After twelve months of staying mainly at home and luxury travel feeling little more than a distant memory, you may well be dreaming of a five-star getaway as the world opens up later this year. That first flight in itself will be a reason enough for a celebration, but once you touch down on new soil, you’d be forgiven if your first plan was to head straight to the nearest sophisticated cocktail bar to raise a toast. In the words of Ina Garten, “during a crisis, cocktail hour can be almost any hour” – but after a crisis, and on holiday, this is all the more true. And with social occasions also currently feeling like a thing of the past, it seems like a fitting enough way to begin your trip.
Thankfully, there’s a cocktail for almost every eventuality, and as it happens, every country, too. From the Italian Bellini to the Singapore Sling, wherever you’re eager to travel to, there’s a local drink for the occasion – but if your country of choice is still on the red list or subject to strict quarantine rules after 17th May, then you might have to wait a little longer to get there.
Travel, it seems, is likely to remain relatively restricted for the rest of the year, and we may not be going as far as we’d like to just yet. But, with social gatherings back on the cards over the coming months, that doesn’t mean you can’t recreate the experience from the comfort of your own home.
Luxury online cocktail events and hire a cocktail bartender company Spin and Shake has been helping people to do exactly that for many years now, providing customers with the most exclusive cocktail hire service for any private event, with bartenders not only creating the most mouth-watering drinks from around the world, but creating an exciting and fun-filled atmosphere, too. And if you can’t wait until June? Good news, because they also happen to offer virtual cocktail classes with their online team of mixologists, which means you can live your luxury cocktail dream sooner rather than later, all without leaving the house.
So, what should you be mixing up in order to get those much sought-after holiday vibes in 2021? We asked Spin and Shake’s team of experts to fill us in, complete with where to drink them in real life when you can.
Bloody Mary – New York, USA
If you’re planning on starting the celebrations early then a Bloody Mary is the ultimate choice to accompany a long and leisurely brunch. Said to have been perfected by French mixologist Fernand Petiot at the Regis New York’s King Cole Bar in 1934, it’s a drink that has held its own over the years, and is now a popular menu option around the world for those with a more refined palate. Savoury and sophisticated, this heady mix of vodka, tomato juice, tabasco, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, celery salt and black pepper will transport you straight to the Big Apple and back in one morning.
The Margarita, Mexico
If sunnier climes and relaxing days lounging on the beach are what you’re dreaming of, then it doesn’t get much better than a classic Margarita. Combining white tequila with Triple Sec and lemon juice, this salty-rimmed sip evokes feelings of sheer relaxation, but is also the perfect partner to take you into a fun-filled evening, too. First mixed up in 1938 by Carlos ‘Danny’ Herrera at his restaurant, Rancho La Gloria, located halfway between Tijuana and Rosarito, Baja California for customer and former Ziegfield dancer Marjorie King, it has been a favourite ever since, and now appears on cocktail menus around the world.
The Singapore Sling – Raffles, Singapore
The Singapore Sling has been a luxury cocktail menu staple for some years now, dating all the way back to 1915 when it was created by Ngiam Tong Boon at the iconic Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar, Singapore. A refreshing tipple combining gin, pineapple juice and cherry liqueur, it’s the perfect drink to relax with after a hot and sticky day exploring Singapore, but makes just as good a drink to sip on at home.
The Caipirinha, Brazil
There has been some debate about where exactly the Caipirinha was first created, but one thing we do know is that it was definitely in Brazil. While some say that it originates from farms in the state of São Paulo, others insist that it was created elsewhere in the country as a remedy for Spanish Flu. Either way, this potent cocktail, which comprises lime, sugar and cachaça – a spirit derived from sugar cane – has made its mark on the world and will transport you straight to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro in a sip.
The Kir Royale – Paris, France
Still one of the most sophisticated cocktails on the block, the Kir Royale is a simple yet luxurious drink that everyone should try when in Paris. Even so, it tastes just as delicious from the comfort of your sofa, mixing champagne with blackcurrant liqueur for a decadent celebratory sip. In actual fact, the Kir Royale is a twist on the original Kir, created by Canon Felix Kir and originally using white wine – but the addition of a little bubbly elevated it to whole new heights, making it the iconic drink it is today.
