Glass reviews The Lee Broom Cocktail at The Connaught Bar

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.

AgostinoAgostino 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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