It was so nice to get dressed up once again
Events are back and let me tell you I am absolutely living for it all.
I recently attended the opening of Cork’s most fabulous new cocktail bar, Sketch at the Imperial Hotel, and we were absolutely spoilt rotten with beautiful décor, delicious food and cocktails all while in the company of some of Cork’s most glamorous people.
It was so nice to get dressed up and catch up with people that I haven’t seen in ages.
The extensive cocktail menu at Sketch is created exclusively with Irish spirits paired with fresh local ingredients and garnishes, in keeping with the venue’s sustainability ethos to support local wherever possible.
While the vibrant bar will also serve a selection of birdcage tasting platters filled with local produce, and the venue will spill onto Pembroke Street, which is being redeveloped into Cork’s latest pedestrianised outdoor hospitality space.
Now of course the evening wouldn’t be the same without a bit of drama and I was barely inside the door before I managed to fall down some stairs and I hadn’t even a single cocktail taken at that stage!
This is what happens when we don’t wear heels for two years!
Needless to say, my knees and ego were quite bruised but I soldiered on and had a wonderful night. Sketch has undergone a complete exterior and interior redesign spear-headed by owner and design lead Allen Flynn and overseen by the wonderful General Manager Bastien Peyraud.
In keeping with its name and local-first ethos, the exterior of Sketch is designed with original black and white sketches of iconic Cork buildings, created by local graphic designer, illustrator, and interior architect Ethan Desmond, owner of From The Sketch Up.
Ethan was also commissioned to create unique illustrations to hang on the walls of the reimagined interior. He hand-sketched a modern Grace Kelly character, a girl about town who embodies the sophisticated but fun spirit of the venue.
Her signature look is a top hat and jacket with tails paired with stilettos and an undeniable joy de vivre/lust for life.
The art was inspired by the famous princess’s stay at the hotel 60 years ago and the venue’s history as a top jazz spot.
Sketch also partnered with stylist Sandra Looney of To Have and To Hold to create a modern ‘rus in urbe’ feel to the interiors - an illusion of a contemporary night-time garden within a city.
This design concept has been implemented through the use of colour and texture, with tactile wicker recliners, verdant fresh planting grouped throughout the space and a feature wall covered in foliage making it an attractive and Instagrammable space by day and giving an atmospheric edge by night. It’s so nice to have such a great place to go to unwind right in the city centre and it would be the perfect place for a girlie catch up. Everywhere you look there’s something to catch your eye and of course I was up to 90 with all the Instagram photos.
The launch of Sketch completes the Imperial Hotel’s trio of food offerings, adding to the sustainable restaurant Thyme at Seventy-Six on the Mall and Lafayette’s which serves breakfast, lunch and a famous Grace Kelly Afternoon Tea. The ingredients in all three eateries are sourced locally where possible, including the English market which is located just 400m from the hotel’s front door, in the heart of the city.
Commenting on the launch of Sketch, General Manager Bastien Peyraud said: “We are truly excited to share Sketch with the people of Cork and our hotel guests, and are very proud of our focus on local and sustainability. I anticipate it will be a fantastic melting pot of people, style, music, good food and great drinks.”