We are all familiar with the reality in which hotel prices in Israel are high, especially during the season when we all want to vacation - summer vacation. This is the number one law in economics: supply and demand. It's true that sometimes we feel that the hotel industry in Israel is stretching this definition to the limit, but as the summer approaches, it seems that we have found a solution, at least partially.
Not. We don't have a secret tip on how to "sting" floor prices on holiday booking sites. Our direction is completely different – many hotels operate restaurants and bars that are open even to those who do not stay there. That way, in a small foray, you too can enjoy elaborate menus served by the pool, on the balcony facing the sea or on the roof that offers an urban view. This year it seems that more and more places are joining the trend, and although it is not really a substitute for a vacation - it is an excellent solution to "steal" an evening in an atmosphere of international luxury and at an affordable price, even if you eventually return to your bed.
Hotel bar, photo: GettyImages
We visited several desirable hotels, from Gush Dan to Eilat, and were scrambled by their summer cocktail recipes. You can make it at home, but it's best to go there and be pampered.
"South Coast"
The Kishle Bar, The Setai Hotel Jaffa
The luxury hotel in Yafoi, part of the Setai chain of the Nakash brothers, serves cocktail drinks in the afternoon even to customers who do not stay at the hotel, on a spacious terrace facing the sea and the setting and caressing sun. The closer it is, the more you'll feel disconnected from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Ingredients:
45 ml Bombay Spire Gin
15 ml ouzo romeus
15 ml red grapefruit syrup
15 ml strawberry syrup
15 ml lemon juice
Preparation:
Scramble and strain into a wine glass filled with ice, close with tonic water and garnish with rosemary/flower.
"Jerusalem of Gold"
Terrace Bar, Waldorf Astoria, Jerusalem
The Terrace, the summer bar of the Jerusalem hotel, has been upgraded and recently opened. The bar offers a night out experience facing an urban Jerusalem landscape at its best. Along with contemporary-Mediterranean cuisine, the new menu also includes high-quality alcohol and specialty cocktails, concocted in collaboration with the local Thorners distillery. Here's a recipe we got from them:
Ingredients:
60 ml Havana Club Rum 7
15 ml maple chai syrup (continued)
5 flaps of Angostura bitters
Early preparations:
Maple Chai Syrup- half a liter of boiling water, 700 ml maple, 6 sacks of Indian tea, 6 cinnamon sticks, 10 stars of anise, sliced orange, green apple and 24 tablespoon of honey. Cook in a saucepan until boiling while stirring, soak in the refrigerator for <> hours and drain.
Preparation:
Fill a mixing cup with ice. Add the rum, maple chai syrup and angostura and mix. Pour into a serving cup filled with ice, add an arak sprinkle and smoke the cocktail. For decoration: cinnamon stick, star anise and dried lemon.
Jerusalem Cocktail of Gold, Terrace Bar, Waldorf Astoria, Photo: PR
"Bad Hubbit"
Imperial Red Bar, Cramim Hotel
A recipe for Imperial Red Bar from Imperial Tel Aviv, located inside the Cramim Hotel in Kiryat Anavim, inspired by the famous jazz clubs of New Orleans. Towards mid-July, a new cocktail menu will be launched, so here's a glimpse of one – a spiced St. Lucia-style rum, sweet-sour and fruity.
Ingredients:
1/4 fresh banana
22.5 ml lime
15 ml pineapple juice (Jumex)
22.5 ml banana syrup (below)
50 ml Blend Saint Lucia (below)
Early preparations:
St. Lucia Blend - Place 500ml El Dorado Rum, 5ml Rum Overflutter Ray & Nephew (Hampden, Rum Pierre) in a jug, 200 cinnamon sticks, 2/2 teaspoon whole nail nails and 12 stars of anise, and soak for <> hours.
Banana syrup - Put in a saucepan 500 ml of water, 500 grams of cane sugar and a banana peeled and coarsely cut. Cook until the sugar melts, remove from heat, cover and wait until it reaches room temperature. Soak in the refrigerator overnight and drain.
How to prepare:
Put all the cocktail ingredients in a shaker cup, shake for 15 seconds and double filter. Pour into a cup of cup and garnish with grated nutmeg on top.
Imperial Red,
"The Unholy Trinity"
Dakota Restaurant, Dan Eilat
A fresh, sour and aromatic mint-thyme cocktail served during the summer at the Dakota restaurant in the pool complex of the Dan Eilat Grand Resort. And if you're far from getting all the way to Eilat - you can pop into another hotel of the chain, Dan Caesarea Resort, where a new Thai pop-up restaurant by chefs Nadav and Daniel has been established that is open to the public (reservations are required). The restaurant offers authentic Thai dishes as well as cocktails from the Imperial Bar - such as Mai Tai, Bodega Margarita, Guarcha and more, alongside a rich wine list from leading Israeli wineries such as Dalton, Golan Heights, Recanati, Castel, Yatir, Galilee Mountains, Vitkin and more.
The unholy Trinity cocktail, photo: courtesy of Dan Eilat
Ingredients:
25 ml lime
30 ml lemon jam
60 ml cooked orange syrup mixture
20 ml Amaro Montenegro
20 mA Arak
20 ml vodka
Shredded ice
Decoration:
A little mint leaves
A little thyme leaves
Cinnamon stick
Lemon/grapefruit slice
Preparation:
Pour all the ingredients into a shaker cup and shake for a minute, pour the drink into a glass, put shredded ice and add mint and thyme leaves, a cinnamon stick and a slice of lemon or grapefruit on top.
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