Oozing the poise and character that only an establishment of this stature could carry off, Mayfair’s effortlessly elegant Connaught Bar is a sure-fire London institution. For years, this haven of mixology and mystique has
delighted guests with immaculate cocktail creations that only the best and the brightest could concoct, served with a warm and meticulous attentiveness.
In 2020, to mark the bar’s 12 anniversary, director of mixology Agostino Perrone and head mixologist Giorgio Bargiani revealed Formae – a new menu rooted in the concept of shape. Paying homage to the forms and figures of the famous bar itself, as designed by David Collins Studio, the drinks highlight the balancing act and creative process involved in combining innovative flavours to create standout cocktails while trying to shape the future of mixology.
A showcase of multi-dimensional cocktails, Formae draws on the distinctive silhouettes of the stylish venue. With platinum silver-leaf-textured walls and a cool grey bar, this 1920s English and Irish Cubist art-inspired space is a deserving muse. From the audacious to the delicate, the collection of cocktails inspired by the dazzling decor is the product of boundless creativity.
Fusing form and flavour with the past and present, the selection of drinks features both classic combinations and surprising pairings presented in three definitive interpretations. Equilibrium is all about chemistry, bringing together select ingredients to create beautifully balanced beverages; Paradigm is a collection of perfect matches whose flavours sing in spellbinding harmony and Nebula is all about enigmatic, one-of-a-kind blends served in striking glassware.
Crafted carefully by the Connaught’s bar staff, each one of these copacetic cocktails is a sublime taste sensation, from first stir to final sip.
The Shape of Silence
Ingredients
20ml Belvedere vodka; 10ml Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto; 5ml Nonino ginger spirit 10ml cypress syrup; 50ml rhubarb sparkling wine; a dash of Bittered Sling Plum & Rootbeer bitters.
Method
Shake all ingredients except the rhubarb sparkling wine and strain. Pour into a flute and top up with sparkling wine. Garnish with an oxalis leaf.
Ellipses
Ingredients
15ml Banks 5 Island Rum; 30ml Darroze Les Grands Assemblages 8 Year Old Armagnac; 20ml Martini Riserva Ambrato; 20ml Patrón Reposado; 30ml Dr Ago ginseng and bergamot kombucha.
Method
Stir all the ingredients and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with black cocoa-butter dots on top of the ice cube.
The Catalyst
Ingredients
10ml Plantation Stiggin’s Fancy Pineapple Rum; 10ml Yaguara cachaça; 5ml Clairin Communal Rhum Agricole Rum; 15ml Muyu Chinotto Nero Liqueur; 10ml Galliano l’Aperitivo; 10ml fermented coconut; 20ml Bourgoin Cognac Verjus; 30ml soda water; tonka beans.
Method
Stir all the ingredients and strain over a chunk of ice into a bamboo-style glass. Garnish with a slice of dried red pineapple.
Bumblebee
Ingredients
50ml Suntory Roku gin and Haku vodka infused with raspberry and strawberry oil; 5ml sakura (cherry blossom) distillate; 5ml Concord 8 vinegar; 45ml Laurent Perrier champagne.
Method
Stir all the ingredients over ice, then pour into a champagne coupe with an ice chunk, and top off with champagne. Garnish with half a blackberry and finish with grapefruit and basil.
Find out more about The Connaught Bar at www.the-connaught.co.uk