HOTEL COCKTAILS YOU CAN MAKE DURING THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN
You may be under lockdown due to COVID-19 but you can still create your own stylish bar with these hotel cocktails to make at home. Some of Asia’s best resorts have released the recipes of some popular cocktails that everyone can easily make.
A Taste of Thailand: The Tom Yum Cocktail of Banyan Tree Samui
The most iconic dish in Thailand need not be confined to a bowl and might be sipped not slurped. The signature drink at Banyan Tree Samui’s fabulous Froggy Sea Breeze Beach Bar is called the Tom Yum Cocktail.
It’s a lip-smacking concoction. Take 60 ml of vodka, 40 ml of lime juice, 20 ml of sugar syrup, six pieces of lime wedges and 15 mg of brown sugar. Then combine these with 100g of lemongrass.
​
Simply mash and stir until juicy and then pour on ice. Banyan Tree chief mixologist Khun Berm recommends garnishing with a red chili and a slice of galangal, if available. Otherwise, sit back, shut your eyes, sip, and float away to a Siamese island of palm trees and sunsets.
Bali in a Bottle: Empon-Empon at Tanah Gajah
Not all immune boosting tonics need to be shot back with a sour face. The popular Indonesian herbal drink Empon-Empon is on the menu at Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana. The hotel’s F&B team recommend it as a healthy and delicious alternative to a daily cup of jo.
​
Combine 200 grams of sliced ginger, 200 grams of sliced turmeric, two pieces of cinnamon stick, two lemongrass stalks, and 300 ml still water. Add palm sugar or brown sugar and place all the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes and then you’re ready. Imagine that you’re sipping the brew while the sun sets over the lush rice paddies of Ubud.
Cocktails to make at home: A Charlie Chaplin at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel
Charlie Chaplin was famous for wobbling into things, and wobbling out of them. He would also likely be wobbling if he were to down one of the Charlie Chaplin Cocktails at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.
​
This cane-shaker includes ¾ shot of gin (sloe gin recommended), ¾ shot of apricot brandy or liqueur, ¾ shot of fresh lime juice, and ½ shot of cold water or ice.
​
Combine the ingredients in a shaker and add the ice or water. Shake well, strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with fresh apricot or fresh lime peel. Then, voila. You’ll have successfully created one of the iconic cocktails to make at home.
​
If you are planning to imbibe one (or three) of these in Hanoi after the pandemic, you can always wobble your way to the hotel’s Charlie Chaplin Suite and sleep it off.
Fruit and Veggies: Make a “Fresh Start” at the Alma Resort Cam Ranh
This new drink at the Alma resort in Cam Ranh, Vietnam makes no medicinal claims but it certainly looks exactly like what the doctor might have ordered. It’s one of those healthy cocktails to make at home.
​
Start with two stalks of celery, five grams of ginger, half a beetroot and one apple. After washing and chopping up the ingredients, add them to the juicer one at a time. Starting with the celery and then the ginger. Then finish with beetroot and apple. The beetroot and apple help to flush out any stubborn celery or ginger remnants in the juicer.
​
Drink immediately or let it chill in the fridge for an hour. Apple and beetroot fight inflammation, and beetroot also helps lower blood pressure and support detoxification. Meanwhile, celery is a good source of dietary fiber and vitamins A, C and K. It’s also low in calories. On the other hand, ginger aids in digestion and supports the immune system.
Sweet and Sour: “Almond Passion” Cocktail at the Melia Koh Samui
The tanginess of lime or ginger packs a punch on the senses as is. Yet combining the zesty citrus fruit and spice and underscoring them with alcohol and sugar is enough to shake anyone out of a COVID-19 induced isolation slumber.
​
The new Meliá Koh Samui’s team recommends a drink called “Almond Passion.” It consists of 60 ml of Amaretto, 30 ml of Jim Beam, 30 ml of lime juice, and sliced fresh ginger. The last ingredients are 30 ml of sugar syrup and ginger ale, with sliced almond as garnish.
​
Mix the Amaretto, Jim Beam, lime juice, fresh ginger and sugar syrup together and shake well with ice. Pour the concoction into a glass, top it up with ginger ale and sprinkle the top with sliced almond. A side of salted peanuts is optional.
More cocktails to make at home : Organic Soothing Swing at Laguna Lang Co
Any golfer will tell you that the highlight of an outing is often a post-round dissection over drinks. This is when the finer points of play — both good and bad — can be discussed over a few libations.
​
One of the fanciest golf clubhouses in Asia is the 67 clubhouse bar at Laguna Golf Lang Co. This clubhouse has made a session at the 19th hole even more appealing by offering a custom-designed cocktail concocted specifically with golfers in mind.
​
The super-refreshing drink uses rum and local fruits grown around the resort in Central Vietnam to soothing effect. Indeed, it’s the perfect antidote to any angst over missed putts or a creaking driving technique. To get into the swing at home, combine 60 ml of rum, 120 ml of pineapple juice, 30 ml of orange juice and 30 ml of coconut milk. Shake it all up and strain it into a glass filled with crushed ice.