There is a certain degree of sophistication and elegance that emanates from someone parked on a bar stool or lounge seat, sipping on an exotic and brightly coloured cocktail.
Our mind is immediately sent racing back to memories of Hollywood movies, a man or woman basking in the heat of a tropical island, nursing a Pina Colada or Bloody Mary. Yet along with this appeal also comes the risk of a litany of debilitating diseases associated with alcohol consumption. Fear not. Bring in the Mocktails.
These non-alcoholic beverages offer a healthier and oftentimes tastier option. In view of this, The Mirror Magazine went barhopping to pick out some of the most exciting and well thought out mocktails on offer.
The establishment we first sashayed our way into was the Lounge Bar, housed in the Cinnamon Lakeside hotel.
Complimenting the pleasant ambience was a range of diverse mocktails, from the aptly named Red Island- a fruity mix of fresh melon, red apple and lemonade- to the greenish tinged New Caster.
Our choice however, settled on the bar’s trademark drink, the Lakeside Beauty. Indeed with a bold blend of pineapple, peach and lychee it was quite the beauty to both taste and behold. The taste of pineapple is greatly prevalent throughout the drink but there is a piquant zing of peach that rests on the fringes of each sip, patiently waiting to deliver its blow once the flavour of pineapple recedes.
The next place we sauntered into was a lounge, also within the Cinnamon Lakeside, called 7 degrees North. Understandably we were feeling pretty indulgent at this point, some might even say adventurous, so what better drink to choose than the Safe Sex on the Beach. Before we proceed any further, let me commend the inventor of this ingenious title, ten marks to you sir or madame, even if it had been just a glass of water I still would have bought it. What can I say, sex sells and safe sex even more so.
Unlike its uninhibited cousin, this non alcoholic drink substitutes vodka with grape fruit, but still maintains the drink’s trademark peaches and cranberry juice. The taste hits you as hard as an STD, delivering a powerful double punch of grapefruit and cranberry juice before launching with a light jab of peach flavor.
To conclude our mocktail mission we journeyed to the Hilton’s Thorana Bar to sample one of the long held faourites, the Thorana Splendour.
The drink is a palate-pleasing combination of strawberry, peaches and passion fruit cordial that is elaborately presented with a peach piece and a single strawberry.
The three places mentioned above are but a fraction of the string of other hotel bars and lounges which offer up a wide variety of mocktails. So the next time you are in one of these establishments, don’t forget to turn to the non alcoholic beverage section of the menu and give some of them a try. |
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