Fresh from his defamation case victory over ex-wife Amber Heard, the former Pirates of the Caribbean star celebrate at Varanasi with 24 friends on 5 June.
Though the fee for hiring out the 300-seat restaurant is normally around £20,000, it was rumoured to be significantly more due to the short notice of the hire. Mo Hussain, the restaurant’s operation director, disputes the alleged £50,000 cost but did not disclose the final bill when speaking with The Times.
The food at the gathering, which was also attended by Depp’s friend the guitarist Jeff Beck, included curry house classics such as butter chicken, vegetable samosas and king prawn bhuna.
As for drinks, The Daily Mail claims that Depp ordered rosé Champagne costing £7,500, still wine at £1,200 a bottle and cocktails. However, examination of the Varanasi drinks list puts the priciest rosé Champagne at £590 for Louis Roederer Cristal and the most expensive red at £225 for a bottle of Château Lynch Bages.
It is possible though that some premium stock was kept back for celebrity visitors. There is a £500 premium cocktail available: The Jewel of Varanasi. Only available through ordering a day ahead, the ingredients include quail egg whites and 24ct gold leaf. It is unclear whether Depp booked soon enough to order the drinks in advance.
The Depp vs Heard trial exposed the former-couple’s expensive tastes, including spending US$160,000 on wine during their ill-fated marriage. Heard, who must now pay Depp £8.2million, was revealed to have a penchant for a Spanish red during the trial.
This article was originally published by the drinks business and has been shared with permission.
