Ah, the hotel bar. The breeding ground for most of cocktail history over the last century, this bastion of timeless elegance, taste and service had been long overlooked by modern Flirtini lovers. But as the call for classic cocktails returns, hotel bars have a chance to recapture the limelight, with many of the original European hotel bars reinventing themselves for today’s clientele. Cue the Mint Bar in the Westin Hotel.
I started the night as all potentially classy drinking sessions should, wolfing down a soggy Tesco Meal Deal in the pissing rain, waiting for my cohort and colleague Vania. Palate suitably primed, we wandered into the warmth of the luxurious hotel lobby and down the marble steps to the bar.
We had been pushed to finally visit after hearing about their temporary menu Love/Hate, the favourites of which look set to make it onto the main menu. All ringing in at ten euros, they represent an effort of varying results from manager and mixologist Karl Byrne to elaborate on the familiar flavour combinations of classic drinks. After much deliberation we ended up with a Smokin Marzipan Martini with cigar infused Glenmorangie, Amaretto, Martini Rosso, bitters and orange zest presented in a whisky tasting glass. We should have seen it coming, but it was far too sweet for our liking. Thus we turned our attention to the head-turner of the evening, the Octopus’ Garden. In essence it was a Gin Martini, but instead of an olive there was a petite but perfectly formed smoked baby Octopus lurking at the bottom of my drink. It looked fantastic, and was one of the most visually engaging cocktails I’ve ever had, but even more importantly the garnish really imparted flavour that we were not expecting. We were transported from straight Martini to a whiff of sea breeze, ending in a rubbery romp at Wright’s of Howth. And yes, the octopus was consumed.
This set the tone for the main menu, with a well presented set of standards sitting alongside nods to contemporary cocktails trends. Unfortunately this meant the inclusion of the ire-inducing barrel-aged cocktail list – it’s not big and it’s not clever. The highlights of the evening were the Hemingway Sour (€12.50), with the Woodford Reserve Bourbon and Drambuie cutting through more than your average whiskey sour (cheers Ernest!) and the Corpse Reviver #2 (€11.50) that made for a refreshing end to the evening. All throughout the staff were attentive and over-archingly pleasant, presenting us with various bottles to inspect and taste as we made our way through the menu.
The bar itself was a mix of welcome juxtapositions: house music pouring out over the reserved decor of the former Bank vaults, and the clientele ranging from casual after-work drinkers watching the football and hotel guests reading the paper to cocktail-focussed customers poring over the various menus. And I guess that’s what a good hotel bar like the Mint Bar does; serves a variety of functions with style and aplomb. They’ve got the classics nailed, and with forays into more exciting territory, this is definitely one to keep in mind.
