cocktails on Marina

[Skyrose]

We loved our first cruise on Marina, and have booked another one for 2017. The one thing I wish had been better was the quality of some of the cocktails we drank. If we stayed with a classic extra-dry martini, or a scotch & soda, it was fine, but fruitier concoctions such as daiquiris, sours and such were disappointing.

 

So, I have a two-part question:

1) Which are your favorite mixed drinks on Marina, and which bar served it? (okay, that question is really a double ;) )

2) If we bring our own alcohol for consumption in our suite, can our butler rustle up the other fresh ingredients to mix a good daiquiri or sour for us?

 

thanks!

[Mura]

My personal answer is "I don't know". That's because my idea of a cocktail is vodka or bourbon on the rocks. I no longer do martinis, gibsons and the like. Certainly NOT the "fruitier" drinks that I once chose.

 

BUT from what I have read here in the past, there ARE butlers who can produce a fine drink ... but who they are, I don't know. We've never asked any of ours to prepare drinks. Besides, until you meet your butler you don't know what he can do! All you can do is ask ...

 

Good luck.

 

Mura

[Caroldoll]

You can ask for the ingredients. If it is another alcoholic beverage you have to be in a class where you can swap out one of the other bottles. I do not think they will be a personal bartender. You will have to be the mixologist.

[StanandJim]

We loved our first cruise on Marina, and have booked another one for 2017. The one thing I wish had been better was the quality of some of the cocktails we drank. If we stayed with a classic extra-dry martini, or a scotch & soda, it was fine, but fruitier concoctions such as daiquiris, sours and such were disappointing.

 

So, I have a two-part question:

1) Which are your favorite mixed drinks on Marina, and which bar served it? (okay, that question is really a double ;) )

2) If we bring our own alcohol for consumption in our suite, can our butler rustle up the other fresh ingredients to mix a good daiquiri or sour for us?

 

thanks!

Regardless of what cocktail you are after, I would not bother with any other Bar except Martini's. The most experienced staff are stationed there, and

the pours are larger there.

 

That said, the Sour and the Daiquiri are well known throughout the hospitality industry to be regionally diverse. The British prefer a tart Sour, for example, while Californians tend to veer toward the sweet Sour.

 

The Bar-staff are certainly willing to amend the mix to accommodate your preferences, but they can't know what you want until you tell them.

 

My personal trick for this is to ask my favorite professional bartender ashore to tell me precisely what wording to use (i.e Bitter lemon, please, never Sour mix) and take it from there.

 

Your Butler will be able to obtain anything that is stocked on the ship, but more esoteric ingredients (pasteurized egg whites come to mind ) should be ordered via Special Services several months in advance of your trip.

[janecambridge]

Interesting question from OP.

We too will have our first adventure on Marina in 2018. I love Pisco sour ( best ones ever in Martinis on Riviera) and want to order Pisco for my suite and did wonder how I got the lemon juice,syrup and egg white.Stan and Jim,will the butler provide these for me? Do I need to pre order egg whites in some shape or form? Thank you.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Interesting question from OP.

 

We too will have our first adventure on Marina in 2018. I love Pisco sour ( best ones ever in Martinis on Riviera) and want to order Pisco for my suite and did wonder how I got the lemon juice,syrup and egg white.Stan and Jim,will the butler provide these for me? Do I need to pre order egg whites in some shape or form? Thank you.

 

 

If we're talking about a true Pisco Sour (the classic recipe in the cocktail war between Peru and Chile), there is no lemon juice. A Pisco Sour is

1.5-2.0 oz Pisco

1.0 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

1.0 oz gomma (gum syrup)

1.0 tablespoon egg white

Dash of Angostura bitters

 

As do most restaurants/bars (at least in the US), we use homogenized egg whites (dairy section of supermarket). No health concerns and it lasts for weeks in the fridge. Making gomma (instead of caving in and using simple syrup) is time consuming. So, we buy it at BevMo.

 

As for the larger question about drinks on O ships, I have had many discussions with the bar managers about real citrus juices vs sweet, syrupy whatever-it-is-that's-in-those-plastic-jugs. After all, if you're making a Margarita with El Tessoro Anejo, the only other thing that should be added to it is fresh squeezed lime juice and agave nectar (google Tommy's SF for the original recipe).

 

That said, the comment about Martini's being the best bar for getting it right is generally true AND, with a kind comment to the barkeep, s/he will use real fruit. I carry two mixology apps on my phone and, if needed I just show them the one screen recipe I'd prefer.

 

Finally, someone in an earlier post said something along the line of Californians liking sweeter versions of a particular cocktail.

 

Firstly, you really need to differentiate between the "Californias." There's the South (swimming pools, movie stars and drive-bys) and the North (Volvos, Vivaldi, Dungeness crab and, of course, gun racks in pickups at elevations over 3,000 feet). Also in the mix is Central (Interstate 5, agriculture and tamales at Christmas). And, finally, there's San Francisco (49 sq. mi. surrounded by reality).

Though the golden state is more like its own country with very distinct regions (with the seventh largest economy in the world, many of us wouldn't mind secession from the US) and respect (or at least acknowledgement) for our differences, we Californians share at least one common trait: we like the REAL thing when it comes to food and drink.

 

Of course, the one exception is condiments. Having grown up in Brooklyn, I still shudder when I see someone here in SF put mayo on a hamburger or ketchup on a hot dog. Sooo gross - not unlike Oceania squeezing those plastic bottle syrups into top shelf spirits.

[janecambridge]

:)

I was just going by the recipe from Martinis...They never garnished with the bitters and did use lemon juice and a dash of simple syrup.Very similar to the ones we had in Chile.

Do you think we will get whatever the ingredients are for a Pisco sour, in our cabin?

[StanandJim]

:)

Do you think we will get whatever the ingredients are for a Pisco sour, in our cabin?

 

Yes, but if you don't request specific items in advance from Special Services, the ingredients won't be provided in sealed bottles in the way that you might expect.

 

If your butler secures the mixers (unless it is a carbonated product) it will arrive in a pitcher or glass covered with plastic wrap.

 

Fine for same day service, but difficult to store overnight.

[Flatbush Flyer]

:)

 

I was just going by the recipe from Martinis...They never garnished with the bitters and did use lemon juice and a dash of simple syrup.Very similar to the ones we had in Chile.

 

Do you think we will get whatever the ingredients are for a Pisco sour, in our cabin?

 

 

And that's the issue for me: classic bar recipes onboard changed for convenience and disservice it does to the better spirits offered.

As for Pisco Sours, I don't think you'll be seeing any gomma syrup in the near (or far) future. I'd also make sure that only homogenized egg whites are used.

[DrHemlock]

Hey Flatbush,

 

Speaking as a former Californian of both the north and south variety, your summation of the state is the funniest, most spot-on I've ever read. Thanks for the chuckle! (And may I never find myself on the I-5 again....)

[Skyrose]

OP here with belated thanks for your comments. We do like Martini’s the best of all the bars, however we were usually by the pool/Waves Bar when we craved the fruitier drinks. I like the idea of providing an exact recipe for them to follow, and will make sure I bring some along on our next cruise. Also, thanks for the reminder to ask for real ingredients in place of the pre-fab mixers.