Set amongst 376 acres of picture-perfect landscaped grounds overlooking the meandering River Thames, Cliveden boasts an abundance of hidden spots to explore from Japanese gardens and secluded woodland coppices to neo-classical follies and even its own fountain of love.
And intrepid visitors can now unearth a brand-new tempting treat for the senses with this fancifully fruity cocktail — made with our awfully English vodka — and encased in its very own fog-filled glasshouse.
Originally built by the Duke of Buckingham as a gift to his mistress, Cliveden House has over 350 years of history.
And before becoming one of the nation’s foremost 5-star hotels, the Italianate-style mansion had a world-renowned reputation for lavish indulgence, glamour and scandalous shindigs.
In its 1930s hedonistic heyday, the house’s guestbook was brimming with the names of A-list celebrities and high society, with one leading British politician declaring that, “There is a ghastly unreality about it all ... I enjoy seeing it. But to own it, to live here, would be like living on the stage of the Scala theatre in Milan.”
So one could wager that this theatrical tipple would have been rather well received if one were to turn the clock back to those somewhat epicurean times.
For this eye-catching potation, the luxury hotel’s Bar Manager Ricardo Morillo has taken our sophisticated yet playful spirit and shaken it with Midori melon liqueur, Cointreau orange liqueur and lime juice — all topped with an edible flower before being enveloped in a flourish of luxuriant smoke.
And if this sumptuous snifter sounds enticing then slip into your glad rags and pop to the hotel’s opulent cocktail bar, where it’s now on the cocktail menu.
