Q&A With Andy Loudon of Scarfes Bar, London

By Kurt Maitland

The Rosewood Hotel Group has some of the most luxurious hotels in the world in its portfolio. Andy Loudon has only recently become the new Director of Bars at the Rosewood London and as a fan of the Scarfes Bar (for you Pink Floyd fans, this bar is named after and adorned with the artwork of Gerald Scarfe, the man responsible for the artwork for the film, the Wall), I had to reach out to see what changes he plans to introduce to one of my favorite hotel bars in London.

KM: Tell us a bit about yourself

AL: My name is Andy Loudon, and I am the Director of Bars at Rosewood London. Following 20 years of experience in the beverage and hospitality industry overseeing operations across the UK, The Caribbean, South America, Australia and Asia, I have been fortunate enough to join the Rosewood London team in July 2024. In my role as Director of Bars, I am responsible for overseeing the beverage programs across the Rosewood London property, which includes The Gin Bar at Holborn Dining Room; the Mirror Room; and of course the multi-award-winning Scarfes Bar, named after the famous British caricaturist, Gerald Scarfe. I love a good challenge and have an insatiable desire for knowledge, so within this new role I am very keen to not only learn from the existing team but also to put my own stamp on the beverage programs across the property.

KM: What are your favorite things about the bar program at Scarfes Bar?

AL: There are so many things to love about Scarfes Bar, but for me personally I think what I love the most is the whole philosophy behind the bar, which creates an exceptional experience for guests. Inspired by the atmosphere of a drawing room, the fantastic live jazz music program and the caricature-ridden walls create an ambience that is one of the most unique in London. However, the playfulness of Gerald Scarfe’s caricatures also comes up in the cocktail program. The latest cocktail menu, ‘From Scratch’ includes 22 original creations, which draw inspiration from the deep history of cocktail-making and traditional serves, with the addition of creative flavors, innovative techniques and an unerring sense of fun.

KM: Do you have a favorite / go-to spirit when you are creating new cocktails?

AL: As a bartender, it’s important to be flexible when creating cocktails, which is why I try to look at the spirits around me and flavor profiles as different color schemes upon your palette. It’s important that these align with what you’re trying to create. In my opinion, cocktails should resonate with the name given to them and should create bridges which link to a story. However, if I had to choose, I would choose Cognac, as I have been working with it for many years when creating cocktails and always find myself reaching for it.

KM: What styles of cocktails do you lean into when you are creating a new bar menu?

AL: When I’m creating a new bar menu, I try to always look for balanced cocktail menus at the most popular bars which usually have a 12-24 focuses between sweet and savory serves. A menu should never lean too heavily in one direction, especially in the luxury sector, which is why there should be a delicate balance in the selection of flavors.  Each menu should include a blend of bitter, refreshing, savory and sweeter cocktails. My personal palette has shifted in recent years, and now leans more towards savory style serves, because as a bartender I believe we generally appreciate the stronger flavors, although these may not always be what the public is looking for.

The same balance needed when creating menus must be considered when developing cocktails. When I am creating my own menu, I want there to be something that most people would enjoy. I will lean towards something on lighter side which is both refreshing yet complex. Mezcal and agave spirits are having a huge moment within the spirits industry so this would be a good base to begin. From there I would layer in some flavor combinations and notes that will work within the theme of the story I want to convey and create that moment of intrigue for the guest.

KM: For you what is the hardest part of taking over a popular bar program?

AL: For me the hardest part of taking over an already recognized bar program is finding the perfect balance between the already standing history, and bringing something new to the table without disturbing what they are already known for.

KL: How often do you like to do a refresh of your bar menu? Do you prefer seasonal changes or does something else drive that decision?

AL: In my opinion the decision to change and refresh cocktail menus hugely depends on the concept behind the bar. For example, many bars go with an annual cocktail menu, the popularity of this style has been driven by awards such as menu design and best cocktail menu which has driven venues to launch cocktail menus earlier in the year. However, with this new role I’m extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work on three beverage programs that are very different from each other. For instance, at Scarfes Bar we have started the initial planning for our next cocktail menu, which should be launched at the beginning of next year. On the other hand, at The Gin Bar in Holborn Dining Room our focus will be creating a menu that highlights British seasonal produce and flavours that are endemic to our country. Lastly, The Mirror Room’s cocktail menu will change with each Afternoon Tea experience we deliver, which gives us the ability to be creative within the hotel and we can then have a constant flow of new menus and creations.

KL: What’s Rosewood London and Scarfes Bar’s relationship with The Lakes Distillery like? 

AL: We have a great relationship with the team at The Lakes Distillery. This goes much further than the limited edition collaboration we did for Rosewood London’s 10 year anniversary in the bottling of Decadence. The team at The Lakes really harbor the same ethos of hospitality as Scarfes Bar in that what drives their ambition is their creativity and bringing a ‘sense of place’ to each of their bottlings. They understand that whisky can trigger that emotional response to a guest, and we try to replicate that within the bar.

Where Whisky and the Lake District might make you think of serene landscapes, mountains and vast lakes we try to convey that feeling through our serves within Scarfes Bar, whether that be in replicating those particular feelings or by linking it back to the ambiance within our venue. Whisky feeds the soul and the atmosphere at Scarfes Bar is set so that a guest would always remember the very first time in trying the Lakes Whisky collection whether that be Decadence or via the other unique bottlings we stock.

We have also had a great relationship when creating our cocktail menus at Scarfes Bar and this has been brought to life by naming each of the previous and current menu cocktails after the number of each Whisky Makers Reserve bottlings – Our current cocktail menu with Lakes Whisky is No.7 which is a blend of Lakes Whisky Makers Reserve No. 7, Palo Santo, Oloroso sherry and Fortified Mint.” 

KM: What are some of your favorite ways to use whisky in cocktails?

AL: When creating whisky based cocktails my favorite things to do are to really harness the flavors within the spirit and showcase what is particularly exceptional about the variety. There are numerous ways to work with flavors and ingredients but the way I would explain this is in two forms – tracking flavors or pyramid flavors. Think along the lines of building a train track or building a pyramid.

With tracking flavors, I would be aiming to ‘build out’ particular notes within the whisky to accentuate the flavors that are apparent within the flavor profile. A perfect example of this would stretching the flavors encapsulated within a rye whiskey. Flavors that are generally associated here would be that of spice, mint or eucalyptus, citrus peel, fruit, maple, and earthier flavors such as leather. From this baseline I would then look for flavor matches that can then help to lengthen out the flavors of the cocktails.

For the pyramid style I would try to layer components within the structure of the cocktail by flavor pairing and using more of a perfume makers technique. This involves using notes that complement other points within a whisky and building them upwards. For example, one aroma which may come from a peated whisky could be that of oak moss to complement this and make a different style of cocktail I would possibly look at using bergamot, sandalwood and maybe even a light floral flavor like ylang ylang – this would then combine to make a light citrusy cocktail that complements everything within the whisky.

KM: Can you give us a hint as to some of your plans for Scarfes going forward?

AL: Without giving too much away I think I can summarize our plans for Scarfes Bar with three words: fun, interactivity and entertainment.