London's Dukes Hotel Opens New Champagne Lounge

London's Dukes Hotel Opens New Champagne Lounge
The newest addition to the hotel's bar lineup features Champagne and Champagne cocktails from partner Perrier Jouet in an intimate and relaxed setting. Champagne connoisseurs can choose from a selection of five cocktails of Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut NV created by Alessandro Palazzi, bar manager at Dukes London.

Sip a Dukes Classic Champagne cocktail with Grand Marnier, bitters and a sugar cube; an 1811 with Belle Brillet, chocolate liqueur and chocolate truffle; The Royal Collection with Cointreau and passion fruit puree; a St. James's with Plymouth gin and Jus de Griottine; or a Flower of Champagne with rose liqueur, Lillet and rose petal. Cocktails are available from £15 to £17 ($25 to $28). The drinks menu also features Perrier-Jouet by the glass and the bottle -- from Grand Brut NV for £65 ($106) to Belle Epoque 2002 for £225 ($367) to the limited edition Belle Epoque Blanc de Blanc for £600 ($979) and more. Canapés are also served.

PJ Lounge at Dukes London joins a lineup of bars at the hotel. Noted in The New York Times for serving “one of the world's best martinis,” Dukes Bar has long drawn the city's smart set, not least was writer Ian Fleming, who is said to have first imagined James Bond's classic Vesper and famous catch phrase, “shaken, not stirred,” at the bar. The debut of PJ Lounge also follows close on the heels of Dukes London's new Cognac & Cigar Garden, which opened in 2010. Set outdoors in a heated courtyard, the garden serves up a selection of cigars -- including Cubans -- curated by Hunters and Frankau, as well as the hotel's collection of vintage cognacs led by house choice Martelli Cordon Bleu from Marteli, the world's oldest brandy house. PJ Lounge at Dukes London is open to the public daily from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., with extended hours for hotel guests. For more information, call 800-381-4702 or visit www.dukeshotel.com.