What does it feel like to enjoy a virtual cocktail?

With the VR headset securely on, I scan the landscape like a cocktail-hunting cyborg.

The heather stretches out beneath the weight of the Scottish sky. As the music rises, I leave the Highlands behind, traveling south toward the lively crowds of London’s Covent Garden.

Back in the real world at London’s One Aldwych hotel, Portuguese bar manager Pedro Paulo – crowned Best International Bartender at the Lisbon Bar Show 2016 – is crafting a drink with Dalmore 12-year-old whisky, Merlet cherry liqueur, cherry puree, grapefruit juice, chocolate bitters, and Lallier Champagne.

As the two-minute VR experience concludes and I remove the goggles and headphones, I’m met with The Origin – the world’s first Virtual Reality cocktail.

Virtual what now?

Let’s clear up a few things.

The Origin cocktail? It’s 100% the real deal. A whisky foundation, enhanced by the unexpected yet brilliant touch of Champagne, resulting in a 130ml mix of sweet, smoky, cherry, and chocolate notes.

“We wanted this drink to be, frankly, something everyone would love,” says Paulo, who, at 30, already boasts 12 years of top-tier bartending experience, including stints at London’s renowned Connaught Bar.

“I approach mixology these days by understanding what people enjoy and finding the best way to deliver those flavors,” he explains.

Precisely sherry woodchip smoke, carefully sealed in a glass hip flask alongside the cocktail, allowing you to top up and enjoy another burst of rich, woody flavor whenever you please.

“This is how I envision a Scotch should be enjoyed – in a small hip flask, with a fine whisky tumbler and a perfect ice cube,” says Paulo.

Showtime

Why pair a perfectly good cocktail with a showy VR experience of the Scottish Highlands?

For starters, it’s just one of many exciting, all-singing, all-dancing drinks featured on One Aldwych’s new Showtime menu, which is divided by flavor themes into light Comedies, bubbly Musicals, bold Satires, and punchy Dramas.

After all, this is the theater district, and London’s food scene is always craving the next big sensation.

The other trend The Origin taps into is – as its name suggests – the emphasis on provenance.

The Origin resides in the Backstage section of the Showtime menu, offering a glimpse behind the curtain at the creation process of a cocktail.

The two-minute journey through the Highlands, created in partnership with Dalmore whisky, offers a fascinating introduction to the art of Scottish whisky-making.

“When someone tells us they’ve learned something new, picked up a few facts, that’s a win for us,” says Paulo.

But there’s no backstory for the cherries, chocolate, grapefruit, and Champagne that also make up the cocktail.

Another letdown is the video’s lack of interactivity – it’s a static experience, so calling it Virtual Reality is a bit of a stretch.

A high five to all five senses

Naturally, multisensory dining isn’t exactly a new concept.

Back in 2007, Heston Blumenthal, the Willy Wonka of neurogastronomy, introduced his Sound of the Sea dish at The Fat Duck: a creative seafood platter with seaweed, panko ‘sand,’ and an iPod hidden inside a conch shell.

Later this summer, restaurateur Jason Atherton is set to launch what’s expected to be the world’s first Augmented Reality cocktail menu at his Michelin-starred London restaurant, City Social.

As London-based entrepreneur Seb Lyall shared with Dinogo back in April – the man behind viral ventures like a ‘Breaking Bad’ themed bar and a naked restaurant – “The definition of luxury is shifting for younger generations.

“It’s no longer about the finest dish or drink; it’s about the experience.”

Tableside service

However, the key trend Paulo is embracing at One Aldwych is personalization.

When you order the One Fashioned from the Showtime menu, the bartender ceremoniously rolls up the custom-made Old-Fashioned trolley to your table and crafts the drink right in front of you, tailored to your preferences.

Sweet, dry, balanced? Bourbon, tequila, or rum? The choice is yours to make.

While The Origin’s VR headset feels like a clunky and underwhelming novelty, the care and precision that went into the research and creation of the Showtime menu, along with its drink and food pairings, certainly is not.

Instead of wasting time awkwardly standing at the bar waiting for your drink, you can relax and enjoy a fun little distraction while the real cocktail-making action takes place.

This is no ‘Alice in Wonderland’ journey into an alternate reality.

Showtime Cocktails, One Aldwych, 1 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ; 020 7300 1000