“There’s a magical quality to the Connaught Bar at London’s Mayfair. Drop in for a pint and step inside another dimension. Elegant conversation flows round ornate glass and candlelit benches. Behind the bar, talented mixologists concoct new concoctions with ingredients straight out of the bottle and time-honored classic cocktails being served by the same bartenders who invented them.”
For over half a century, the Connaught Bar at Mayfair has consistently ranked among the world s 50 best bars. Considered by many to be the spiritual home of the modern cocktail, the bar is renowned for its creativity and knowledge of drinks. The goal of the bar in London, according to the’Connaught Bar Reviews’ in the New York Times, is to produce drinks that are “as bold and as versatile as possible”. So what makes the drink so special? Let’s examine some of the reasons why the drink is considered the cream of the cocktail pie.
The inspiration for the drink actually comes from the name of the hotel where it originally opened, the Connaught. The name actually came from a man called Richard Edward Connaught, who owned the hotel. It was fitting that his birthplace, London, would bear his name. The name’Connaught’ was given to the bar in memory of Connaught, who was a distinguished British military surgeon during the First World War. A famous story that surrounded the origins of the drink relates that after one of his operations, a wounded soldier came into the clinic and asked for a drink.
The London establishment is known as one of the best bars in the world to drink, socialise, and dine. However, the bar was only established in the Soho area of London in the sixties. Many of the old traditional drinking bars of London such as the Bulldog were soon to be demolished in favour of the more modern drinking establishments, mainly because they weren’t well received by the locals. This is when the concept of opening a pub was born from a love for good food and drink. The bar began life as a small tap room, which quickly grew to be so popular that it gradually moved into its present location in the Soho area.
Over the years the bar has become synonymous with great drinks and culinary masterpieces. Every year during the London vacation of the month of April, the Connaught Bar will celebrate’Connaught Crawl’ as a grand celebration of the best drinks and food in the world. The festivities include various tours around London, along with a series of live music, drink celebrations, and trips to restaurants and hotels. For lovers of good food and drinks in the pubs of London offer something for everyone; they have many restaurants and pubs to go to and tapas bars that serve special Mexican dishes and Spanish wines.
The bar tends to attract people from all walks of life and the crowds are usually from all different parts of the city, as well as from the surrounding areas. This mixture of local and visitor crowds means that you can experience the city at various times of the day and night. In addition, the hotel bars in London offer great drinks and some wonderful cocktail specials throughout the year.
The Connaught Bar offers several levels of drinking experiences. For example, the lower-priced bar offers an extensive cocktail menu with drinks such as White Russian, Manhattan, Martini and Side Carne. There are also plenty of very affordable options for the guests on a budget, such as a White Russian Martini for around a hundred pounds, or a Manhattan for around two hundred pounds. Even guest drinks can be found that cost less than two pounds, such as White Russian Vodka and Champagne Flute.
Of course, one of the best drinks that the bar can offer its guests is a good old fashioned canape. Many of the canapes that the bar will put out have been created in the historic districts of the city and feature local ingredients such as flour, eggs, sugar, butter, cheese, milk and lemon. Many of the drinks that can be enjoyed at the hotel bar in London can also be had at home. A good classic canape, known as a “champagne” can be enjoyed alone, as well as with champagne or other sparkling drinks.