Cocktail Chronicles: Stocking up on Liquid Ingredients

Ever since the cocktail tutorial I had at the Cohiba Villas in Boracay I have been slowly building up on my basic cocktail ingredients.  So far I already have vodka, tequila, vermouth, and orange liqueur.  The thing is---I don't want to spend too much in my experimentation stage.  

The most expensive liquid mix I have is the Martini Dry Vermouth @ Php 500+.  My vodka is Tosca, the tequila is El Hombre, and the orange liqueur is Orchid---all of which are local brands and cost less than Php 200.  

When I first thought of making cocktail mixing as a hobby I started canvassing for the basic liquid mixes. Man, they can be expensive especially if you go with the popular brands!   Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Absolut, Stolichnaya, Patron, Jose Cuervo, these brands would be in the Php 900 and up category.  

Other garnishings would be lemon, lime, and mint leaves.  Lemon and lime is readily available in the fruit section of SM but the mint leaves is not.  So I'm thinking of raising my own mint plant so I can harvest leaves on a per need basis.  

How to Mix a Hemingway Mojito

I'm not really a drinker.  I'm relatively an ignoramus when it comes to hard and cocktails drinks.  Beer is the only spirit (if you can categorize it as such) that I drink.and I only do so occasionally.  However, having had a taste of the Hemingway Mojito Cohiba Villa Style, I think it is something that I can add to my spirits list.  Thank you to our bartender Nancy who gave me a quick tutorial on how this drink is mixed.

Ingredients:
6 lemons (3 yellow and 3 green)
two teaspoons of brown sugar
a sprig of peppermint leaves
a shot of Bacardi Rum
an ounce and a half of Sprite 
ice cubes

Chop up the lemons and put in a glass.  Add the sugar and peppermint.  Mix using a muddler.  Put in the Bacardi Rum, Sprite, and ice cubes.  Cover the glass and shake to mix.  Serve in drinking glass with all the ingredients in.

Boracay Sojourn 2012

There weren't supposed to be any trip planned for this year but cheap plane tickets came along and me and my wife once again found ourselves at the island paradise of Boracay!

It was a four day/three nights stay.  We have been wanting to stay at the Cohiba Villas and it was an opportune time to do so.  However, our day one stay won't be worth it since we had a late afternoon flight so we decided to get a cheap accommodation just to spend the night.

Casa Pilar was our first option but they don't accept overnight stay. We ended up staying at the Escurell Inn at the farther part of Station 3.  We booked the Standard Room with aircon which came with a double bed, a mini ref, cable TV, WiFi, hot and cold shower, and a sitting area.  

I was not able to try their free WiFi (I brought my Smart Weroam) since it was already late when we came back from our dinner and I forgot to get the password from the katiwala.  Escurell Inn may not be my ideal Boracay accommodation but it did provide an adequate sleeping quarters for the night. It is located way off the activity and commercial area (D' Mall) but its location provided for a secluded beach front if you want a serene lounge at the beach.  Personally, this is a last recourse option (like what happened to me).  I purposely did not take pictures of the place since I'm not providing my thumbs up for future vacationers.

Cohiba Villas on the other hand is quite the opposite.  Luxury living is what this place is all about!  

Cohiba Villas is located at the Bulabog side of Boracay (opposite the White Beach).  Bulabog Beach is more known as the surfing side of the island with an assortment of surfing boutiques along the beach side.  The resort is Mediterranean in terms of architecture and owned by a British fellow according to the staff.  

We stayed at Suite A which was a one bedroom accommodation with a queen size bed, a 42" LCD TV with cable, a bathroom with hot and cold shower and a jacuzzi, complemented with a fully furnished kitchen area, a refrigerator, microwave and conventional oven, a gas stove and a complete set of cooking and dining wares; a dining set, a sala set with another  42" LCD cable TV, a DVD player, and an iPOD dock.
 

Open the bedroom drapes and you'll have a spectacular view outside.

My wife and I had different tastes in  terms
of TV shows and the two TV set up was
definitely a plus!

I can just sit there in the jacuzzi all day and read a book
and sip coffee.

A view from the sitting area outside.

A view of the Bulabog coastline with the Monacco Suites
at the background.

Outside of the room, the next best thing about this resort is the infinity pool!  By night, the pool looked really enticing to swim in but we didn't risk the cold water and the strong winds unless we want to get the chills.  But the night view by the pool makes it an ideal spot for cocktails.  Which was why they have a restaurant and bar by the pool side.  However, I think we were the only ones who appreciated it since we were the only customer---which was fine by me since I hate crowded places.  Be wary though because the price list is not VAT inclusive.

The pool area at night.

By day, the pool side offers a magnificent view of the Sibuyan Sea and the Bulabog coast!  And the cold water really went well with the heat of the morning sun!

You can see the Bulabog  Beach from this vantage point.

Most of the tourist checked in during our stay were Koreans. Actually, my wife and I felt that we were the tourist being the only Filipino staying there that time.  Anyway, the Koreans is more interested in staying at the White Beach since we only see them going back to the resort at night.  Basically, we had Cohiba all to  ourselves!

The place is obviously not walking distance from the White Beach but the resort provides for an hourly transport to and pick up at D'Mall.  

Really had a grand time at this place!  I wish we could have stayed longer!