Martin Siska Joins Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London as Bar Manager

Matthias Roeke, Managing Director of Rosewood London comments, ‘We are delighted to have Martin on board, bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience to Scarfes Bar. Martin’s move means an exciting and renewed drinks offering here and we very much look forward to unveiling the menu in due course. Martin’s feel for innovation and artistry signals a new liquid journey that the team and myself can not wait to embark on’.

In his new role Martin will be working closely with his team, bringing a level of innovation and development to the bar. Believing every drink should have a story of inspiration behind it, Martin is keen to incorporate exciting ingredients and research into the offering at Scarfes Bar. Viewing mixology as an art, where all elements of a drink come together to form the perfect cocktail, he cites leading chefs such as Ferran Adria, Heston Blumenthal and René Redzepi as his inspiration for their ability to change the way people think about certain ingredients.

Originally from Slovakia, Martin first moved to London ten years ago and discovered a passion for bartending whilst working at D&D’s Pont De La Tour Restaurant. He then moved on to The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel where he spent five years developing his knowledge and bartending skills. He was quickly made Head Bartender after just one year, instilling in him the high quality standards of service and team leadership required for a hotel bar offering. In 2015, Martin had the honour of spending four months working directly with the legendary Javier de las Muelas of Dry Martini in Barcelona, before launching its first UK outpost, Dry Martini London, as Bar Manager.

Rosewood London’s Scarfes Bar is inspired by the atmosphere of a drawing room and features a roaring fire, a collection of cosy velvet armchairs and over 1,000 antique books hand-picked by a Portobello antique dealer. Adorning the walls are canvases by renowned artist and caricaturist Gerald Scarfe, most famous for his political cartoons that have been featured in newspapers from The Sunday Times through to The New Yorker. There are over 70 caricatures in the bar, all of which paint a picture of modern political and pop culture life in Britain, with politicians such as David Cameron and Boris Johnson through to

the Queen and her corgis and David Beckham on show. In an area of the bar dubbed ‘current affairs corner’ Gerald Scarfe regularly updates his artwork based on current political events. The overall atmosphere is one of eclectic, witty sophistication with complimentary live music seven nights a week.