The bar at Velvet, Corinthia's London's new cocktail bar
So what do we need to know about Velvet?
It's the latest bar to open at The Corinthia just off Whitehall. Its biggest flex? Bringing in none other than Salvatore Calabrese - or The Cocktail Maestro as he's also known - to come up with the drinks list.
Where is it?
If you know the hotel well, you'll remember this space as being where The Bassoon Bar used to be. You'll find it behind velvet curtains before you get to the entrance of the Northall. It's been given a new look by restaurant designers David Collins Studio, making it a much darker, sexier spot to hole up in.
Where should we sit?
Here, we think:
There are lots of cosy corners in the bar. We preferred the main section which gives you a good view of the live band, but there's another curtained-off section to the left of the bar if you're after somewhere more secluded.
What's on the drinks list?
Drinks are split into five main categories - you've got your old-school 1920s classics, a 2020s modern section, a list devoted to martinis (Salvatore, if you didn't know, was the man who made Duke's Bar famous) and a section on Salvatore's signatures like his Breakfast Martini and Spicy Fifty.
There's also - should your budget be on the generous side - a section called Golden Era Vintage Cocktails which use vintage spirits from the 1920s and 1930s. The spendiest option here is a Sidecar made with a 1938 Hine Cognac and costing an eye-watering £350.
There are bar snacks too, presumably?
There are nine options on the bar food menu, ranging in price from £12 for some Autumn veggie tempura with fennel seeds and a dashi ponzu dipping sauce to £130 for blinis and Oscietra caviar.
Salvatore's Spicy Fifty (£22) - one of the signature cocktails made with Stolichnaya vanilla, honey syrup and fresh chilli. It may be heresy to say this but we much preferred the martinis which were every bit as good as you might imagine they would be
Truffled Croque Monsieur made with 24 Month Aged Comté, Wiltshire Honey Roast and topped with Confit Egg Yolk (£14) - SUCH a good bar snack.
Scottish salmon sashimi with Crispy Baby Gem Heart and Chipotle Mayonnaise (£18)
Truffle sazerac (£23) made with truffled Remy Martin and a Senorita (£21) which is a smoky take on the Tommy's Margarita.
Overall thoughts:
As longtime readers of Hot Dinners will know, there are no lengths we won't go to for a good martini and the one here is blindingly great. Velvet is also a lovely, louche-looking space and a good addition to London's bar scene, so it's an easy recommendation.
More about Velvet
Where is it? Corinthia London, Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @corinthialondon
Hot Dinners visited as guests of Velvet. Prices correct at time of publication.
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