Around The World in 80 Drinks: MIX. PLAY. REMIX. At The W Amsterdam
Come summer in the city, there’s nowhere metropolitan inhabitants would rather be than on a rooftop. Well, besides a rooftop with a pool. The perfect place to soak up sunset views and sip cocktails, up here, you can look down on the city you’re always trying to live up to.
In Amsterdam, you head to the W Hotel. With views of the old post office and the back of the Royal Palace, at the W, there’s always a corner with a view. And when the weather complies, a pool to dip in. But, W Lounge isn’t just about kicking back with a cool cocktail. Boasting a thumping nightlife that taps into the local culture while creating its own desirable summer lineup, summer nights here are fun and invigorating.
Now, the W Amsterdam’s all-new summer drinks list is playing right into this vibe, concocting cocktails that you can grab and sip by the pool or swing around on the dance floor. Easy to drink but still packed with flavor, these cocktails play on fresh ingredients and nostalgic summer favorites.
After a year largely without patrons, this summer W Amsterdam decided to double down on what they love — using their passions of MUSIC, DESIGN, FASHION and FUEL to show off 12 new cocktails. Of course, we were here to party, so the fruity, bubbling and exotic flavors of the MUSIC drinks sold us. We sat down with W Lounge’s mixologist, Giada Bertini, to talk about our drink, MIX. PLAY. REMIX.
Talking MIX. PLAY. REMIX. with W AMSTERDAM’s head bartender, Giada Bertini.
So tell us more about this new summer lineup.
”We wanted each passion to tell its own story, and MUSIC is such a big part of our DNA here at the W — there’s music playing in every room to create a mood, and we’ll change it throughout the day as well. So, these cocktails definitely set the tone for the evening.”
Tell us about the flavors at play here.
”Well, we wanted something fresh and fruity for summer, so we started with Plantation Pineapple Rum, which is superb because they actually distill the rum with Queen Victoria pineapples for an entire week. This creates a flavor that’s much more natural and subtle, so it doesn’t overpower the cocktail or take away from other flavors, like the mango.
And you only use mango purée not juice, right?
”Right. We get frozen mangos and blend them up fresh every day. It really makes a difference because there are no added sugars or flavors. I really suggest taking this extra step at home — and it’s easy, you can grab this in the frozen section, and it’ll make all the difference.”
W AMSTERDAM’S
MIX. PLAY. REMIX.
Ingredients
60ml (2 oz) Plantation Pineapple Rum
20ml (.5 oz) Creme de Banana Liquor
30ml (1 oz) Mango Purée
60ml (2 oz) Guava Juice
20ml (.5 oz) Lime Juice
Instructions
Grab a mixer and pour in your rum, creme de banana liquor, mango purée, guava juice and lime over ice. The W Lounge makes their purée out of freshly frozen mangos, which you can also do at home with a little prep. Or, find them in the frozen isle. Then, shake well and strain half of the drink over ice. To finish it up, top off the glass with crushed ice and pour the rest of the drink over it. Be sure to garnish with your favorite in-season fruits.
Pro-tip: Giada says if you don’t have nice, tall glasses, this drink also looks great in a mason jar.
