Sofitel St James Bar x Creed Cocktails Make It Easy to #BeMoreFrench in London

The St James Bar has partnered with heritage parfumerie The House of Creed to create bespoke cocktails that convey the spirit of three specific Creed fragrances.

Creed’s fragrance Aventus is represented by the Legacy cocktail. The classic masculine scent Green Irish Tweed inspires the cocktail Lucky Tweed, and the citrus notes of Creed’s Silver Mountain Water are expressed in the cocktail Alpine Silver. 

Christmas is fast approaching. Any shopping trip in London’s West End is always improved by adding ‘visit a lovely bar’ to your to-do list, but never more so then when the weather is cold, the shops are too hot, and the streets are far too crowded. 

The St James Bar nestles at the heart of the Sofitel St James Hotel in Waterloo Place. The hotel is just down the street from the hurly-burly chaos of Piccadilly Circus and is a welcoming haven of calm and charm.

One (or more) of any of the three bespoke Creed cocktails would make:

a) the perfect stiffener for those of us who have Christmas shopping to get on with and need to brace ourselves before plunging into the crowds

b) a satisfying toast to our own brilliance, for those of us who like to  reward ourselves for a shopping trip well done.

c) a delicious and entertaining choice of drinks for those of us who appreciate a fortifying drink before exerting ourselves AND a rewarding drink after going to any effort at all.

Of the three drinks on the Creed cocktail menu, my favourite is Lucky Tweed.

Lucky Tweed is a long and graceful drink; an intriguing blend of citrus, oak, bergamot, and lavender. Sipping it (thoughtfully, because it is the kind of drink that you want to savour, not greedily swig down) I feel elegant, enigmatic, and intelligent. A Lucky Tweed is the sort of drink you would want to have in your hand if you were engaging the late Samuel Beckett in light flirtation. That’s why it’s my favourite.

In stark contrast to Lucky Tweed, Legacy is a dramatic pink concoction served in a bosomy coupe glass. It is hyper-feminine and super-dramatic in its presentation and a fruity, fun, and easy drink.  Don’t look away whilst a Legacy is being mixed for you – it’s a theatrical experience! It’s a shame that licensing laws don’t allow well-behaved children to hang out in hotel bars; the spectacle that is the Legacy would delight any six-year-old worth their salt, as its construction is a magical trick as good as any you’ll find on the floor at Hamleys toy shop.

Speaking of magic, I absolutely love whoever the genius is that designed the lighting at the St James Bar. The atmosphere is soft, warm and intimate and the lamps cast a flattering, coppery glow that makes me feel gorgeous!

The walls of the St James Bar have been clad for this Creed collaboration with muted panels that suggest Chinoiserie to me (and even the tiniest touch of Chinoiserie always puts me in the most excellent mood) and – when you tire of looking at the other patrons, or at your own pretty face in any handy reflective surfaces – tilt your head back and admire the spectacular ceiling, captured ineptly by me in the snapshot below.

I love a setting that is glamorous and comfortable, and the Sofitel London St James Bar, with its ‘Live The French Way’ philosophy, is a perfect place to rest and recuperate when #GaddingAbout in town.

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Did you read this far and think that I’d overlooked the third of the Creed cocktails, the Alpine Silver? Au contraire! I’d say that the third of the trio is the best one to pick if you feel thirsty, as it’s very refreshing and gives you a lovely brisk feeling: the cocktail equivalent of taking a walk in the countryside on a cold, bright day.

And I absolutely love that the Alpine Silver is a short drink – it’s served in an icy tumbler. For those with eclectic tastes (like me) it can be hard to know exactly what you want to drink when faced with a menu of enticing choices, so why not choose based on which glass best suits your mood or your outfit: coupe, highball or tumbler? I often grab the bottle that most appeals to me on the day when deciding which of my perfumes I feel like wearing, and I’m delighted to find this method also works when considering the merits of each drink in this excellent perfume/cocktail collaboration, which perfectly expresses the strengths of both The Sofitel London St James Bar and The House of Creed.

SERVICE TIMES at the St James Bar are:

Thursday – Saturday 5pm until midnight

Monday & Sunday 11am until midnight

Closed on Tuesday & Wednesday

House of Creed cocktails are priced between £15 and £24