Strike a pose at the bar – it’s London Fashion Week

Other than the latest must-have designer schmutter, there’s nothing fashion folk love more than a cocktail. None of your rubbish mind, these guys only do quality – it’s one of the prerequisites of the job. With this in mind, London’s smartest bars have conjured up a collection of oh-so-gorgeous drinks that not only taste good but look the business when you’re striking a pose at the bar…

We particularly like the Fashion 75, a fashionable twist on the French 75, available in the Lobby Bar at One Aldwych. Created by award-winning mixologist Pedro Paulo, the sparkling cocktail is made up of lime, champagne, hibiscus syrup and a nice shot of Tanqueray No. TEN gin – all perfectly balanced, just like the showstopping hats by London milliner Noel Stewart and floral displays by Mark Siredzuk, which will be on show in the bar during London Fashion Week.

At 45 Park Lane you can toast all of the fashion capitals as the latest in the series of  The Dorchester Fashion Prize cocktails is unveiled. The designs of Calla Haynes have been reimagined in a glass with the Milanese Call-pirinha (geddit?), while the experimental design style of IRM have been interpreted in an inventive serve of three shots presented with three pipettes – one iris (I) , one rose (R), one mint (M).

Echoing the seasonal favourites on the catwalk, black is a common theme in the drinks. London-based designers Annelie Augustin and Odely Teboul join forces with Stefano Cossio at Bar 45 to create the Black Velvet, a seriously cool cocktail concocted from blackberries, creme de cassis, thyme honey and lime juice. While at Le Richemond in Geneva, the gin-based Black South cocktail created to reflect Quentin Veron’s designs is lifted with fruity notes of blackberries and cherry syrup.

Last in the  collection is the Nuit Noir, a blueberry vodka/blackberry liqueur combo to capture the deeply dramatic mood of the Les Garcons collection, created by the team at Le Meurice in Paris. All Dorchester Fashion Prize cocktails available at

45 Park Lane, W1K 1PN. T: 020 7493 4554. 45parklane.com and  in all the Dorchester Collection bars mentioned. See dorchestercollection.com

Lobby Bar at One Aldwych, 1 Aldwych, WC2B 4BZ. T: 020 7300 1000. onealdwych.com