Drink cocktails inspired by the stars of the Collection, as the National Portrait Gallery and Daisy Green launch a new publication to celebrate the award-winning Larry’s Bar
Francis Bacon vintage Champagne Negroni with images courtesy of Daisy Green @melissacoppola
Larry’s Bar is an award-winning underground speakeasy developed by the Daisy Green Collection and the National Portrait Gallery, home to the world’s greatest collection of portraits. In this publication you are introduced to Larry’s, named to celebrate the renowned British actor, producer and director, Sir Laurence Olivier, who for over half a century headlined the West End’s fabled stages, while insisting that everyone call him simply, ‘Larry’.
It is the delicious signature cocktail developed in Larry’s honour that you first encounter within the publication, alongside the story of him falling in love with actress Vivien Leigh, their life in the West End, and their famously glamourous cocktail parties.
The publication is full of intriguing insights and anecdotes around its famous names and the cocktails created in their honour by Daisy’s acclaimed cocktail team of Tomasz Marcisz, Vito Verrengia and Salvatore Distefano. The publication takes the reader on a journey through London’s West End through time, with its multigenerational, and ever-evolving cast of characters – from Cecil Beaton socialising with the glamorous ‘Bright Young Things’ at the Gargoyle Club, to Francis Bacon once again climbing up the steps to his beloved Colony Room. The fabulous cocktails evoke bygone eras and the creative spirit of London’s West End, known as a hub of creativity and for its pioneering music scene.
Betty Cowell by Yevonde 1935 image courtesy of The National Portrait Gallery
Highlights include The Yevonde cocktail, which celebrates the landmark photographer who brought colour to the 1930s with her Vivex photography; The Hepburn, inspired by Audrey Hepburn, who early in her career danced in a musical revue at Ciro’s nightclub on Orange Street, now the Archive of the National Portrait Gallery; and The McBean, an award-winning Dirty Martini created to celebrate Angus McBean, the iconic photographer whose images of Audrey Hepburn and Vivien Leigh helped them ascend to stardom. The book finishes with Sir Paul McCartney – whose globally renowned exhibition marked the reopening of National Portrait Gallery last year – with his own twist on the Margarita – ‘The Maccarita’.
Songs of Soho cocktail image @melissacoppola
The Monroe - Lychee & Rose Petal cocktail @melissacoppola
Cocktails at Larry’s is presented as a beautiful hardback, perfect for any lover of the glamour of London’s West End, and a fitting Christmas or birthday gift that showcases each of Larry’s bespoke cocktails, with the secret stories behind their inspiration, ingredients and design.
The publication is the first to be produced in collaboration with the Daisy Green Collection, who operate Larry’s with the National Portrait Gallery. The book is much loved within Larry’s, as it is used to tell the story of the sitters and their cocktails, in the glamourous, vaulted historic space where they can be enjoyed amongst the many faces of the West End.
Cocktails at Larry’s is published on September 5th but is available to pre order online via the National Portrait Gallery website now with a free portrait visit: www.npg.org.uk