The first sip of an exotic cocktail is always a memorable moment on holiday. From piña coladas to passion fruit mojitos, there are some drinks which have become synonymous with sunshine. So here are ten of our favourite signature cocktails straight from the bars of boutique hotels, which will put travel on the tip of your tongue and give you a flavour of all the simple pleasures to come…
Sweet Bitter-ness by Lumiares Hotel and Spa, Lisbon – Portugal
Ingredients
- 60ml Amêndoa Amarga or almond liquor
- 30ml lime juice
- 25ml egg white
- 10ml ginger, cardamom and honey syrup
- 4 dashes of Angostura bitters
Method
- Simply combine all ingredients and shake.
- Add ice and shake again.
- Strain over ice and there you go. For extra freshness garnish with lime zest!
Secret Garden by Le Narcisse Blanc Hôtel & Spa, Paris – France
Ingredients
- 40ml Citadelle French Gin
- 20ml Domaine de Canton French ginger Liquor
- 8 fresh raspberries
- 10ml lime juice
- 80ml Fever-tree Elderflower
- Handful of mint leaves
Method
- Crush the raspberries with the lime juice into the shaker.
- Add the gin, the liquor and the ice.
- Shake well and strain with a bar strainer into a tumbler glass.
- Top with soda.
- Garnish with fresh raspberries, mint leaves and a blueberry. Enjoy!
Artemis by Ovolo Central, Hong Kong
Ingredients
- 45ml Sour Plum Infused Rum
- 15ml Ancho Chilli Liquor
- 15ml apple syrup
- 22ml fresh lemon juice
- 5 mint leaves
- Ginger Beer to top
Method
- Add a large ice cube into a rocks glass.
- Put the rum, chilli liquor, apple syrup, lemon juice, and mint leaves into a cocktail shaker and shake well until the outside feels cold, then strain into the glass.
- Top with ginger beer and garnish with fresh apple slices and star anise. Enjoy and cheers!
Welcome to Paradise by Kenoa – Exclusive Beach Spa & Resort, Alagoas – Brazil
Ingredients
- 50ml passion fruit juice
- 50ml sparkling wine
- Cinnamon sticks
- Mint leaves
Method
- Make a concentrated passion fruit juice the day before serving and leave it aside with cinnamon sticks for flavouring.
- Add a piece of cinnamon in a flute bowl, then add a third of a glass of sparkling wine and top up with the juice.
- Decorate with a mint leaf for the bouquet.
Forest Bug by Santorini Secret Suites & Spa, Santorini – Greece
Ingredients
- White Rum
- Mango Purée
- Butterscotch syrup
- Elderflower Liqueur
- Purple Sugar
Method
- Put all the ingredients in a shaker, then use the rolling technique to mix them all.
- To finish, put the cocktail in a champagne glass.
Antinoo’s Mule by Sina Centurion Palace, Venice – Italy
Ingredients
- Juice from ½ orange
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 5ml Maraschino juice
- 40ml Barrique Grappa of Amarone Masi
- Ginger beer to fill
- Ice
Method
- Freeze a tall tumbler and remove water in excess.
- Pour all ingredients (except the ginger beer) into the glass; mix with a bar spoon.
- Fill the glass with Fever Tree ginger beer. Decorate with a spiral of orange zest, a maraschino cherry and some slices of fresh ginger.
Moana Manea by Little Polynesian Resort, Rarotonga – Cook Islands
Ingredients
- 30ml pineapple juice
- 15ml coconut cream
- 30ml Blue Curacao
- 30ml Grand Marnier
- 30ml Malibu coconut rum
- 10g desiccated coconut
- 1 lime
Method
- Place all liquid ingredients into a shaker and shake for 10 seconds to mix ingredients well.
- Rim the glass with lime and then line it with desiccated coconut.
- Add ice to the glass and pour in the mixture over the top.
- Garnish with desiccated coconut and lime wedge.
- Switch on the sound of some cheeky ukulele tunes for your very own beach-bar experience and enjoy!
The Muse by Villa Geba, Sveti Stefan – Montenegro
Ingredients
- 6cl Bergamot infused Grey Goose Vodka
- 1.5cl Homemade Dry Vermouth (Fragrance of Thyme & Rosemary)
- Virgin Olive Oil Wash
- Golden Sea Salt
Method
Stir with ice then pour into a Martini glass slightly coated with olive oil and golden sea salt.
Tokyo Station by The Tokyo Station Hotel, Tokyo – Japan
Pictured: 80-year-old Hisashi Sugimoto has been shaking and mixing cocktails at The Tokyo Station Hotel since 1958. The local icon won Forbes Travel Guide’s 2021 Hotel Employee of the Year award for his dedication to the craft and his guests. Concocted to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the opening of Tokyo Station, the cocktail features a beautiful ‘red brick’ orange color, while the Tanqueray represents the “T” and Suzu liqueur the “S” for Tokyo Station.
Ingredients
- 30ml Tanqueray Gin
- 20ml Suze Herb Liqueur
- 10ml fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp grenadine syrup
- 1 tsp sugar syrup
- 1/8 cut lime
Method
- Put all the ingredients (except the fresh lime) in a shaker and shake.
- Pour into a glass and garnish the edge with the lime wedge.
- When you’re halfway through the cocktail, squeeze the lime into the remainder. This will add a sharp freshness and transform the drink. The two tastes of the Tokyo Station are supposed to mimic a train coming and going.
Looking to quench your thirst for travel? As we know that it’s the little things which can go a long way, book now with our SLH Simple Pleasures rate to receive a £50/$50/€50 resort credit at participating hotels. Let us know how you spend your simple pleasure, whether it’s sipping signature cocktails on your balcony at sunset or a picnic spread by the sea – we always love to hear from our Members.