How the luxe cocktail list at Scarfes Bar came together

I’m in Adelaide this week, taking part in a spot of spirits judging for Tasting Australia’s spirits comp. Below, I’ve got my chat with Andy Loudon, director of bars at the rather fancy Rosewood London, about how they developed the latest menu at Scarfes Bar. Scarfes might just be my favourite hotel bar: it’s got all the trappings of the swanky hotel bar, its’ beautifully appointed, the service is top notch — but it does it without some of the bullshit that other hotel bars put on. The American Bar at The Savoy might be one of the world great bars, but I’ve never felt welcome there. That’s not an issue at Scarfes.

This story, by the way, appears in the winter issue of Boothby in print — the next issue is due to land in September, so if you want to make sure you get a copy all your own, you can do so by grabbing a subscription here. Every paid subscription helps us keep Boothby trucking along, and your support is always much appreciated.

OK, let’s get into it.

The hotel cocktail bar takes up a lot of space in discussions about the world’s best bars — those bars that pop up on any travelling bartender’s must-visit list. There’s good reason for this: they often have larger budgets than small, independent operators can muster, but at the same time they’re designed to give the intimate, get-to-know-you kind of service that marks the small independent bar apart from bigger booze bars more attuned to high turnover.

But as we’ve written before, the hotel bar can be awfully exclusive, often to the point of exclusionary.

Scarfes Bar isn’t that bar.

Located in the London Rosewood Hotel — itself, a rather exclusive night’s rest — Scarfes offers all the trappings of the high end hotel cocktail bar without the snark. It’s a a good looking room, with high ceilings, a stately bar, luxurious low seating and dark timbers and live jazz. It’s unmistakably a hotel bar in the grand old tradition, but it’s not mired in the past.

And this year, they’ve released a new menu that really leans into the latitude that the great hotel cocktail bars are afforded by budget, with an impressive looking menu (and delicious drinks).

We spoke to Andy Loudon, the director of bars at the Rosewood, who led the new menu for Scarfes, about what kind of work goes into making something of this level of ambition.

BOOTHBY: What’s the big idea behind Scarfes Bar?

ANDY LOUDON: Scarfes Bar is built on the idea that great hospitality starts with character, personality in the room, in the service and in the drink. We are inspired by the atmosphere of a drawing room, with live jazz music each day from our talented performers which evokes a convivial yet sophisticated atmosphere — which can be easily found a short walk from Covent Garden. The bar itself is named after the renowned British artist and caricaturist Gerald Scarfe, where the space encapsulates his spirit and satire with his artwork adorning the walls. It’s a theatrical bar without being performative and refined without being stiff. I would describe the bar as British, but with a wink.

What’s the idea behind this latest menu?

Our latest menu at Scarfes Bar, ‘Long Drawn Out Sip’ is a tribute to Gerald Scarfe, not just the artist, but the person behind the pen. It’s a narrative menu built around his life’s themes, his early fears, his obsessions, and his moments of transformation with 24 signature serves, and two non-alcoholic adaptations. We wanted to take guests on a journey through his work through the medium of dreams — both whimsical ones and nightmarish, creating liquid doorways for them to immerse themselves within his surreal and wonderful creative outlook on the world — through the medium of flavour. This is the first time the bar has really delved into his story in such a focused way, and that felt important for my first menu here.

How does this one differ from the previous menu?

This is the most personal and introspective menu we’ve done, as previous menus at Scarfes Bar have been imaginative and expressive, but this one pulls directly from Gerald Scarfe’s life. We used previously unseen caricatures from his archive, and structured the drinks into emotional chapters: Desires, Fears, Revelations and Transformations. The drinks are designed to reflect specific feelings and moments, not just inspired by his art, but also his book ‘Long Drawn Out Trip : A Memoir’.

Tell us about one of your favourites on the list?

Toothless Grin is a favourite of mine. It sits in the ‘Fears’ section of the menu, and is inspired by Gerald Scarfe’s grotesque, satirical depictions of political figures, with exaggerated mouths and crooked smiles, with an unsettling honesty. We built the drink with a base of beetroot distillate and medjool date cognac, with Rémy Martin 1738 giving it structure and warmth, and citra hops adding brightness and a touch of bitterness. It’s served on a custom board made by our carpentry team, with a special olfactory spoon that delivers flavour hits: salt, fat, and acid through elements like goat’s cheese, absinthe gel, and lemon curd. It’s playful, layered, and just the right amount of strange. It sums up what this menu is about: satire, imagination, and cocktails that make you feel something.

How long did this menu take to develop?

It took approximately nine months from start to finish. We began with deep research into Gerald Scarfe’s work, his books, his shows, and his interviews. I bought everything he’d ever published and tried to immerse myself in his world before we even started writing cocktail concepts. From there, it was a collaborative process. We mapped out the emotional framework first and then built drinks to sit within those chapters. I like to start with a name and let the flavour follow. It’s slightly backwards, but it keeps things story first.

There’s a line from Orson Welles that I love which states “The absence of limitations is the enemy of art”, which guided a lot of our decisions. We worked across liquid development, service training, glassware, and graphic design — it was a full team effort. We have also already started planning the next one with a longer development cycle, giving us even more room to refine.

In your view, what job does a good menu have to do for the guest?

A good menu should connect and feel like something you want to spend time with, not just read through the pages and forget. Whether it’s through flavour, story or aesthetic, it should invite guests into a world. It also shouldn’t overwhelm them, the best menus guide without forcing, surprise without alienating. They offer a moment of escape, a little reflection, and a bit of fun. The cocktails should carry the weight of the idea, not the other way around. That’s the magic of hospitality, when a menu stops being a list and becomes something that enhances the whole experience.

What has been the early reaction to the menu? Which drinks are proving most popular, and why do you think that is?

The response so far in Scarfes Bar has been great. Our guests are taking their time with the menu, asking questions, and leaning into the stories which is exactly what we had hoped for. The cocktail Rock Star has been flying. It’s vibrant, confident, a bit flashy, and it taps into Gerald Scarfe’s take on celebrities with a nod to the glamour and absurdity of fame. Retail Therapy is another standout. It’s got a clever name, but more importantly, it delivers flavour in a way that’s both nostalgic and unexpected. People gravitate toward drinks that feel familiar but still manages to surprise them. That’s the space at Scarfes Bar we are always trying to land in.