Les Heures bar in the Prince de Galles luxury hotel made its mark on the Cocktail scene starting a few years back under the helm of Christopher Gaglione. As head bartender, he created a cocktail program packed with some great drinks. But, what often grabbed the attention was the stunning and creative presentation plus the occasional tableside trolley service. After his departure, the question lingered: “What’s going to happen behind the bar now?” Answer: Florian Thireau.

Les Heures’ new manager, Thireau is a young, well-traveled barman, having done stints in both the UK and Australia, in addition to his start bar-backing at the Buddha Bar. Notably, his time in London included working under the well-respected and famously talented Tony Conigliaro at the Zetter Townhouse, where he says “With Tony I discovered a unique vision of the barman’s art, a sort of adapted form of gastronomy in which absolutely nothing is left to chance. Everything is considered, weighed up and tested. The origins of the spirits, the quality of the ingredients, the chemistry of the textures – everything counts.”

With his intense focus on the contents of the cocktail glass, his direction took a 180 from the previous program with a clean and simple presentation philosophy. While the team can handle any traditional or bespoke order, Florian has developed a menu of 12 cocktails at 24 Euros each. The first three make a mini-homage to craft cocktail classics with the Savoy Corpse Reviver (from the hotel and influential cocktail book of the same name), Les Fleurs du Mal from his old stomping grounds at the Zetter Townhouse and the modern classic by NYC bartender Sam Ross, the Penicillin. All important drinks in their own right, and worth trying if you’re unfamiliar with them.

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