WHEN Glass heard that The Connaught Bar was launching an exclusive Christmas cocktail in collaboration with Tanqueray No. TEN and international design star Lee Broom, we high-tailed it to Mayfair. The experience did not disappoint with the Lee Broom, divine setting and first class hospitality coming together to make a delightful cocktail of a night.
Agostino Perrone and his cocktail creation
Located in the beautiful art deco surrounds of The Connaught Bar, we started the evening with a delicious starter cocktail of Campari and grapefruit before moving onto the event of the night – The Lee Broom Cocktail. Arriving in a stunningly hand-blown crystal glass designed by Lee Broom himself, the cocktail’s golden hues were jewel-like and magnified in the light, tempting you to dip in.
Created by The Connaught’s world-class mixologist Agostino Perrone, The Lee Broom is an exquisite concoction of Tanqueray No. TEN, Galliano L’Autentico, pineapple, timur pepper, kombucha and fresh lime juice, finished with a spray of green mandarin essence.
The result is a cocktail with the beautiful aroma of Nepalese Timur pepper, almost star anise-like in its fragrance, and the gorgeous full-bodied flavours of pink grapefruit, pineapple and lime with the crisp aftertaste of mandarin. It’s truly a drink to be savoured despite the inclination to quaff it down for its sheer deliciousness. Thankfully it was not a one gulp champagne flute.
Our cocktail was beautifully complemented by the table olives (moreishly salty) and crispbreads and a selection of canapes: crispy sushi with chipotle mayonnaise and soy glaze, chicken samosas with coriander yoghurt and the black truffle and comte fritters. All were tantalizingly good, with a special mention for the melt-in-the-mouth salmon atop the crispy sushi.
For those curious about how The Lee Broom is made, Agostino will be hosting The Magic of Mixology workshop on December 9 in The Connaught’s Champagne Room, where guests can learn how to create it and other Christmas cocktails. As the exclusive tipple is only available until the end of December, I guess that’s the way for me to keep up my Lee Broom cocktail habit.
by Lucy Wai
The Lee Broom Cocktail is priced at £21 and is available at The Connaught Bar until December 31.
The Connaught Bar, Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL
The Magic of Mixology workshop is priced at £250 per person, groups limited to six people.
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