Prohibition Bar at The Rosewood Hotel Georgia

Will and I hastily arrived at Rosewood Hotel Georgia, as our friends had been waiting for us for drinks at Prohibition Bar before our dinner at Hawksworth. But we were told the ‘secret entrance’ of the bar is on the street, and sent outside the hotel by the concierge. We finally found the no-so-secretive entrance, where a small blue spot light was gleaming over the side walk in front of the handsome hand-crafted door.

The excitement continued as we swayed down the sleek curved staircase, and stopped briefly to admire a dazzling grand chandelier. I also noticed a small stage at the corner, where live music would be played later in the evening. Then here we were, looking at this 3000-square-foot of glamour and style, reminiscing the jazz era, with glowing white table tops surrounded by turquoise seats and booths, green velvet curtains, and a massive bar illuminated in soft amber lights. I felt like I was about to celebrate life like the great Jay Gatsby.

The cocktails were just as sexy. I enjoyed the famous Hotel Georgia Cocktail, made of Beefeater gin, lemon, orgeat, orange blossom water, egg white, and nutmeg. The egg white foam, the creaminess, and the citrus taste slightly reminded me of Pisco Sour, and yet the acidity was much more subtle, complemented by some beautiful floral notes from gin, orgeat, and orange blossom water, and a hint of warmth and comfort from nutmeg. It was definitely a feel-food drink.

Will’s L’Air de Panache looked somewhat similar to mine by appearance, but was much more exotic conceptually, made with ‘Zubrowka’ bison grass vodka, green apple, lemon, ginger, jasmine honey foam, and bergamot aroma. The cocktail is most likely inspired by the fictional cologne in the film The Grand Budapest Hotel that has turned into a real product. The drink did present a great aromatic quality, with so many different little notes of flavours dancing on the palate, and it was much less foreign than I was expecting.

We had to get a double Hendrick’s and Soda with Cucumber, after our interesting experience earlier at Kamei Baru. We need to see how the pros make this simple drinks at a high-end bar like this. I was surprised to see the big wedge of lime in the high ball cocktail. Yes it was delicious, but the hint of acidity from lime slightly tempered the essence of cucumber infused the liquor, and affected the ‘clean’ taste of the drink. I have to admit this is a personal obsession. So a note to myself, I would definitely ask for no lime or lemon next time. 🙂

Overall the experience was magnificent at the elegant and stylish Prohibition Bar, even though it was a short one. We enjoyed in the raised area in the back where seating was more comfortable, more suitable for having conversations. Their food menu does seem intriguing, and our Truffle Fries were delicious. But I guess I have to come back here again to get a full experience indulging with sophisticated cocktails the food dishes.