Vapoura Rum puts The Mandrake Hotel on vinyl with immersive cocktail collaboration

Rum, music and mixology come together in an unusual collaboration as Vapoura Rum celebrates London’s Mandrake Hotel with a limited-edition vinyl record and a bespoke summer cocktail menu.

Vapoura Rum The After Stories is a new creative project that invites music producers to capture the atmosphere of iconic venues through sound. The inaugural release sees the rum brand partner with Fitzrovia’s Mandrake Hotel to produce a six-track vinyl EP inspired by the hotel’s distinctive spaces, accompanied by a cocktail menu served throughout the summer.

Vapoura commissioned producers CARALUS and Daniel Sehnawi to spend time exploring The Mandrake before translating its architecture, mood and character into music. The resulting collection moves through the hotel room by room, from the dramatic black entrance of Portal to the intimate surroundings of YOPO restaurant, the lush Jurema terrace and the late-night energy of the Masha Hari Theatre.

Pressed by The Vinyl Factory, The After Stories Vol. 1, the EP is available as a limited-edition vinyl release through Vapoura’s website, while listeners who prefer digital can stream the music via major online platforms.

Vapoura commissioned producers CARALUS and Daniel Sehnawi to spend time exploring The Mandrake before translating its character into music…

How Vapoura rum turned The Mandrake hotel into music

Behind the music are two producers whose work reflects different corners of the electronic music scene. Manchester artist CARALUS is known for deep organic grooves and intricate percussion, while London-based DJ and music director Daniel Sehnawi draws inspiration from underground electronic music and his Syrian heritage. Each was asked to absorb the atmosphere of The Mandrake before composing music that reflected the experience of moving through its spaces.

CARALUS described the commission as unlike anything he had tackled before, explaining that translating physical environments into sound became a vital part of the creative process. Sehnawi said the project demonstrated how music can create a lasting connection to a particular place and moment.

For Vapoura founders Olly Barkley and Ed Jackson, this novel collaboration reflects the philosophy behind the brand. 

Rather than focusing on the occasion itself, Vapoura has always celebrated the moments that follow, when dinner has ended, conversations continue and music begins to shape the evening.

“Vapoura was created to amplify a moment,” says co-founder Olly Barkley. “When Ed and I discussed those moments, we always attached music to them as the final ingredient. A playlist, a vinyl, a track we’d just been sent by one of our friends: music has been and always will be a loving partner in those moments for us.”

Vapoura rum’s vinyl-inspired cocktail menu

Throughout the summer, The Mandrake’s bars will serve a trio of cocktails inspired by the EP, with both Vapoura Chapter One and Chapter Two available across the hotel.

Angel Sage, served in the Waeska Bar, showcases Chapter One with citrus notes, layered botanicals and a delicate red sage soda. The result is a bright, herbaceous serve.

Also available in Waeska Bar is Velvet Cocoon, which combines Chapter One with coconut oil and a watermelon and mango cordial for a tropical cocktail that balances creamy texture with vibrant fruit.

Completing the collection is Sacred Bean, available in YOPO Zaytoun. Built around Vapoura’s rum, it blends amaretto, sweet potato shochu and vivid purple ube with white chocolate and tonka cream to create a rich, dessert-style cocktail. 

For rum lovers tempted to recreate the experience at home, Vapoura offers two expressions.

Chapter One is a spiced rum bottled at 38% ABV and finished in bourbon casks. It offers notes of blood orange, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla, pink peppercorn and ginger, making it well suited to both classic and contemporary cocktails. It’s available from Master of Malt priced at £43.75.

Chapter Two takes a richer approach. Bottled at 42% ABV, the gold rum spends six months finishing in Pedro Ximénez casks, developing flavours of vanilla, caramel, raisin, tobacco and chocolate. With its fuller texture and lingering finish, it lends itself equally well to sipping neat or starring in spirit-forward cocktails. Master of Malt has it for £48.62.

Collectors can purchase the limited-edition vinyl for £25, while a bundle including the record and full-sized bottles of both Chapter One and Chapter Two is available for £110. Order yours here.