The Balmoral Bar – New Bar of the Year 2008
The Balmoral Bar was Monday night (30th June) voted "Asahi New Bar of the Year" at the 2008 Dram Magazine Awards.
The Dram Awards was established fourteen years ago and is one of the highlights of the on-trade calendar. Each year the Dram Awards features a different theme, and this year it was The Speakeasy, Prohibition.
The Balmoral, Edinburgh’s leading luxury hotel launched The Balmoral Bar on 8 November 2007, to great acclaim. The bar, formerly NB’s was stylishly transformed by Olga Polizzi, The Rocco Forte Collection’s Director of Design and now offers locals and hotel guests a sophisticated and luxurious bar.
The Balmoral Bar offers discerning table service which is provided by the friendly and welcoming waiters headed up by Bar Manager, Fredrik Laseen. Determined to inject some serious glamour into Edinburgh’s cocktail scene, The Balmoral recruited Fred straight from Hollywood’s favourite celebrity hot-spot, The Windows Lounge at The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, LA.
Fred Laseen said: ‘We are very proud and honoured to have picked up this award. We have all worked very hard to get where we are, and it is to our dedicated team to which we owe this accolade.’
With its perfect positioning at Number 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh shoppers are well looked after with a range of soft drinks, teas and coffees – all served with The Balmoral’s famous home made shortbread. In the evening the bar provides drinkers with delicious nibbles including gourmet vegetable chips, salted mixed nuts or caramelized cashews.
Fred has created a cocktail list that combines tradition with innovation. Passionate about cocktails he has carefully chosen a selection of classic cocktails which he feels reflects the sleek and stylish nature of the bar. The stars of the show at The Balmoral Bar are truly Fred’s Signature Cocktails – this menu changes regularly to reflect the time of year and features fresh, seasonal ingredients. Previous favourites include the Citrus Cosmopolitan with Blueberry Juice and the Apple and Pear Mojito.
Ivan Artolli, General Manager of The Balmoral commented: It is a great honour for us here at the Balmoral to see Fred and his Bar team rewarded by the DRAM Awards, they have taken Balmoral Bar to great heights since the opening last November and I am sure this cosmopolitan Edinburgh hot-spot will continue succeeding in the future.”
The Balmoral Bar is open daily from 12noon until 12midnight for both hotel guests and non-residents.
-Ends-
For more information please contact:
Kjersti Steffensen
PR and Marketing Assistant
Direct line: 0131 622 8805
Email: ksteffensen@roccofortecollection.com
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The Rocco Forte Collection was established in 1996 to create a group of luxury hotels in Europe. The hotels have individual styles, with each hotel reflecting its nationality and location. The properties are linked together under The Rocco Forte Collection, which guarantees attention to detail, quality and service delivery.
The Rocco Forte Collection includes:
- Hotel de Russie, Rome
- Hotel Savoy, Florence
- The Balmoral, Edinburgh
- The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
- Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg
- Hotel Amigo, Brussels
- Brown’s Hotel, London
- Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt
- Hotel de Rome, Berlin
- Le Richemond, Geneva
- The Charles Hotel, Munich
Future openings:
The Augustine, Prague - 2008
Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily – 2009
Marrakech – 2010
Abu Dhabi – 2010
Jeddah - 2010
For further information and online reservations, please visit The Rocco Forte Collection website: www.roccofortecollection.com.
