Best of Budapest & Hungary

An Aragonian-Neapolitan princess and a style book inspired the new limited special edition aperitivo menu of Blue Fox The Bar at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest.

    Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest is introducing a new limited-edition aperitivo menu at Blue Fox The Bar in collaboration with luxury expert Balázs Pécsi. This special menu will be available from 21 August to 30 September 2024.

    The cocktails and accompanying snacks are designed to evoke the grandeur of one of Hungary’s golden eras, the magnificent reign of King Matthias. The menu is inspired by the king’s second wife, Queen Beatrice, who played a key role in spreading the Renaissance in Hungary, as well as Mr. Pécsi’s recently released book, Stílusgourmand (Style Gourmand), which offers etiquette and style advice.

    ‘Style Gourmand explores and chronicles elegant fashion, epicurean dishes, tasteful interiors, chic travel and traditional etiquette, offering readers access to a more sophisticated lifestyle’, says Mr. Pécsi. ‘While my book is not strictly about luxury, it is a prominent theme, which is why we focused on extraordinary, premium quality ingredients and luxurious attributes in this menu. This made it easy to connect the book’s intended message with the cultural heritage of the hotel’s namesake.’

    In Italy, aperitivo refers to a long drink accompanied by bite-sized nibbles, typically enjoyed at the end of the working day. Drawing on this late afternoon ritual, the team at Blue Fox The Bar has developed the Style Gourmand Aperitivo, featuring two cocktails - Queen of Hungary and Princess of Naples - along with a non-alcoholic beverage, Princess of Aragon. Creative Beverage Director Balázs Molnár and Executive Chef Ádám Lévay have crafted three Italian-inspired finger foods to complement the drinks: saffron-seasoned arancini topped with edible gold leaves, savoury profiterole filled with lemon mascarpone cream and sturgeon caviar and goat cheese-stuffed olives dusted with dried olive powder or sun-dried tomato flakes.

    ‘It was the flavours of Italy, where Beatrice of Aragon was born, that inspired us to create these three cocktails’, says Balázs Molnár. ‘Queen of Hungary is an aperitif-style spritz cocktail made with premium Hungarian vermouth, rich in apple and lavender notes, combined with olive bitters and Mediterranean tonic and served in an elegant glass over a flower frozen in an ice cube. Princess of Naples blends various Italian aperitif liqueurs, such as Amaro Santoni (rhubarb), Italicus (bergamot) and Muyu Chinotto Nero (chinotto), with a touch of gin, served neat and finished with a golden spray on top. Princess of Aragon is a refreshing mocktail made with a blend of freshly ground coffee, sugar and sour cherries, cooked together with non-alcoholic chinotto and citric acid. These drinks are a perfect choice before or after dinner.’

    Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest is named after King Matthias Corvinus. Originally called Hunyadi, his last name, Corvinus, originates from the raven depicted on the family’s coat of arms, or Corvus in Latin. Mátyás owned the world’s second-largest library, after the Vatican’s, with approximately 50,000 hand-written and decorated books housed in Buda’s Bibliotheca

    Corviniana. His second wife, Beatrice of Aragon, also contributed books to the library as part of her dowry. Their marriage had significant political implications, sealing a treaty between two of the era’s most important states, the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Hungary. Moreover, Beatrice’s arrival as Hungary’s new, luxurious and art-loving ‘first lady’ brought numerous artists, artisans, scholars and scientists, introducing Renaissance art and architecture, fashions, interiors, gastronomy and humanistic thought to Hungary.