FIRST EDITION - The Black Lion · ( FIRST EDITION) I only drink on two ... Home made lavender infused earl grey syrup, balanced with ... Kentucky, created this elixir for a local

( F I R S T E D I T I O N )

I only drink on two occasions. When I am thirsty and when I’m not.

- Brendan Behan -

Alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, may produce all the effects of drunkenness.

- Oscar Wilde -

The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink and somebody to love you.

- Brendan Behan -

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any

other purely sensory thing.

- Ernest Hemingway -

In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria.

- Benjamin Franklin -

KILBURNOUR PLACE!

Kilburn is situated on a historic site dating back to Roman

Times. It has several iconic buildings, a busy cultural

community and is excellent for public transport into

central London and out into the rural counties of South

East England. Kilburn is a bustling small town, which is

steeped in history, close to Maida Vale, Willesden and West

Hampstead. The centre of Kilburn is Kilburn High Road,

which is part of an ancient roman road, which runs from

the north-east side of Hyde Park to St. Albans, where it was

regarded as an important Roman settlement. The name

Kilburn is thought to be derived from the old Anglo-Saxon

name of Cuneburna, Cyebourne or Kelebourne which

was a stream flowing from Hampstead. On the corner of

Belsize Road and Kilburn High Road was Kilburn Priory,

established in 1130. Before the dissolution of monasteries

in 1536 by King Henry the Eight it gave food and shelter to

pilgrims en route to local shrines. Kilburn is also famous for

the Gaumont State Cinema, which is a grade 2 listed building

and built in 1937. It was the biggest cinema in Europe when

it opened before World War 2, seating over 4000 people.

Plenty of famous people have inhabited Kilburn over the

years: Dusty Springfield, AA Milne, Evelyn Waugh, Joan and

Jackie Collins, and Dirk Bogarde. Ian Dury lived in Kilburn

and six years before he hit the UK charts with “Hit me with

your Rhythm Stick” his band was known as the “Kilburn and

the High Roads”.

They sa id about us . . .

I feel blessed that this lovely pub is my local. It has such a relaxed ambience and the low lighting makes it cosy and warming, perfect for date nights or a catch up with your pals. On Sundays they offer your traditional roast dinner with a choice of meats. What more could you

want? Please give this place a visit.

- harrietvictoria.com -

A really relaxed pub that is right at the heart of Kilburn’s nightlife. You can’t say that the ceiling is Grade II listed in your average

pub. There is a friendly atmosphere and the staff are skilled and enthusiastic. Worth a visit.

- Dan McCormick, viewlondon.co.uk -

The Black Lion is really a lovely, big , old-fashioned boozer serving good pub food, with a charming, large dining room on the side offering

a log fire and gastro-pub fare.

- Grace Dent -

Original. Stylish. It’s a recommended place. A really wide range of drinks and cocktails. Staff are polite, kind and fast, they even

improve the atmosphere greatly.

- Toby Carter -

T H E B L A C K L I O N04

L iqu id Preferences f rom The B lack L ion vau l t

£7.50

Monday to Friday | 4pm - 7pmWednesday All Day

Two for £10

LAVENDER & EARL GREY ICED TEA

Home made lavender infused earl grey syrup, balanced with

fresh citrus and lengthened with soda.

Served either with Gin or Stoli Vodka. Only 115 calories. 25

less than a glass of wine!

LEMONGRASS & GINGER COLLINS

Lemongrass infused Stoli Vodka with a kick of fresh lime

and elderflower syrup and gently finished with ginger beer.

PINK FIZZ

Gin is shaken with strawberries, fresh citrus and just a dash

of the white of an egg. Served long with a top of our house

Prosecco.

LATE NIGHT IN KILBURN

Fresh espresso is shaken with Courvoisier VS, Amaretto and

a sophisticated and intense dark chocolate liqueur along with

a dash of single cream before being served long over ice.

F I R S T E D I T I O N 05

BLUEBERRY & ELDERFLOWER ROCKS

Fresh blueberries shaken with Gin and St. Germain

elderflower liqueur. Cloudy apple lengthens while fresh

citrus balances.

FIREPLACE SOUR

Brugal Especial Extra Dry rum and pineapple nectar sour

with a hint of chilli and fresh lemon. Served on the rocks or

straight up.

CITRUS TRIPLE

Fresh orange is shaken with apricot jam and fresh lemon

with a kick from Brugal Especial Extra Dry rum and Grand

Marnier.

HOUSE HOT TODDY

Seasonal spices are used to aromatise our house whisky and

bourbon. Fresh citrus juices and hot water are balanced with

honey, Famous Grouse and Jim Beam.

T H E B L A C K L I O N06

Endurably Celebrated Selection from our Correspondents around the World

COSMOPOLITAN

Called the “Cosmo” by aficionados, this extremely popular

cocktail has become a classic. A concoction of Stolichnaya Cit-

rus, lime juice, Cointreau to sweeten and cranberry juice, used

merely to add a slight blush of color. If you can’t be bothered

to read the rest of the menu you’ll probably stop here and order

this one. It’s alright, we don’t mind.

- £ 7.50 -

MARGARITA

Legends surrounding the creation of Margarita are numerous,

with locations ranging from California to Mexico. A probable

story gives an American socialite credit. Margaret Sames report-

edly served a drink containing tequila, lime juice, and her favourite

orange liqueur, Cointreau, at a party down in Acapulco in around

1948, in salt-rimmed glasses etched with the Mexican version of

her name: and purportedly the “Margarita” was born.

*frozen and strawberr y variations in stock

- £ 7.50 -

Monday to Friday | 4pm - 7pmWednesday All Day

Two for £10

F I R S T E D I T I O N 07

DAIQUIRI

In its pure form, the Daiquiri is simple yet sub-

lime, blending the delicate sweetness of Brugal Espe-

cial Extra Dry with sugar and the juice of one lime.

Around the late 1980s, in Cuba Daiquiri mountains, an Ameri-

can engineer came up with this in an attempt to please his guest

once the gin has disappeared. Soon Havana became the Dai-

quiri mecca, especially the El Floridita, where the legendary bar-

tender Constantino Ribalaigua introduced the frozen version

and elevated the Daiquiri to perfection.

*frozen, strawberr y and Hemingway variations in stock

- £ 7 -

MARTINI COCKTAIL

The illustrious and famous Martini, a symbol of pure mixo-

logical alchemy and glamour, is structured on the perfect

botanical balance between gin’s juniper berry and dry ver-

mouth’s herbal qualities. We may never know the real

story, since the origin of this famous cocktail is rather

murky, with plenty of anecdotes claiming the inception.

There are two camps – the shaken versus the stirred.

The Black Lion uses No.3 London Dry Gin for its Martini.

*Classic, Dry, Extra Dry and Dirty Martini in stock

- £ 8 -

KARAMEL ESPRESSO MARTINI

One 1983 night in Fred’s Bar, a now famous model, who

Dick Bradsell is still too discrete to name, asked for a drink

that would “wake me up and f**k me up.” Working at Fred’s,

T H E B L A C K L I O N08

Dick was always crowded out by the coffee machine. The

idea of putting coffee with the coolest spirit at the time, vod-

ka, came to him pretty easily. That night he served it on the

rocks as a Vodka Espresso. It was a few years later at Match

bar that he served it straight up as the Espresso Martini.

The head bartender of The Black Lion invented this twist with

Karamel Stoli Vodka.

- £ 7.50 -

OLD FASHIONED

This is yet another classic American cocktail created in bourbon

country around the late 1800s. As legend has it, a bartender at

the Pendennis Club of Louisville, Kentucky, created this elixir

for a local bourbon distiller. Like most classic cocktails that have

been around forever, this one has gone through many transmu-

tations since then, including the main spirit. The Black Lion’s

house is using Knob Creek Rye with spicy taste and undertones

of vanilla and oak.

*Feel free to ask our bartender for a Scotch version, or Bourbon, or Rum,

or...

- £ 8.50 -

MANHATTAN

This drink was created in honour of Lady Randolph Churchill

(Sir Winston’s mother) in 1874 at the Manhattan Club in New

York, during a celebration dinner for Governor Samuel J. Til-

den. The balance between whiskey, vermouth and the essential

bitter is essential for optimum smoothness.

* Classic? Perfect? Sweet? Or Dry? Tell us how you prefer it

- £ 7.50 -

F I R S T E D I T I O N 09

NEGRONI

It was invented in Florence, Italy in 1919, at Caffè Casoni,

now called Caffè Cavalli. Count Camillo Negroni invent-

ed it by asking the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen

his favorite cocktail, the Americano, by adding gin rath-

er than the normal soda water. The bartender also added

an orange garnish rather than the typical lemon garnish

of the Americano to signify that it was a different drink.

The recipe is simple art of chemistry: three equal parts of No.3

London Dry Gin, Martini Rosso and Campari.

- £ 7.95 -

BLOODY MARY

This classic became America’s favourite drink and the quintes-

sential brunch cocktail. It is purportedly named after the infa-

mous Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, who, after becom-

ing queen of England in 1553, was notorious for persecuting

Protestants.

As one story tells it, Fernand “Pete” Petiot, a bartender from

Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, created the Bloody Mary in

1930. Other accounts have given Hemingway credit for invent-

ing the spiced-up version we know today.

The bartenders of The Black Lion use Stoli Hot, a premium

vodka flavoured with jalapeno.

- £ 6.95 -

MINT JULEP

A Kentucky tradition that has been around since the late 1800’s,

is the official signature drink at the Kentucky Derby on the first

Saturday in May. Traced back to the 15th century, Juleps were

T H E B L A C K L I O N10

originally medicinal concoctions blending herbs, sugar and wa-

ter. They later evolved into drinks combining mint with brandy,

peach brandy, or Cognac, until around 1875, when fine Ken-

tucky bourbon became the spirit of choice. Here, in the heart

of Kilburn, we use the premium bourbon Knob Creek for our

Julep!

- £ 7.50 -

MOSCOW MULE

This was the libation that propelled vodka into popularity in

1940’s America. Inspired by the need to move the not-yet-pop-

ular vodka, along with a surplus of ginger beer, John Martin of

the Heublein import company collaborated with Jack Morgan,

owner of the Cock ’n’ Bull Restaurant in Hollywood, and with

the addition of a squeeze of lime, the Moscow Mule was created.

- £ 7.50 -

DON’T BE SHY TO ASK FOR ANYTHING

YOU ARE THIRSTY FOR.. .

OUR BARTENDERS WILL BE HAPPY TO

SERVE YOU!

Yes, of course we do Mojito, Long Island and Piña Colada.

F I R S T E D I T I O N 11

Bot t led beers & c iders

BEERS - lager, wheat, blonde

Birra Moretti - 4.6% ............................................ Desperado - 5.8% ................................................ Estrella Damm - 4.6% .........................................Corona - 4.6% ...................................................... Leffe - 6.6% ..........................................................Hoegarden - 4.9% ................................................Lagunitas IPA - 6.2% ...........................................

£ 3.95 £ 4.15£ 3.95£ 3.95£ 4.50£ 3.95£ 4.95

ALES

Wells Bombardier - 4.5% .................................... Newcastle Brown Ale - 4.7% .............................. Theakstone Old Peculiar - 5.6% .........................Waggledance - 5.0% .............................................

£ 4.25 £ 4.25£ 4.50£ 4.25

CIDERS

Bulmers Apple - 4.5% ......................................... Bulmers Crushed Berries & Lime - 4% ............. Bulmers Pear - 4.5% ............................................Thatchers Katy - 7.4% ........................................

£ 4.95 £ 4.95£ 4.95£ 4.95

DRAUGHT BEERS Pint (Half pints also available)

Guinness - 4.1% ................................................... Staropramen - 5.0% .............................................

£ 4.50 £ 4.75

OTHER BOTTLES

Crabbies Ginger Beer - 4.0% .............................. £ 4.10

T H E B L A C K L I O N12

Wines by the g lass

WHITE WINES

Macabeo - Co Vinas, Spain 175 ml £ 4.20 | 250 ml £ 5.80 | 750 ml £ 16.50

Sauvignon Blanc - Yeco, Chile 175 ml £ 4.60 | 250 ml £ 6.50 | 750 ml £ 18.25

Chenin Blanc - Valentin Fleur, France 175 ml £ 5.50 | 250 ml £ 7.80 | 750 ml £ 21.50

Pinot Grigio - Belfiore, Italy 175 ml £ 4.80 | 250 ml £ 6.80 | 750 ml £ 19.00

Chardonnay - Gumdale, Australia 175 ml £ 5.00 | 250 ml £ 7.20 | 750 ml £ 19.75

Sauvignon Blanc - Coopers Barrel, New Zealand 175 ml £ 6.80 | 250 ml £ 9.80 | 750 ml £ 26.75

Rioja Blanco - Puerta Vieja, Spain 750 ml £ 22.00

Vinho Verde - Casal Garcia, Portugal 750 ml £ 22.50

Picpoul De Pinet - Le Pied Marin, Vin de pays750 ml £ 23.75

Chardonnay - Puzzle Ridge, Australia 750 ml £ 25.50

Albarino - Vega Naum, Spain 750 ml £ 27.75

Sancerre - Domaine Doucet, Loire Valley 750 ml £ 28.75

Saint-Veran - Joseph Drouhin, Loire Valley 750 ml £ 35.00

F I R S T E D I T I O N 13

RED WINES

Tempranillo - Co Vinas, Spain 175 ml £ 4.20 | 250 ml £ 5.80 | 750 ml £ 16.50

Merlot - Yeco, Chile 175 ml £ 4.60 | 250 ml £ 6.50 | 750 ml £ 18.25

Cabernet Sauvignon - Mamre Vale, South Africa175 ml £ 4.70 | 250 ml £ 6.60 | 750 ml £ 18.50

Montepulciano - D’Abruzzo, Italy 175 ml £ 5.20 | 250 ml £ 7.50 | 750 ml £ 19.75

Shiraz Puzzle Ridge - Australia 175 ml £ 5.00 | 250 ml £ 7.20 | 750 ml £ 25.50

Syrah - Guillaume Aurele, France 175 ml £ 5.50 | 250 ml £ 7.80 | 750 ml £ 21.50

Oak Aged Malbec - Finca Beltran, Argentina 175 ml £ 5.80 | 250 ml £ 8.00 | 750 ml £ 22.75

Tempranillo - Monte Real, Spain 750 ml £ 23.00

Chateau Spencer - Le petit spencer, France 750 ml £ 26.25

Merlot/Cabernet - Petit Rouge, Vondeling , South Africa 750 ml £ 28.75

Chateau de Roques - Puisseguin St. Emilion, Bordeaux750 ml £ 30.50

Valduero Crianza - Ribero del duero, Spain 750 ml £ 38.00

T H E B L A C K L I O N14

SPARKLING & CHAMPAGNE

Prosecco Spumante - Fabiano, Italy 125 ml £ 5.75 | 750 ml £ 26.50

Cava Brut - Castell Llord, Spain 125 ml £ 5.25 | 750 ml £ 22.00

Canard Duchene Brut Nv750 ml £ 42.00

Perrier Jouet Brut Nv750 ml £ 47.00

Bollinger Special Cuvee Nv750 ml £ 68.00

Canard Duchene Rose Nv750 ml £ 52.50

Perrier Jouet – La Belle Epoque 2004750 ml £ 165.00

Dom Perignon 2004750 ml £ 185.00

ROSÉ

Bobal Rose - Co Vinas, Spain 175 ml £ 4.20 | 250 ml £ 5.80 | 750 ml £ 16.50

Pinot Grigio - Belfiore, Italy 175 ml £ 4.80 | 250 ml £ 6.80 | 750 ml £ 19.00

Cotes de Provence - Le Provencal, France 175 ml £ 5.20 | 250 ml £ 7.50 | 750 ml £ 19.75

F I R S T E D I T I O N 15

Coffee and hot dr inks

Espresso ................................................................ Double espresso ................................................... Latte ......................................................................Cappuccino ........................................................... Tea .........................................................................(please ask a member of our staff for the available selection)Hot chocolate .......................................................Black Americano ..................................................Flat white coffee ..................................................Irish coffee ...........................................................

£ 1.65 £ 2.00£ 2.50£ 2.50£ 2.20

£ 2.50£ 2.20£ 2.20£ 4.50

Guest House accomodat ion

All the hotel rooms at The Black Lion have been re-

cently refurbished in a fresh contemporary style, acco-

modated with en-suite bathrooms, full central heating,

television and tea/coffee making facilities.

A daily maid service insures our high standard of clean-

liness. All rooms have free wireless internet connection

and free view digital TV.

We aim to make your stay comfortable and convenient

for business and leisure.

15% off meals for all guest staying in the guest house.

Room prices from £50

T H E B L A C K L I O N16

2 7 4 K i l b u r n H i g h R o a d ,

L o n d o n N W 6 2 B Y

T. 020 7624 1424 – 020 7625 1635

info@blackl ionguesthouse.com

www.blackl ionguesthouse.com

Facebook / BlackLionLondon

Twitter / BlackLionLondon