It’s hard to know what to expect when you walk into a famous hotel to savour some cocktails: it could be run of the mill classics or incredibly innovative cocktails, as they often have the budget to test out new ideas. Two Ruba at Hilton London Tower Bridge falls distinctly into the latter category.
It might feel you are enjoying a cocktail in a hotel lobby, but the golden curtains and sophisticated, varying shades of brown furniture certainly add a sense of class to the proceedings. 
The cocktails to look out for at Two Ruba are their special offerings. During our visit, we tried their Chelsea flower show cocktails, which were some of the most aesthetically pleasing cocktails you will ever see. The cocktails are served on floral and fruit boards that could easily shame any garden display at the flower show with healthy strawberries, blackberries and blueberries.
The cocktails themselves were carefully constructed creations that struck a fine balance between savoury and sweet flavours to offer an unusual twist. Grass is always greener is bison grass vodka blended with lime, mint, basil and ginger and with a cleverly thought out cocktail name as well, this really deserved to stay as a permanent fixture on their menu. Floral dora has a similar juxtaposition of the sweet and savoury using gin mare’s flavours of olive and basil combined with rosemary and peach. What was most surprising was even with a virtual fruit platter to accompany your cocktail, it was £12 which was the same price as their signature cocktails.
The signature cocktails are more classic affairs, but they were made with equal care and dedication. I tried the sleeping beauty, which is the perfect nightcap with vodka mixed with soothing lychee and peach liqueurs and lemon juice. Cin dreams was an unusual Champagne cocktail with Champagne mixed with cinnamon infused vodka and cinnamon sugar. I thought the cinnamon taste came through a little too strong, but it will certainly give you a cin dream if you imbibe this before bedtime.
You might think a Hilton hotel bar might play it safe with cocktail offerings, but you will be in for a pleasant surprise when you make a visit to Two Ruba.
baldwin@townfish.com