By Philip Kingscott
Art and drinking have always gone together, whether it’s the Renaissance artists and their odes to Bacchus, a raucous Dutch tavern scene or the Impressionists capturing the denizens of backstreet Paris over a glass of Absinthe.
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One of the hidden gems of Edinburgh is The Bonham Hotel, a former maternity hospital and now luxury hotel and a home to the Richard H Dreihaus art collection. Along corridors, up stairways and even within some of the rooms are works by Dutch and Italian Masters, The Glasgow Boys and even a Tiffany lamp valued at over a million pounds. And for two special evenings over the Edinburgh Festival visitors will get an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes with local art history and gin aficionado Philip Kingscott in a unique cocktail experience.
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Dreihaus spent his early childhood in Edinburgh, before later making his fortune in his native Chicago. But he never forgot the city and a personally selected part of his collection was left to the hotel on his death. Four different themes are covered in the Edinburgh collection and they will be explored with a cocktail in hand, created with spirits from the local Edinburgh Gin Distillery. Among the pairings will be Dutch old masters with a Classic G&T, a locally sourced Seaside cocktail with Scottish art, a Cannonball Negroni with the Italian Baroque and a trip to 1920’s New York with a Tamdhu Manhattan, all served with accompanying light bites.
Cocktails & Art at The Bonham, Edinburgh runs Tuesday August 5th and 12th, 6-8pm, tickets £45.