“It’s an institution sir.” Words quoted by a the best lobby boy of all time.
Days after leaving the Grand Budapest Hotel, I have found myself at another first rate institution known as the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai. The hotel is immaculate and the service is impeccable, such is to be expected from a hotel that boasts the iconic name Waldorf.
From the junior suite upgrade, I ventured forth to the esteemed Long Bar that has been in operation since 1911. The bar has undergone many changes throughout the years, most notably as the kitchen for the first American fast food restaurant in Shanghai- a KFC.
Since then, the grease has been scrubbed away and the glamour has been restored. The cocktails are one of a kind and the service mirrors the grandiosity of the hotel as a whole.
I am enjoying my third drink as I write this post, an appropriate Waldorf Express Martini, “a twist on the classic Espresso Martini,” artfully created by the mixologist Nelson. (Though he hails from Portugal, the team surely to lose to the United States today, that does not detract from his abilities.)
But due to my current state, I must bid adieu to my readers and say cheers to the red, white, and blue!
