drink
Spirited Away Tasting the local elixir is part of the fun of travel and it rarely tastes better than back on home ground
Belgium is world-famous for its beers but its national spirit is genever, a 35-38% ABV, juniper-flavoured, gin-like spirit made from alcohol and malt wine (grain mash). Popular in the USA from the 1800s until Prohibition, it is historically bottled in handcrafted clay jugs that are still being recovered from shipwrecks. Try it on the terrace of Die Swaene, overlooking the Groenerei Canal in Bruges, or in the 18th-century lounge, a former Guild of Tailors meeting room with an elaborate painted ceiling. Despite Spain being best known for its tapas and sangria, there is another very popular drink among locals: Tinto de Verano (a summer red wine). This is a cold wine, similar to sangria and usually made with table red wine and gaseosa (fizz!). It comes best served with a lemon slice and over ice – the perfect summer refreshment. Enjoy it on a terrace of one of the many bars in central Madrid, easily walkable from Urso Hotel & Spa, a modernist’s dream set in an imposing neo-classical building in the centre of the city. Anyone who has holidayed in Greece or Cyprus will be familiar with ouzo, an anise-flavoured, 37.5-42.5% ABV aperitif originally created by 14th century monks on Mount Athos, which gained popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly when absinthe fell from grace. Traditionally mixed with water and ice it is served in a small glass with meze of fried fish, fries, olives and feta cheese. Try it by one of the pools at Rimondi Boutique Hotel, two historic buildings surrounded by the Renaissance Venetian architecture of Rethymnon Old Town on Crete. Or opt for a glass of tsikoudia (Cretan raki), produced from the must-residue of the wine press. Port is typically a sweet red dessert wine fortified with aguardente. Made from grapes grown in Portugal’s Douro Valley, it got its name in the 17th century from the seafront city that exported it. Try it after an alfresco dinner at the ornate Infante Sagres in Porto, or compare and contrast with the local vinho verde during a gourmet picnic dinner in the vineyard at the glamorous Carmo’s Boutique Hotel, 40 minutes’ drive from Porto in Ponte de Lima. The Italian region of Tuscany is better known for its Chianti wines, but in Pisa, the beverage du jour is Liquore Pisa, flavoured with crushed hazelnut, almond and pistachio. Created in the 1990s, the beautifully packaged, cocktail-friendly liqueur is now available in the USA. Try it before or after dinner on the terrace at Relais dell’Orologio, a 14th-century fortified tower house hotel steps from Piazza dei Miracoli. In Bologna, meanwhile, the excellent restaurant at I Portici Hotel di Bologna is the ideal place to taste spumanti (sparkling wines) from Franciacorta and Trento; ask sommelier Nicola Cuccato to advise. Europe doesn’t have the monopoly on intoxicating preparations, of course; take the Japanese spirits of saké, made from fermented rice, and shochu, a vodkalike 25% ABV distilled spirit used in cocktails. Try it in the Shochu bar at L’Hotel du Lac in Nagahama City, an airy villa hotel with an outdoor pool on Lake Biwa; leading Japanese sommelier Shinya Tasaki also creates the original French cuisine in the restaurant.
32
To book visit slh.com