History | Signature Hotel Dishes and Drinks

Famous for their striking architecture and sophisticated ambience, many hotels are also famed for the dishes and cocktails invented in their kitchens and at their bars.

Grand Hotels are known for their signature dishes and drinks. The Bloody Mary is said to have been invented by a St Regis bartender. And, in 1915 at Raffles, Singapore, Ngiam Tong Boon supposedly invented the Singapore Sling. Let’s meet a few more Grand Hotel inventions. 

Beef Carpaccio, invented at Harry’s Bar, Venice

Created for a Countess who had been advised by her doctor to avoid cooked meats, this raw beef dish was just the ticket. It was invented by the owner of Harry’s Bar, Guiseppe Cipriani, and named after the artist Vittore Carpaccio who had an exhibition in Venice at the time and was famed for using bright reds, the colour of Beef Carpaccio.

Chocolate Brownies, invented at the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago

In 1893 Bertha Palmer, the wife of the Palmer Hotel’s owner, asked the chef to create a pudding to go into the lunchboxes of female guests who would be going to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The hotel still bakes them to the original recipe, which includes walnuts and an apricot glaze. 

Peach Melba, The Savoy Hotel, London

When Australian Soprano singer, Nellie Melba, was in London performing in Lohengrin, a dinner was thrown for her at the Savoy by the Duke of Orleans. The Savoy’s head chef, August Escoffier served her fresh peaches and vanilla ice cream on top of an ice sculpture of a swan (a reference to the opera). Due to the swan, it was originally called Peche au Cygnet, but Escoffier later added raspberry puree when he took the idea to the Ritz, and called it Peach Melba. 

The Ritz Sidecar, The Ritz, Paris

Surely one of the world’s priciest cocktails (a mere snip at £1,500), this Parisian tipple is made with Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice (though apparently The Hemingway Bar at The Ritz, where it was invented has secret ingredients that it does not divulge). We can only imagine at that price that the secret ingredient is gold bullion…

The Martini, The Knickerbocker Hotel, New York

Invented at the Knickerbocker, NYC, the first martini is said to have been mixed by a bartender by the name Martini di Arma di Taggia, for John D Rockefeller, who was strong, dry and smooth, just like a martini… It’s made with gin, Vermouth and orange and citrus bitters. 

If you’re feeling inspired to live more of the Grand Hotel lifestyle yourself, don’t miss out feature, ‘In Grand Style’ in our June issue, where you can learn all about the history of some rather posh hotels. 

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Tipple | Rosemary Rum Spritz

Rosemary and red wine syrup makes this cocktail aromatic and complex rather than sticky and sweet

Makes 1 7.5ml red wine syrup

2 rosemary sprigs, plus one to garnish
45ml three-year-old rum
60ml pink grapefruit juice
Ice cubes
Soda water, to top up

For the red wine syrup:

100ml red wine
100g caster sugar

You will need:

Pan, funnel, cocktail shaker, muddler and strainer

1 To make the red wine syrup, place the wine and sugar in a pan, stir well and heat gently to a simmer (do not boil). Keep stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved then remove from the heat. Leave to cool before using a funnel to pour the mixture into a clean glass bottle (you can store this in the fridge for up to 1 month).

2 Meanwhile, to make the spritz, muddle the rosemary in a cocktail shaker.

3 Add ice, along with the red wine syrup,rum and pink grapefruit juice, then shake vigorously to chill.

4 Strain into a glass with fresh ice and top with soda. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

Bartender’s note: The structure of red wine is what really adds to the depth of flavour. It goes well with darker spirits, too. Avoid anything too aged and stick to good-value, mellow wines such as rioja joven from Spain, shiraz from Australia or merlot from Chile.

Taken from Home Cocktail Bible by Olly Smith (Quadrille). Photography: Matt Russell. We feature a tipple each month in The Simple Things. Buy our May issue to find more seasonal ways to celebrate late spring.

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Tipple | Rhubarb Mimosas

The two fruits of the moment are pink, squeaky stemmed, forced rhubarb and lovely sour gooseberries. Either could be used for this spring cocktail, and should be treated the same way: stewed in a little water and honey to sweeten their sourness and then sieved to make a smooth syrup. Gooseberry is the more traditional ingredient for a Whitsun feast, but rhubarb makes a particularly pretty pink drink.

Serves 6

6 stems forced rhubarb (as pink as you can find)
Runny honey
1 bottle champagne or other sparkling wine

1 Chop the rhubarb into 5cm chunks and tip into a saucepan over a medium heat with a small splash of water – rhubarb contains plenty of water so you only need just enough to get it going. Let it bubble away until the rhubarb has completely softened and then use a fork to break and mash the pieces up.

2 Strain into a bowl and add runny honey to taste.

3 Pour your syrup into a jar and chill in the fridge. When ready to serve, fill half a glass with the chilled rhubarb syrup and top with sparkling wine.

This is just one of the recipes from our Nature’s Table feature by Lia Leendertz. The other late spring recipes include confit duck with petits pois and Lincolnshire Whitsun cake. You can find it starting on page 8 of our May issue.

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Recipe: Fizzy amaretto sours

Prosecco lends festive sparkle to this almondy tipple

Makes 1

2 shots amaretto
1 shot lemon juice
½ shot sugar syrup (see below)
Prosecco
Sliced lemon and cocktail cherries, to serve

1. To make sugar syrup, combine equal volumes of water and sugar (a cup of each, say) in a saucepan, heat gently till the sugar dissolves, leave to cool and store in a bottle or jar.

2. Pile a glass with ice and then pour in the amaretto, lemon juice and syrup before topping with the prosecco. Mix carefully with a spoon and serve with a slice of lemon and a cherry.

Merry Midwinter from The Simple Things!

This cocktail recipe was first published in December 2016. Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

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Tipple of the month | Pisco Sour

Raise a glass to Peru’s best export (apart from Paddington)

The South American brandy, pisco, made from muscat grapes, was said to have been first made into the famous cocktail by Victor Vaughen Morris, an American bartender working in Peru, in the early 20th century. The first Saturday of February is National Pisco Sour Day.

MAKE IT: pour a 1⁄2 measure of lime juice, 2 measures pisco, 1 tbsp beaten egg white into shaker with ice.
Add a dash of gomme syrup and a dash of angostura bitters.
Shake. Strain into glass.
Salud!

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Christmas | How to make a great martini

Glamour distilled. Best served with the inevitable Bond on the telly

1 Add a measure of dry vermouth into a martini glass, swooshing it around so the glass is coated. Then pour into a cocktail shaker, swirl before chucking out anything remaining.
2 Add a measure of gin into the shaker along with a couple of ice cubes.
3 Shake gently, before popping it into the freezer.
4 Prep your glass, by wiping the rim with lemon zest. Then it goes in the freezer too.
5 Patiently wait for 30 minutes, then strain into a glass.
6 Garnish with an olive.

The December issue features a cracker of a Miscellany Christmas special (page 99), packed with puzzles, games, stocking fillers, bad jokes, amazing facts and forgotten wisdom, including:

• Mix a great martini 

• Secret Santa gifts

• Make sweet frumenty 

• Christmas i-spy

• How to carve turkey 

• Fizzy amaretto sours 

• Make invisible ink

• Froebel stars

• Wrapping awkward gifts 

• Beat the family at games

• The Simple Things’ sprouts & crackers board game

• Identifier: Bestseller toys 

• Bah humbug word search

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View the sampler here

More from the December issue:

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Tipple of the month: Pomegranate Punch

A really pretty, colourful party piece for any get-together. The autumnal colours feel just right for this time of year

You will need:
Seeds from 2 pomegranates
2 x 750ml bottles prosecco, chilled
1 x 750ml bottle sparkling
apple-pomegranate or apple cider

1 Make an ice ring by tipping the seeds from a pomegranate into a Bundt tin, topping up with water and freezing overnight.

2 Mix the prosecco and sparkling cider in a small punch bowl or large mixing bowl. Just as your guests arrive, add the ice ring, as it can melt quickly. Sprinkle over some extra pomegranate seeds to garnish.

Recipe and photography from The Forest Feast Gatherings by Erin Gleeson (Abrams).

More from the November issue:

More seasonal drinks:

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Recipe: Saffron G&Ts

Saffron G&Ts

Add a golden hue to your gin and tonic with a pinch of saffron and slices of fresh mango

Serves 4–6

pinch of saffron
pinch of sugar
crushed ice
slices of fresh mango
handful of fresh mint
250ml gin
500ml tonic or sparkling water to top up

1 Crush saffron with a pinch of sugar in a pestle and mortar – or you can use the back of a spoon and a small bowl.

2 Shake the saffron with the gin and leave to infuse for as long as you can.

3 Pour the gin into an ice-filled jug or tumblers packed with slices of fresh mango and mint. Top up with tonic or sparkling water.

Read more:

From the October issue

Cocktail recipes

More saffron recipes

Recipes: Wild cocktails for warm midsummer evenings part two

Rose Petal Syrup (for the Chelsea Fringe Collins cocktail)

Makes approximately 750ml

6 handfuls pink and/or red rose petals
1.2kg caster sugar
750ml water
Zest of half an unwaxed, organic orange
1 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Equipment
Sealable presentation bottles, sterilized

1 Snip off the bitter white tip at the base of each petal. Or, when picking the petals from the rosebush, pull them in a clump with one hand and snip the base off in one go with the other.

2 Loosely pack the petals in a nonreactive bowl and add about 400g of the sugar. Gently massage it into the petals to bruise them and start the maceration. Cover with a clean dishtowel and leave overnight or for up to 12 hours.

3 You should return to a gooey mess; the petals have shrunk and the sugar has extracted some colour and flavour from them. Tip the mixture into a non-stick pan and add the remaining sugar, water, orange zest, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and gently bring to a boil. The colour should transfer from the petals into the liquid. Simmer for 5 mins or until you have a thick, unctuous syrup.

4 Let the syrup cool. Strain it into a wide-mouthed pitcher, then funnel into the sterilized presentation bottles and seal. You can store it in the fridge for well over a month. As this is a rich simple syrup, you need only very small quantities in your sodas and cocktails.

Honeysuckle Syrup (for the Honeysuckle cocktail)

Makes approximately 500ml

8 large handfuls of unsprayed honeysuckle flowers, leaves and stems removed
400g caster sugar*
Juice of half a lemon

Equipment
Sealable presentation bottles, sterilized

1 Place the honeysuckle flowers in a non-stick bowl and cover with cold water, then leave to steep for 12 hours, or at least overnight, at room temperature. Make sure the flowers are completely covered by the water.

2 Strain the mixture into a measuring cup, discarding the flowers. Pour the liquid into a non-stick pan.

3 Measure an equal amount of sugar to the liquid and add to the pan.

4 Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 mins.

5 Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

6 Add the lemon juice and funnel into the sterilized presentation bottles.

*Feel free to replace half the sugar with a handful of chopped sweet cicely leaves, but bear in mind that this will adjust the colour

Rowan, Honey and Lemon Foam (for the Honeysuckle Cocktail)

Makes enough foam for 15 drinks

1½  sheets gelatin (platinum grade)
60ml runny honey
60ml Rowan Syrup*
60ml lemon juice
180ml hot water
120ml pasteurized egg whites
Wild honeysuckle blossom

Equipment
Professional cream whipper with 2 N2O cartridges

1 Place the gelatin sheets in a bowl of iced water and soak them until they are pliable (about 10 mins).

2 Meanwhile, combine the honey, rowan syrup, lemon juice and hot water in a non-stick pan over a very low heat, until the honey is dissolved. Strain using a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan.

3 Squeeze the excess water from the softened gelatin sheets. Drop the sheets into the pan containing the mix and heat gently to dissolve the gelatin. Stir constantly and do not allow to reach boiling point.

4 Turn off the heat as soon as the gelatin is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature (should take about 15 mins).

5 Place the egg whites in a bowl and lightly whisk until slightly frothy and pour into the pan.

6 Funnel this liquid into the whipper. Charge it with the 2 N2O cartridges, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Shake well for at least a minute and refrigerate.

7 Let the foam stabilize for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight, before using.

8 Shake the whipper well before dispensing. Tip it upside down so that it is completely inverted over the cocktail. Let the foam settle for 20 seconds before garnishing with wild honeysuckle blossom.

*Rowan Syrup (for the Rowan, Honey and Lemon Foam, to go in the Honeysuckle cocktail)

Makes approximately 1 litre

1kg very ripe, bright red rowan berries
Approximately 2 litres water
1 heaped tsp salt
700g caster sugar

Equipment
Sealable presentation bottles, sterilized
Large jelly bag or muslin

1 Separate the rowan berries from their stalks, then wash and rinse the berries. Add to a non-stick pan and pour in about 1 litre of water and the salt, making sure the berries are covered.

2 Bring to a boil and simmer long enough for them to become soft (about 25 mins). Remove from the heat.

3 Using the jelly bag/muslin, slowly strain the berries and liquid into a wide-mouthed pitcher.

4 Return the pulp to the pan and add the remaining 1 litre of water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.

5 Strain the pulp, as above, into the pitcher.

6 Return all the strained liquid to the cleaned pan, add the sugar, bring to a boil, and boil hard for 5 mins. Remove from the heat.

7 Funnel the syrup into the presentation bottles while still piping hot. Seal. 8 Store in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a month.

Cocktail recipes from Wild Cocktails from the Midnight Apothecary by Lottie Muir (CICO Books, £16.99). Over 100 recipes using home-grown and foraged fruits, herbs and edible flowers. www.thecocktailgardener.co.uk

Recipe: May Bowl

This simple punch originated in Germany and is traditionally served on May Day. Sweet woodruff*, Galium odoratum, is a creeping herb found in shady patches under trees. Its leaves and flowers add sweet, herbal, vanilla and woody notes to dry white wine and champagne. Pick the leaves and flowers the day before, so they dry out slightly and give off a stronger scent.

MAY BOWL

MAKES 14 SERVINGS 
1 small bunch fresh sweet woodruff
250ml water
4 tbsp caster sugar 
750ml bottle dry white wine, such as a German Reisling
750ml bottle champagne or dry sparkling wine

TOOLS
baking sheet
sealable Tupperware 
paper towel
small nonstick pan 
wooden spoon
punch bowl
plastic wrap
ladle

1 First you need to dry out some of the woodruff. Remove any damaged leaves from the bunch and spread out about a third on a baking sheet. Place on the bottom shelf of a recently switched-off oven, with the door open, or in an airing cupboard, overnight.

2 Meanwhile, line a Tupperware box with a damp sheet of paper towel and place the remaining leaves and flowers inside to stay fresh. Seal the box and place in the fridge until just before you serve the punch. 

3 About two hours before serving, heat the water and sugar in the nonreactive pan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, place the semi- dried woodruff in a punch bowl and pour the dry white wine over it. Cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour. 

4 As soon as the sugar syrup has cooled, add it to the punch bowl, stir, and return to the fridge for an hour. Before serving, remove the semi-dried woodruff with a ladle and replace with the fresh leaves and flowers from the Tupperware box.

5 Serve in a wine glass topped up with bubbly and garnished with a woodruff leaf or flower.

Suggestion: Strawberries, or even better, wild strawberries would also make a great addition to this punch, as would wild violet flowers and lemon slices.

* Sweet woodruff has been used since the Middle Ages to treat everything from cuts to liver problems. Today herbalists use it as an anti- inflammatory and to treat stomach ache. It contains coumarin, which is toxic in high doses, so drink this punch in moderation, won’t you?

Recipe taken from Wild Cocktails by Lottie Muir (Cico Books, £16.99) Photography by Kim Lightbody.

How to run a book club PLUS an easy book club cocktail recipe

January is a good month for a good book. And if your resolution is to read more, consider joining one of the growing number of book groups in the UK and beyond. 

Turn to page 86 of January's The Simple Things for Frances Ambler's feature on the reads, the snacks and the chemistry that make a literary get-together work. Or read on for our top tips to make your literary appreciation society a success.

How to run a book club

1 Think about numbers: between six and ten people is good – small enough for everyone to be heard, not too pathetic if a couple of people can’t make it.

2 Pick a regular frequency: every 4 to 6 weeks allows enough time for books to be found and read.

3 Think about book length: this might not be the time to try out War and Peace: there’s a rule of book club that means the greater the page count, the lesser the number of attendees.

4 A few ground-rules may be helpful: are you going to allow people to speak in a free-for-all or take it in turns to comment? How are you going to decide what to read next?

5 Meeting snacks are heartily encouraged, see our suggestions on page 86, but be wary of competitive catering. One book group we know imposes a strict soup and sandwich-only rule.

6 The Reading Agency’s Reading Groups for Everyone offers even more tips on running a book group. 

Recipe: Blackberry sage spritzer

This requires a little preparation – making a simple sage syrup – but this takes barely 10 minutes and can be done in advance.
 

20 sage leaves
225g caster sugar
Gin to taste
Handful of blackberries, washed 
1 bottle soda water
ice cubes
Fresh sage and blackberries, to garnish
 

1 Put the sage leaves and sugar in a small pan with 240ml of water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to a low simmer and keep on the heat until aromatic and slightly thickened, about 10 mins.

2 Cool the liquid and then pass it through a fine mesh sieve and discard the sage leaves. (The syrup can be decanted into a sealable container and kept in a fridge for up to a week.)

3 Reserve a few of the blackberries for garnish and place the rest in a bowl or jug and add a glug or two of the syrup to sweeten. Mix the berries with the syrup and then pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing down the berries with the back of the fork to extract all the juice. Discard the pulp and any
pips left in the sieve.

4 To assemble the drink, place some ice cubes in a glass along with a measure of gin and a glug of the blackberry/sage juice. Top up the glass with soda water, garnish with blackberries and sage leaves and serve. (Omit the gin for an equally delicious non-alcoholic version.) 

Taken from www.buttercupdaysuk.blogspot.co.uk 

Fancy more snack ideas?

Take a look at our Pinterest board.

Follow The Simple Things's board Book group snacks on Pinterest.

And tell us on Facebook and Twitter what you're reading (and eating!) in your book group at the moment.

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Introduction: Lottie Storey
Feature/tips: Frances Ambler
Recipe and photography: Louise Gorrod

Recipe: Venetian eggnog

Raise a glass of eggnog, a quintessentially seasonal tipple

Eggnog, or vov, as it’s known in Italy, is a traditional Christmas drink in many parts of the world. The word ‘vov’ comes from the Venetian word for egg. It’s made like other eggnogs with milk or cream, egg yolks, brandy and sugar, but also contains marsala, so it’s a sort of liquid zabaglione.

Venetian eggnog

Makes 1.5 litres
1 vanilla pod
1 litre full fat milk
6 egg yolks
250g granulated sugar 200ml marsala
150ml brandy
2 x 750ml clean, dry bottles and stoppers

1 Slit open the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and put the seeds and the pod in a pan with the milk and bring gently to simmering point, whisking from time to time. 
2 Put the egg yolks in a second pan with the sugar and the marsala and beat well. When the vanilla milk is hot but not boiling, stir it into the egg-yolk mixture. 
3 Put the pan on medium heat and warm through gently, whisking all the while. Do not let the mixture boil as it will curdle. The mixture is ready when it starts to thicken. If it shows any sign of curdling or separating, take off the heat and whisk hard. 
4 Strain with a sieve into a pan or measuring jug, add the brandy, leave to cool and bottle using a funnel. Keep for two days before serving, warm or cold. Store in the fridge and shake before pouring. 

Variations: The original vov recipe is made with 90% proof liqueur spirit rather than brandy; if you try this, add another 100g sugar. You can also try a brandy-only version, using the same amount of brandy but omitting the marsala, and topping with grated nutmeg.

Want more? Try our Wassail recipe. Plus, plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipes and images taken from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith, photography by Kevin Summers (Jacqui Small, £25) 

Recipe: Wassail - Christmas spiced ale

Wassail, from Middle English wæs hæl, means ‘good health’. So, here’s a hearty festive drink to welcome in the season. 

If you don’t have a punchbowl and ladle, improvise with the largest vessel you can find and, if it’s less than elegant, simply wrap it in a white linen cloth or pretty tablecloth, decorate it with ivy and ribbons and serve the ale with a small jug. This is a dry drink that works well with Guinness or stout as well as ale.

Serves 8–12
Handful of sultanas
150ml marsala, sherry, brandy or rum
100ml ginger cordial or 125g caster sugar
Pinch of grated nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon
2 litres ale, porter, stout or other dark ale
Ice, optional
Punchbowl and cups or glasses

1 Put the sultanas in the punchbowl, add the measured marsala (or alternative), plus the cordial or sugar, and the spices. Leave to macerate.
2 When your guests arrive, add ice (if preferred) and the ale. Stir and serve in the cups.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipes and images taken from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith, photography by Kevin Summers (Jacqui Small, £25)