This holiday season, gift the cocktail lovers on your list with Swans Bar, a stylish book of cocktail recipes from luxury publisher Assouline and its flagship London atelier Maison Assouline, within which the posh Swans Bar offers refuge for those seeking style, culture, and art de vivre.
Swans Bar takes its name from the “swans” moniker given to the jet-setting, high-society American women of the 1950s and 60s, of whom writer Truman Capote became the confidant. The bar opened in 2014, when London was basking in a new dawn of cocktail renaissance; Swans Bar marks the ten-year anniversary of this chic gathering spot which offers an array of exclusive cocktails in a tucked-away space surrounded by Maison Assouline’s expansive bookshelves. Developed exclusively by on-site mixologists, many of the drinks featured within Swans Bar are inspired by popular Assouline book titles, transporting guests to unexpected destinations with each sip.
London’s Swans Bar at Maison Assouline
Swans Bar allows readers to recreate more than twenty of the bar’s original cocktail recipes. Featuring text by award-winning spirits and hospitality writer Millie Milliken, the book is the newest addition to Assouline’s library of nearly 2,000 titles in five main collections. Founded in Paris by Prosper and Martine Assouline, Assouline is the first luxury brand focused on culture. It originated with the duo’s desire to create a new, contemporary style of book, using the couple’s experienced eye for visually rich stories and compelling narratives. Guided by the Assouline’s passion for knowledge, culture, and travel, the Assouline collection includes varied titles including special editions, home fragrances, and unique library accessories.
Photo by Harald Gottschalk
Photo by Harald Gottschalk
Throughout the last thirty years, the brand has established a network of international boutiques in prominent locations across the globe. With a distinguished team of creatives—including the founders’ son Alexandre—the brand continues to reinvent the notion of true luxury with its roster of collaborators that includes some of the world’s most respected brands, artists, photographers, designers, and writers, such as Swans Bar author Milliken. A regular contributor to Club Oenologique, Vinepair, Whisky Magazine, Global Drinks Intel, Courier Media and The Evening Standard, Milliken was the 2022 IWSC Spirits Communicator of the Year and Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year. She is also the director of Wet Ink, a tasting, events and consultancy company aimed at making drinks more accessible to consumers and is the head of content for the non-profit organization OurWhisky Foundation.
Photo by Simon Detraz
Assouline exudes an unparalleled signature style and elegant savoir faire, making its Swans Bar the perfect gift for any bon vivant on your gift list.
