‘Betty is a joy … she is far the best cocktail mixer in the West End’, wrote a journalist in the 1940s about the Connaught Bar’s head bartender. She first learned her skills working for twelve years behind the bar at the Hind’s Hotel in Bray on Thames. With her well-honed talents she served Connaught Bar customers for fourteen years from the wartime years to a little beyond. This salute to Betty of the Connaught was the very first drink to appear on the refurbished Connaught Bar’s opening menu. Regular customers from when the doors reopened in 2008 love it so much they keep requesting it. Betty is Back is a dry, bubbly sip with delicate floral and citrus notes from a complex blend of Aperol – an orange, gentian, rhubarb and cinchona aperitif – and elderflower liqueurs and fresh lemon juice, while the champagne raises a toast to this memorable wartime bartender and her customers, who kept returning to this iconic spot for more.
This recipe is an extract from The Connaught Bar: Recipes and Iconic Creations (Phaidon).
Next up, why not try more cocktail recipes from the House & Garden archive.
Ingredients
Preparation
Method
Combine the Aperol, liqueur and lemon juice in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a flute and gently pour in the champagne. Garnish with a cocktail cherry speared onto the end of a cocktail sword.
