Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

NIGHTLIFE

Text Tabitha Lasley

Pick of the bunch

Autumn, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, is very nearly upon us. Put aside the post-summer blues that tend to take hold at this time of year, and raise a toast to the new season with a piquant fruit cocktail

Orange Bar
Fresh Hotel, 26 Sofokleous Street, Athens

The eponymous fruit is everywhere here – from the orange corian bar to the tangerine lamps that cast a gentle lemon-coloured light over proceedings.

Drink A classic strawberry daiquiri – strawberries muddled with sugar, light rum and lime juice.

Eat Smoked salmon rolls served with cream cheese and seasonal salad.

Do Don a lounge suit – with its stark graphics and easy-listening soundtrack, there’s a distinctly 70s feel to the bar.

Don’t Bother going home. Adjourn to the Orange Suite upstairs, where you’ll find a supply of oranges on (what else?) orange trays.

Lime Bar
2 Booth Street, Manchester

Like its erstwhile London antecedent, Manchester’s Lime is decked out in citrusy shades throughout – the bar, the ceiling lights and even the toilet seats are a vivid acid green.

Drink The Ladybird – strawberries and raspberries muddled with mint, topped with Norsk vodka, peach schnapps and orange juice,

Eat Barbary duck with rocket salad and poached pears.

Do Step on. Thursdays at Lime pay homage to the late, great ‘Madchester’ scene.

Don’t Jump on stage with a tambourine à la Bez from local band the Happy Mondays. A nod to early 90s nostalgia is fine. All-out pastiche is not.

Zest Bar
Es Hotel, 171 Via F Turati, Rome

Pulling in a chic crowd, Zest’s pared back minimalism and sleek black surfaces are pure Ian Schrager.

Drink A bellini – white peach purée topped with Prosecco.

Eat Medallions of pork cooked in Vin Santo with diced Annurca apples.

Do Make like Bianca Jagger in sharp tailoring and a floppy hat. White horses are optional.

Don’t Get done for tax evasion.

Cocktail corner

Pink Champagne

September’s a bit of a difficult month in the dedicated drinker’s calendar – too cool for a crisp glass of Sancerre, too clement for a tumbler of mulled wine. Rosé bridges the gap between fair- and foul-weather drinking. And now that rosé champagne is having a bit of a renaissance, there’s no better time to enjoy a fresh twist on a classic cocktail.

La Vie en Rose

Soak one sugar cube in half a shot of rose water and put into a champagne flute. Top up with pink champagne – Krug Rose (www.krug.com) for preference. And if you’re not too militant about food miles, an out-of-season strawberry makes a lovely garnish.

Don’t miss… Weekend Dance, Barcelona, 15 September

Join the scrum at Barcelona’s Parc del Forum to see Digitalism, Faithless, Massive Attack (pictured), 2manydjs, Sven Vath and Deep Dish, among others. This brand new festival picks up where Benicàssim left off earlier this summer, and its line-up reads like a roll call of Europe’s best dance acts.

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