Imbibing the Style of Yesteryear
on December 3, 2009
The Royal Livingstone Hotel was built in the colonial style of architecture. Livingstone has a history dating back to 1900s and many of the buildings are of the colonial period. We wanted, as Sun International, to reflect this period so that our hotel would enhance Livingstone’s historical past.
In our central area, I think, our bar is certainly something of which we are particularly proud. The décor and furniture are all reminiscent of the colonial days when men, in pith hats and stout boots, women in long white dresses with high necklines, rode in donkey carts.
Women, of course, in those days did not accompany their menfolk into the bars. They had their own sitting area where they could chat with their friends, drink tea and play a bit of bridge. The men, meanwhile, whooped it up in the bar, playing poker and talking politics.
Our bar at the Royal Livingstone is now, of course, not confined to men. So we cannot state that we are truly colonial! We have had to change some things.
The Royal Livingstone bar is stocked with a vast array of drinks, taking into account all tastes. One bottle of cognac, Louis XIII, has been on the shelves since we opened the hotel. At US$950 a shot, it is not surprising that we have not sold many tots. We have, in fact, sold three. One tot was sold to a Russian businessman, another to a Zambian businessman and the third to a well know Californian.
Whiskey in the old days was probably the most popular drink; it was brought by ox-cart from South Africa by the barrel. Later it came by train. Nowadays, it is not spirits that our guests prefer. They tend to opt for a refreshing beer. In our hot weather there is no better way to cool down that by indulging in one of our local beers. Our beer is also aptly named for us in Livingstone – it is called Mosi beer. Mosi comes from the local name of the Victoria Falls – the Mosi-oa-Tunya.
