This was a tall mojito with mint leaves in the drink and a whole sprig of mint for garnish; however, it also came with pieces of raspberry for gorgeous color, flavor, and texture. It wasn't very sweet, which suits me just fine, and it was refreshing and crazy good. It's also on the happy hour menu, and who does that for finely crafted cocktails? It was mint to be.
Location: Saguaro, 1800 E Palm Canyon, Palm Springs, California. Date: January 30, 2024.
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This was jalapeño infused blanco tequila, guava, and fresh lime. It came with a sour and spicy tajin rim, and it was garnished with a dried lime slice. The guava they used was a puree made with the fruit, and it imparted a wonderful fresh guava flavor; in fact, this was the really noteworthy part of this cocktail. To my mind, this drink was not really spicy at all, except for the tajin rim, but the great guava taste took this margarita to another level.
Location: Saguaro, 1800 E Palm Canyon, Palm Springs, California. Date: January 23, 2024. Apart from tequila, this cocktail was crafted with hibiscus infused agave, fresh lime, grand marnier, fresh strawberry, and the glass was garnished on the outside with black salt. It was served up in a martini glass with a dried lime slice garnish that added extra sourness when I bit into it. The black salt didn't taste much different than white sea salt, but it looked really good.
Location: Saguaro, 1800 E Palm Canyon, Palm Springs, California. Date: January 23, 2024. This cocktail is made with mezcal, lemon, ginger honey, and sage. It was quite smoky, not too sweet, and it was garnished with a real perfumy sage sprig that was totally edible. Quite a find, I would say, as it speaks to my taste perfectly.
Location: Spaghetti Western, 50048 29 Palms Hwy, Morongo Valley, California. Date: January 20, 2024. Dark rum, orange and angostura bitters, some orange juice, grenadine for color, lime juice, a splash of club soda, and a sprig of fresh mint for garnish with a cherry for color contrast. What more can I say except that this drink is addictively delicious. It's bitter in a good way and not too sweet. At Happy Hour it's also a bargain, and I'll be having more of these for sure.
Location: Saguaro, 1800 E Palm Canyon, Palm Springs, California. Date: January 19, 2024. This refreshing cocktail is made with tequila, triple sec, tamarindo, and lime juice. It's garnished with diced cucumber, a tajin rim, and a wedge of lime. It's not too sweet, and there's a little salty and sour from the tajin. There is also some crunch from the cucumber, which I really like, but it's the tamarind that makes this margarita so good. Every time we come here, my friend and I order one of these.
Location: Low Desert, 1775 E Palm Canyon Drive, Ste 405, Palm Springs, California. Date: January 19, 2024. I went to Gigi's for the first time yesterday to eat, but the restaurant was closed by the time I got there; however, the nice indoor/outdoor bar was open, and the cocktail menu was very interesting. I chose Beets by Gigi's because how could I resist a cocktail with beet juice in it. It contained El Silencio Mezcal, Lime, Fresh Beet Juice, Yuzu, Agave, and Angostura Bitters. It came with a Tajin rim, and it was shaken with ice and strained over ice. It was garnished with an edible marigold flower and an in house dehydrated lime slice. I got the leftover in a shot glass from the very nice lady bartender, and she even garnished that with another crispy lime slice. The cocktail was not too sweet, and it had a nice color and presentation. I could taste the smoky mezcal and the beet juice, but there's more to it. There's some sour, some spice, and some bitter, but all in harmony. The bartender said, “It's an experience.”
Location: Gigi's, 333 E Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California. Date: January 6, 2024. I invented this cocktail for Easter at my favorite bar. The owner was nice enough to pick up a bottle of rompope, which is egg liqueur; however, it promptly disappeared so Irish Cream was used instead. The drink was supposed to be chocolate liqueur, rompope, and rum, but they were out of chocolate liqueur so the bartender used crème de cacao. It was a nice creamy cocktail, but the next day, when the rompope was found, it got even better. Between the cacao liqueur and the egg liqueur, it had that Easter egg flavor, but it wasn't too sweet. The bartender garnished the drink with a chocolate covered marshmallow bunny, but to me it looks more like an Egyptian mummy's body part!
Location: Smokin Burgers, 1775 E Palm Canyon Drive, Ste 220, Palm Springs, California. Date: April 10, 2023. This was the usual lime juice, fresh mint, white rum, and club soda with the addition of passion fruit juice. The juice was the real deal as I could see passion fruit seeds in the drink. There was plenty of fresh mint, and I don't think they skimped on the rum either. The drink was a little sweet, very minty, the passion fruit flavor came through nicely, and there was tartness from the lime juice. I drank this refreshing drink on a beach paradise at a restaurant with the unfortunate name of SUA, but my cocktail was anything butt!
Location: SUA Grill & Chill, Playa Las Peñitas, Leon, Nicaragua. Date: February 16, 2023. A traditional mojito is made with fresh mint leaves, a little sugar, fresh squeezed lime juice, white rum, and a splash of club soda, served over ice. The mint leaves are usually muddled with the sugar and lime juice, but in this case, here in Nicaragua, the bartender put all the ingredients into a shaker and shook until his hands got so cold he had to stop and recover. Then he shook it furiously again. He explained that this way the mint leaves get shredded and release the mint flavor, and I must say that his version was very minty. He then garnished with an impressive sprig of mint. This cocktail, served in a tall glass, was very refreshing and not sweet. I think this was the best mojito I've ever had, and probably the least expensive, and I was told that it's so delicious because it's made in Nicaragua with love.
Location: Mijunas Bar, Parque Los Poetas 2C al Sur, Leon, Nicaragua. Date: February 13, 2023. |
AuthorChef Roland has been a legal resident of seven countries and has travelled in over thirty, documenting food along the way. He currently resides in the desert in Southern California. Categories
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