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Connaught marks 11th birthday with new cocktails
One of London’s most celebrating drinking dens, the Connaught Bar, has marked its 11thbirthday with a new cocktail menu inspired by the venue’s famous guests.
Created by the hotel’s director of mixology, Agostino Perrone, and head mixologist, Giorgio Bargiani, the list, dubbed ‘The Vanguard’, is split into three sections: Enigma, in ode to the hotel’s signature Martini; Strata, inspired by the bar itself; and Verve, after the bar’s iron gates.
Each section features five cocktails listed from the strongest to the lightest, with each chapter including a Champagne cocktail and a mocktail.
“It has been a labour of love of the bar team for the past nine months, and while we’re constantly inspired by our travels and backgrounds, we have the luxury of being constantly motivated by our immediate surroundings of the bar,” Perrone said.
“All of the drinks are representations of deep research into each and every ingredient and how we transform them to create the best taste and experience. We want to create flavours that are persistent on the palate,” he added.
The drinks on the Vanguard menu are priced between £13-25 and went on sale this week at The Connaught Bar.
Click through to explore some of the highlights from the menu…
Number 11
Inspired by the bar’s legendary Martini, made on a vintage trolley from vodka or gin and a choice of five bitters, and poured from a great height, the Number 11 blends the bar’s house gin with vodka, Martini Ambrato, Amalfi lemon oil and five bitters, including ginseng, bergamot and lavender.
To add a dash of theatre, rather than hand-poured, the Number 11 is dispensed from a machine with a power equivalent to pouring the cocktail from an 11-storey building. Served in a coupe with a diamond-shaped ice cube, each glass is painted Jackson Pollock style with a drip design.
Amberblack
From the Strata list, the Amberblack is inspired by the contrasting colours of the bar’s interiors and sees coconut and coffee go head to head, alongside floral notes of jasmine are and the aniseed hit of mastiha. The amber-hued drink is served in a wine glass flecked with coconut powder.
Gate No. 1
Perrone’s favourite from the Verve section, the cocktail is named after the iron gates flanking the bar and the treasure trove of wines beyond them. A potent blend of gin, whisky, vermouth, red wine, Port and strawberry kombucha, the cocktail is topped with the gate’s design in chocolate.
Bienvenuti
From the Enigma section, the Bienvenuti is an effervescent Champagne cocktail that celebrates the era when the pineapple was considered the height of luxury. Made from a blend of pineapple rum, Martini Ambrato and Laurent-Perrier, the drink is finished with a fizzing sugar cube.
A Hint of Purple
Appearing in the Verve section of the menu, shot through with zesty flavours and bright botanicals, the Hint of Purple tips its hat to the hotel’s signature hue, and is made from a blend of gin, Cocchi Americano Rosa, blueberries, rhubarb sparkling wine and Galliano.