Tropical treats

Keep going strong with Navneet Mange’s fruity cocktails to help you keep the heat at bayCOCKTAIL CORNER
Navneet Mange whisks cocktails at a restaurant that has been dubbed one of the most romantic in the world. For that’s how The Dome, the rooftop restaurant at InterContinental Marine Drive, has been tagged ever since it was listed among the world’s top 20 sky bars by The Telegraph, UK and Times Online, UK. He also mans the hotel’s equally exclusive watering hole — the Czar Bar.
Head bartender and mixologist, Mange believes that he’s learning on the job all the time by regularly exchanging notes with his guests. “They share a whole lot of information about places they have travelled to and the drinks they have knocked back,” he says.
Now that summer’s here with a vengeance, he says that it’s time for cocktails high on tropical fruit and juices. We recommend his Mango Batida that’s made with Cachaça, a Brazilian spirit and fresh mango.
On his list of favourites, however, are tipples with bases of vodka and champagne. He says: “They allow one to play with the taste and flavour, while retaining the strength of the drink.”
Long Island Iced Tea
Glass: tall Glass
Ingredients 15ml rum 15ml vodka 15ml tequila 15ml Grand Marnier 15ml gin Lime juice (a dash) Coke (to top up) 2 half slices Mandarin orange 2 Maraschino cherries
Method Shake the five spirits — rum, vodka, tequila, Grand Marnier and gin — with lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a large 550ml, 12-inch tall glass with lots of ice and top up with Coke. Garnish with slices of Mandarin Orange and Maraschino cherries.
Marine Drive Malibu Breeze
Glass: Margarita
Ingredients 60ml coconut rum (Malibu) 60ml pineapple juice 60ml cranberry juice Lime juice (a dash) 1 cherry 1 slice pineapple
Method Shake the rum and the juices with a dash of lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Strain and pour into a margarita glass. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a cherry.
Chocotini
Glass: martini
Ingredients 45ml vodka 15ml Baileys Irish Cream 15ml Crème de cacao
Method Shake the ingredients well in a cocktail shaker over ice. Then strain and pour into a white and dark chocolate rimmed martini glass.