Baccarat Bar celebrates three years of serving premium cocktails on the Lower Ground Floor of Harrods by introducing a new menu inspired by liquid metamorphosis. The Metamorphosis Menu explores methods including fermentation, caramelisation and oxidation, to create a menu of 16 cocktails and four non-alcoholic options. Each beverage, served in Baccarat crystal glassware, transforms its core ingredients into a multilayered experience for the palate. These signature crystal vessels are all handcrafted, transform the cocktail experience and are total works of art. To complete the experience, five new multidisciplinary artists collaborated on the menu’s illustrations, visualising the metamorphosis through an experimental style.
Baccarat Bar’s mixology team is led by internationally acclaimed Bar Manager Michal Janusz Maziarz, who prioritises experimentation and storytelling behind each handcrafted drink. Each Metamorphosis cocktail has been expertly tested in the Baccarat drinks lab, ensuring each hidden layer and texture creates a well-rounded tasting experience. There is an option for every taste, from sweet florals to savoury serves. Drinks may sound complicated but they are extremely accessible with the menu telling you as much or as little as you need to know.
Guests step downstairs into the decadent décor and elegant surroundings of London’s most stylish hideaway designed by the team behind the luxury French crystal brand Baccarat. Accessible through a private entrance on Hans Crescent, Baccarat Bar fuses the prestige and glamour associated with Harrods. Baccarat glassware is created to embody the craft of artisans who transform the four elements of nature into crystals of unparalleled purity. Visiting guests to Baccarat Bar can immerse themselves in the luxurious surroundings and indulge in one of twelve alcoholic drinks:
Mini Reality – A fruity multi-layered drink made using ultrasonic extraction, a subtle technical process where ultrasound disrupts cells on a molecular level, allowing for otherwise unattainable flavours to come through. Iberico bones undergo this transformation to extract an otherwise inaccessible minerality and complexity. Made from a refreshing balance of Tanqueray TEN, olive kernel, the flesh and the leaf of an apple and served in a Baccarat Diamant flute glass, it is the perfect combination of brightness and depth.
Full Circle – For a more vibrant flavour, this cocktail uses an unconventional method most commonly used in cooking to turn Mezcal into a non-alcoholic acidic vinegar foundation. Taking flavours from the familiar classic margarita and elevating them through the use of acetic fermentation. The result is a refined, complex drink that incorporates the seed and stem of the coriander plant and Tequila Mezcal vinegar to create a sophisticated, savoury cocktail served in a Baccarat Massena Coupe glass.
Dorage – A floral, caramelised and tropical drink made with Quebranta Pisco, caramelised lychee, Batak berry, whey, and raspberry. In this drink, lychee is caramelised, transforming the bright floral flavour into a dark and indulgent treat served in a Baccarat Mille Nuit Flute.
Alter Life – Halfway between a Mojito and a Last Word, this drink has matured for a sharp and sweet hit, a classic method of extracting flavour by simply submerging ingredients into liquids to create a drink with hidden depths. Ingredients combine a bold mix of delicate flavours – Clairin, Sajoux, artichoke heart, tarragon, almond, smoked lime and mint served in a Baccarat Harmonie Highball glass.
Das is Kvass – This drink is sweet, sour, velvety, and mature. It is made with straight bourbon, cornbread, honey, lemon, cherry, and absinthe. This drink uses a fractional freeze concentration to remove the water from a spirit and replace the water with a liquid to complement the flavours of the spirit. The acidic kvass is made by fermenting cornbread and then transferring it into a bourbon base with its water molecules removed. The result is lemony and aromatic, served in a Baccarat Harcourt Talleyrand Tumbler.
Grounded – For savoury fans, go for the silky smooth Grounded, which uses the casein milk clarification technique to separate milk into curds and whey to create a multi-layered, crystal-clear drink. A balanced, indulgent mix of Macallan 12, porcini mushrooms, capers, Pinot Noir, and milk whey perfectly blend together to deliver a very established drink, served in a Baccarat Rohan flute.
Plum B – A silky, complex, and aromatic drink made with blended scotch whisky, oxidised plums, and plum kernel spirit. The oxidation process is essential to age any spirit or wine. It is used on this drink to transform the fruity notes into a nutty, roasted flavour with notes of dried fruits and served in a Baccarat Louxor Tumbler.
Coalescent – A more refined twist on a Pornstar Martini, this is a fluffy, pleasing drink that uses emulsification to combine non-mixing substances to create the right balance of acid and sweetness. A medley of flavours we all know and love; vodka and mastic, with the tang of passion fruit and sweet vanilla, all served in an elegant Baccarat Narciss flute.
A favourite was a Roasted Barley Martini – Double barley distilled Boatyard Vodka. Sounds simple but has so much flavour. The cocktail starts off frozen and is stirred down to increase the temperature a little, releasing those delicate barley notes.
The four non-alcoholic drinks have gone through the same testing and process. The menu highlights include the Ascent, a grown-up citrusy affair that has undergone acetic fermentation, changing the alcohol to vinegar to create multidimensional, robust services, made up of Mezcal vinegar and clarified grapefruit juice, served in a stylish Baccarat Mille Nuit Flute. Keep it classic with a dark and mysterious V&T, a non-alcoholic take on a Sherry and tonic with complex layers and a rich minerality that runs through the liquid; a crisp, refreshing mix of buffered Sherry vinegar, pineapple, Ice Verjus and tonic served in a Baccarat Nancy Highball for a very distinguished end drink. Be bold with the effervescent Bareskin, or opt for the more fruity flavour Bois.
The Baccarat Bar additionally has an entrance from the Lower Ground Floor of Harrods opposite the cigar concept lounge in collaboration with JJ Fox and La Casa del Habanos that is open each evening until close and allows guests to sample a selection of the world’s finest cigars.
To discover more, visit: Harrods.com/BaccaratBar
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All imagery courtesy of Baccarat Bar.