FORM bar at Hotel Sankt Annæ in Copenhagen

Form

The allure of the hotel bar

A bit off center not far from Kgs. Nytorv and inside the boutique hotel Sankt Annæ, you find the cocktail bar Form. Like other good hotel bars, Form offers a unique atmosphere of romance, travel and meetings that are off the normal script of things.

Hotel bars hold a special role in the history of cocktail culture. Probably because hotels can afford to run high end cocktail bars to attract and entertain guests before the trend catches on for independent establishments to have a sustainable clientele.

Some iconic examples that history has to offer are the New York City hotel and the American bar at the Savoy hotel in London. In Copenhagen the best example might be Bar Rouge at Sankt Petri Hotel which has cradled some of the city’s first cocktail pioneers.

Christian Tang - bar manager at FORM bar in CopenhagenForm honours the proud tradition of the high end hotel bar with an ambitious crew behind the bar. The cocktails are designed to push you a bit off your normal sphere of preference to slowly expand your flavor horizon.

Bar manager Christian Tang is of the opinion that drinking should be a culinary experience offering something familiar yet different to keep your taste buds in their toes.

This ambition seems a good fit for the setting of the bar – just next to the gourmet restaurant Format. The restaurant provides small dishes for the bar, and the bar prepares cocktails to be served with selected dishes in the restaurant.

Mrs. Perkins Paper Plane from FORM bar in CopenhagenThe bar itself is not big but the entire lounge area around the hotel lobby is their playground. In the modern-retro lounge with dimmed colorful lamps you can enjoy your cocktail in cushy designer furniture by a fireplace. We suggest you try their signature cocktail: Mrs. Perkin’s Paper Plane.

Bars can be noisy and not the best fit for every nightly endeavor. Hotel bars are often more subtle and relaxed with time for good service. This is certainly the case with Form. It’s perfect for dinner and drinks, catching up with a friend or bringing someone on an intimate exclusive date if you don’t want to be disturbed too much.

“I enjoy transience. Being in places full of people who aren’t from there and won’t be there for long… Hotel bars hold a certain allure for me, a romance of travel and strangers, clandestine meetings and sly trysts.” – Keith Allison

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Thomas Klem Andersen
I believe that true mastery eventually leads to original creation given the right conditions. I love creative cocktails that push the limits of flavor pairing. But I can't deny I have a personal preference for whisky and love everything that is clear and stirred.