What could be better than a classic cocktail? We spent an evening at the aptly named Connaught Bar at the Connaught Hotel in Mayfair www.the-connaught.co.uk/connaught_bar.aspx having our drinks crafted for us by Ago Perrone and we left thinking there might just be something better than a classic… a modern classic.

If you appreciate great cocktails served in an elegant surrounding and you haven’t been to the Connaught yet, then you are missing out. This is one of our favourite bars ever and is definitely THE place to go if you want to sip beautifully crafted cocktails in modern elegant surroundings.

Whenever we pop into The Connaught to see Ago we have a pretty high expectation that we are going to get to sip some fantastic cocktails and be introduced to new flavours. What we weren’t prepared for on this occasion was to have our minds opened to the whole idea of a drink created in this day and age having what it takes to become a classic of the future.

You see Ago is involved in a competition that Bacardi have conceived which is based around creating the next generation of what they are calling ‘Bacardi legacy cocktails’. www.legacycocktail.com There’s quite a lot to live up to as they cite the Mojito, Daiquiri and the Cuba Libra as some of the past legacy cocktails. That’s a pretty tall order for any bartender, but we think that if anyone is man enough for the job it has to be Ago.

We should explain that Ago is not just any bartender, he has been UK bartender of the year, was responsible for the drinks list at Montgomery Place, this year made it to the shortlist (of 3) of International Bartender of the Year at Tales of the Cocktail and is considered by many in the industry to be a leading light in the global bartending scene. Add to that the fact that he is one of the nicest people in the industry, a genuine host and has a talent for balancing flavours and ingredients in a way we have seldom encountered and you see why we look forward to visiting him when he is behind the stick.

Now back to this idea of a modern classic; bartenders across the UK were challenged to come up with the next generation of Bacardi legacy cocktails in a competition that spans a year and includes not only making the drink but also selling it, marketing and promoting it for 10 months and proving that it has what it takes to stand the test of time. The original field of bartenders competing for top honours was narrowed down to three who with help from Bacardi have put together a plan for promoting and marketing their drink. Ago as you may have guessed made the short list.

I can get pretty cynical about cocktail competitions and as for the idea of creating a modern classic that will endure through the ages, well that just sounds like a gimmick to me. However after a couple of drinks Ago presented me with his Mulata Daisy and asked my opinion. WOW! Now this is a drink that ticks all the boxes!

I admit I am a bit of a drink geek, and that sometimes I over think things instead of sitting back sipping and enjoying the drink, but the Mulata Daisy is a drink that challenged me to think about what I was experiencing.

Let me try to describe the experience to you as best I can. Firstly you must picture the setting; an intimate space, lights dimmed, sat with good friends in one of London’s most elegant hotel bars. You have just enjoyed a round of amazing cocktails when Ago comes over to your table and asks ‘permission’ to make you a round of drinks of his choosing… as if I am going to argue with an offer like that. You wait, casting glances over at the Maestro as he works, anticipating new flavours that are about to dazzle you.

Finally you see the drinks being brought over, a port cobbler, a pisco punch, a daiquiri, and, what’s this? Ago smiles and says ‘let me know what you think of this one Dan’. I have been presented with an elegant, large, fine crystal coupe embracing a delicately coloured liquid. The coupe has a dark powdered rim and other than that is ungarnished. To be honest it needs none it looks so striking and elegant. I am enjoying this drink and I haven’t even taken a sip yet!

Now on to the business of the drink itself as the aroma of sweet citrus, delicate floral notes and dry dark chocolate meet my nose. The first sip is an experience, as the dryness and earthy rich notes of the chocolate powder rim set that base from which the flavours build. The sweet citrus notes arrive next as the lime and cacao roll over your tongue waking up the taste buds and mingling with the chocolate powder to find a rich but lively middle ground. Then as those first two flavours start to fade into the background the spicy and herbal notes are left softly on the palette ending in a long finish that is a hint of all the flavours past with a lingering but subtle liquorice finish.

Hang on a second, I have just realised that I am gushing about this drink and perhaps should feel a little embarrassed to have gone this in-depth about one sip of a cocktail. Well I’m not embarrassed, the drink was actually so good that it deserves a gushing review, so I will stand by my slightly OTT description and challenge anyone to go and try a Mulata Daisy for themselves and tell me I’m wrong!

Certainly on seeing the look on my face after I took the first sip everyone at the table was quick enough to dive in and have a sip for themselves and judging by their reactions and the way each one of then grinned as they savoured the aftertaste I am not alone in my admiration of this drink.

I can’t say for certain that the Mulata Daisy will stand the test of time and go on to be a drink that people look back at and think of as a classic. What I can say with confidence is that it is as elegant, refined and balanced as any classic I have ever sipped and that’s good enough for me.

Usually we would give you the recipe… but actually we would be cheating you of an experience if we did. As far as I am concerned the best way to enjoy this drink is to get yourself down to The Connaught and have Ago make you one. So what are you waiting for, this is your chance to be able to say I drank that before it was a classic!