'The Maestro' to open Velvet bar at Corinthia London

Called Velvet, it will be located on the former site of the Bassoon Bar in the hotel and will serve a cocktail list described as balancing ‘references to a bygone era with a modern approach to mixology’, along with subtle and personal twists from Calabrese.

Cocktails will include the Breakfast Martini and Spicy Fifty, with a range non-alcoholic options and a menu of small plates also to be served.

Bar manager will be Christian Maspes.

Velvet’s interiors will be designed by David Collins Studio with furniture upholstered in shades of red and royal blue, deep velvet curtains convex mirrors, and ‘lavish’ lighting. The bar will also have a space for live music.

Known as ‘The Maestro’, Calabrese says that Velvet will bring back the theatre to cocktail making and the “the music of the shake”.

“Corinthia London is such a glamorous hotel, and it deserves a sensational new bar,” he says. “We want to celebrate the magic and theatre of hospitality, with a cocktail list of sophisticated classics, that have stood the test of time, alongside modern drinks which are now well-established in the 2020s.

“Velvet will be a seductive, intimate bar that we know will become one of the most desirable destinations in London.”

The bar will join the other food and drink venues at Corinthia London, which include The Garden, Kerridge’s Bar & Grill and The Northall Restaurant & Bar, and will open on 7 November.

“We are delighted to showcase our new bar Velvet, which will celebrate ‘joie de vivre’, with a subtle nod to the golden age of cocktails but with a modern approach as well,” adds Thomas Kochs, managing director of Corinthia London.

“Concealed behind rich, velvet curtains will be an elegant and thoughtfully designed setting for guests to meet and have fun, and where the lost art of cocktail making will be beautifully reimagined.”