesian. Meticulously prepared in their underground drinks laboratory and served with super-cold, high-density ice, current concoctions include the earthy take on a dry martini with sake, koji and ‘soil scent’; a whisky sour with coffee, corn and, er, crickets; and the impressive Amaranth, which combines its quinoa-like protagonist with cognac, sherry and cream to create a deliciously boozy, malty, ice cream-like drink.
And that’s the full scoop.
NOTE: Artesian is open daily from 4pm till 1am (midnight Sun-Wed) – to book, visit their website here.
Artesian | Langham Hotel, 1C Portland Place, W1B 1JA
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