The Tailor (Amsterdam)
On the edge of Dam Square, across from the Royal Palace, the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky has 170 years of history behind its ornate facade. Past the glass atrium of the Winter Garden sits one of Amsterdam's classier hotel bars: The Tailor. I had the privilege of visiting the majestic Anantara and it’s elegant The Tailor bar during Europe’s 50 Best Bars.
The name comes from A.W. Krasnapolsky, a 22-year-old tailor who arrived in Amsterdam in 1856 following his father and grandfather into the trade. He used to unwind at the coffee houses around Dam Square, and in 1866 he bought one. That coffee house became the hotel that still carries his name.The theme runs through every detail. A tape measure lines the bar top, the lighting is woven from ribbon, and cocktails are grouped by texture, silky, velvet, cashmere, rather than by spirit.
Bar manager Alexander Montrose, known as Monty, has built a real partnership with Wynand Fockink, the historic distillery next door that's been making spirits since 1679. Its liqueurs and genevers show up throughout the cocktail list.
The strongest section of the menu is the carbonated drinks, house sodas made and carbonated on site. My favorite is the Vismaya, a fresh, savoury highball of Tequila Blanco, Italicus Bergamotto, maraschino, timut pepper, and salt leaf soda. The agave bite plays against bergamot citrus and a faint peppercorn buzz, with the salt leaf giving mineral edge rather than plain salinity.
The Cerveza XXX is worth ordering too, a whisky take on a shandy: Balvenie Scotch, locally toasted malt barley, citrus, and whey. It's malty and slightly creamy against fresh citrus, and comes in three Balvenie tiers (12 Doublewood, 14 Week of Peat, 21 Port Cask), so the smoke or dried fruit character shifts depending on which you pick.
The bar itself avoids feeling like a hotel lobby overflow. There's a proper bar counter, deep lounge sofas, a heated terrace on Dam Square, and a private corner called the Snug, a nod to old Dutch drinking rooms where people could take a quiet drink away from view. There's also a cigar cocktail pairing on the patio, drinks built specifically to hold up against a cigar.
Cerveza XXX