The fine art of festive cocktails
Inspired by the spirit of the season, Christmas introduces festive flourishes to the Connaught Bar menus. The crispness of champagne cocktails and the warming notes of citrus and cacao-infused Martinis bring the outside in, adding fresh twists to timeless mixes. For those raising a toast at home, creating the perfect yuletide cocktail blends a good measure of the finest spirits with elegant glassware – and a few secret-recipe ingredients.
THE CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
- 15 ml Cognac
- 100 ml Brut Champagne
- 5 ml sugar syrup
- Candied ginger, to garnish
Measure each ingredient in turn, before mixing directly in a chilled flute. Embellish with a cube or two of candied ginger for a gently spiced, festive finish.
AGOSTINO PERRONE
CHRISTMASTINI
- 45 ml the Connaught Bar Gin
- 25 ml orange and cocoa husk sherbet (see below for our recipe)
- 25 ml Chardonnay
- 5 ml Galliano L’Autentico
Chill a Martini glass as you prepare the ingredients. Shake together, before straining into the glass and garnishing with a dehydrated orange wheel.
For the orange and cacao husk sherbet:
- 450 grams caster sugar
- The peel of 5 oranges
- 40 grams of cocoa husk (or nibs)
- 900 ml fresh blood orange juice
Leaving the orange juice to one side, place the remaining ingredients into a suitable plastic container with space to gently muddle and mix together. Finally, add the citrus juice before leaving the mixture to rest for one hour. You may need to stir occasionally, to allow all the sugar to dissolve.