Brewed in Manchester: BODDINGTONS

IMPORTED FROM BRITAIN: BODDINGTONS

I have to be honest. It was the bright yellow color and two cute bees that attracted me to grab this can in a sea of beer selections.



Who could ever resist the claims of SMOOTH AND CREAMY?
By the way, that was really how it tasted. Though I'd probably replace it as Smooth and FROTHY.



The back of the can provided a quirky and cute history of the beer hailing from Manchester.



I'm not too keen with pub ale but the color sure looked precious. It was like a golden elixir with a very light taste. It was like drinking a Corona or light beer. I matched with the Prawn Rolls I was having. Perfect Match!

Priced at 21.50MOP per pint (120PHP)

Out of 5, I'd rate it as follows
COLOR: ★★★★        I like it as gold as can be
TASTE:   ★★            It was too light for me
FEEL:     ★★★★      It was indeed smooth and creamy

Wyndham Adventures: Purple Rayne

This is a tribute to one of my favorite bars in Hong Kong... 

and I'm soooo wishing that the Rayne never stops!

This temple of house music and purple lights is my second home

A hot bartender, perfectly mixed drinks, and art nouveau on the walls 

tells my heart and my liver that nothing can go wrong. 

I have never missed a visit to this spot in ALL of my HK trips. This purple hued bar along Wyndham Street in Central is a sweet haven. I still herald that their Long Island Iced Tea is the best in all of Hong Kong. 

The perfect mix of vodka, rum, additional alcohol, plus more alcohol, and that crisp Bombay Sapphire smoothly blended with cola and topped with a slice of lemon...

It was like a firecracker of taste and flavor in every sip!

The perfect Long Island Iced Tea about 100HKD (600PHP)

In as much as I love their drinks, every time I set foot in this place, great and fantastic memories come rushing in. 

The light wood floors where I partied hard and spilled drinks on, the contemporary motif that made every night dreamy...

The cozy couches and plush pillows where I shared seats and amazing stories with people, and the sensuous ambiance that just blew my mind away!

The focal point in the room is the purplish lighted bar which covers almost the length of the east wall. I had about a dozen shots with this bar and a dozen more shots taken from it. 

Bringing myself down from a dreamy high, Rayne is a typical place to hangout after office hours. There were instances when we ended work early and headed straight to this place. Calming, chill, and relaxing were the perfect descriptive words. Consequently, the aura draws an older crowd than we were. I'd say crowd demo is is in the early to mid thirties. But that I don't mind, greater conversations spring from older thoughts.

If ever you're around Central, don't forget to drop by Rayne and try their Long Island Ice Tea!

LOCATION: Shop F, Yu Yuet Lai Bldg., 43–55 Wyndham St., Central, HONG KONG

LINK: https://www.facebook.com/RayneBar?ref=ts&fref=ts

OUT OF 5

PLACE:     ★★★★★

SERVICE:  ★★★★

PRICE:      ★★

Hong Kong Escape: All Aboard the Aqua Luna

To my surprise, the Aqua Luna is one fantastic experience!

In all my Hong Kong adventures, it was just very recent that I've came across this amazing traditional Chinese Junk. It might not be your typical bar, but this vessel is a fully stocked mobile bar. They have a wide selection of wines and cocktails plus a stash of the local Tsing Tao Beer.

While I was trying to find a pre-game activity before the crazy LKF nights, Aqua Luna fitted the bill. An afternoon cruise around the Victoria Harbor seemed too tempting to pass. Everything starts by booking the trip in their website which proved to be user friendly. Select the date, book the number of guests, and click to pay. Trip options include a cruise with high tea or just the usual 45-minute cruise. I chose the latter which costs 150HKD per person (roughly 850PHP). 

On cruise day, my friend and I headed to the Central Ferry Pier 9 for the afternoon trip. What greeted us was a two level traditional Chinese Junk made from deep colored wood with bright red sails.It stood out in a dreamy backdrop of the cityscape in light fog.

As it drew it near, we had a better view of this magnificent looking vessel with a clean and white crisp AQUA LUNA name plastered on its side. I thought to myself, this is going to be one fantastic ride!

We hurried to the second floor as it seemed to be the best part of the junk. 

With lounges and gigantic pillows, we felt like royalty!

There's even a stewardess who'll give you anything you wish! She had given us the perfect cruise companion...ice cold Tsing Tao beer

From the second floor, the deck below looks romantic with round bucket chairs

Getting a bit woozy from staying lying on the lounges, we opted to sit on the deck. 

And boy, it was the perfect view!

It was a perfect afternoon: the breeze, the water, and a pint of beer

Definitely worth a try, 

Book a cruise: http://www.aqua.com.hk/

The Mojito Kit

Presenting: The Bacardi Mojito Kit

with the shaker, the muddler and 2 bottles of 375ml Rum

For only Php 766.50 at Pioneer Center, this box of goodness is a steal! I found it hiding in the topmost shelf at PC Supermarket in Mandaluyong. Best for personal drinking or showing off to friends. Both the shaker and muddler are made of hard plastic but just the same, it will still be good for a couple of shakes and muddles.

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Q: How to use the muddler?

A: The muddler is an important tool for that nice tasting mojito. It is used to crush the lime and the mint leaves until they give off that flavor and aroma. 

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Q: What is the best sweetener for a mojito?

A: It is always a preference to make your mojitos sweet. But I personally like that sweet aftertaste in mine. From experience, the best is to use a couple spoons of Muscovado Sugar or the Brown Sugar. Be sure to add it together with the lemon when muddling. Some of my friends use sugar water or honey, but in my opinion the sugar crystals are still the best texture to be cracking under your teeth.

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So what are you waiting for?!?!? 

Grab that mojito kit and start muddling! 

Let me know how your mojito ends up, kk?

I've got one hand in my pocket...

As Alanis Morissette would have said it: "I've got one hand in my pocket and other's.. holding THIS!"

POCKET SHOT!

Somewhere between bottles and flasks, this quirky alcohol innovation appeared.
I was surprised that this didn't come as Filipino ingenuity knowing that we put our sodas in plastic bags (bringing back childhood memories).

Coke-in-a-bag from a sari-sari store

But really, this is something fantastic.
As of today, these babies are only available in the American retail market.
Though everyone from all over the world can grab a pocket through their online store.

You gotta love their selection from Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila to Whiskey.

Visit Pocket Shot: http://www.pocketshot.net/

Detoxify: Cookie's MAI TAI

For almost three weeks, I have been a good girl at work but it had squeezed out all the patience in me and I can definitely feel that the toxins of frustration had taken over. So to my reprieve my weary soul of numbers and trades, I took the day off ---yes, on a Wednesday (...the middle of the week).

Just to make me happy, I'm mixing my own take on the classic Mai Tai and sharing it to you! I would't want to sound too excited but next to Long Island Iced Tea, I am a Mai Tai fan... so carry on!

The MIX:
                           1 part RUM
                           half part ALMOND BRANDY
                           half part TRIPLE SEC
                           2 parts PINE APPLE JUICE
                           1 part ORANGE JUICE
                           a dash of GRENADINE

The ALCOHOL:

I'd choose Bacardi Oro at any time of the day for rum.
It's smooth, spiced & fragrant.


The best tip I can give you in mixing drinks,
YOUR ALCOHOL MATTERS!


(in any supermarket in Manila, a 1L bottle is about Php700)

Almond Brandy easily translates to
Creme de Almond in most Mai Tai recipes.


Question is, do we have it here in Manila?
---Yes we do! at Distillery (at the Fort).


Grab a bottle of Bols Amaretto to substitute that complex Almond Brandy component.


It has the same thick aroma and sweet taste.

Triple Sec is easy! About Php160 per 750ml bottle


Orchid Triple Sec is a local brand from Destileria Limtuaco, the same company that produces Toska Vodka and the El Hombre Tequila.


Triple Sec is a type of cordial derived from brandy soaked with lemon zests.


Thick, sweet and heavy.

When it comes to juices, "fresh" ones are seemingly better.


Del Monte or Dole Juices works best for me. (though Dole Juices seem to taste better and sweeter)


Plus! Dole has the best PineOrange Mix!--how convenient is that!

Finally Grenadine!!! 




The sweet-red-nonalcoholic drizzle over Mai Tai


There's a whole variety of Grenadine brands available in the supermarkets (wine section)


You can have Walsh (Php150), Orchid (Php140), Rose (Php450) or Bols (Php650) to choose from. Normally available in supermarkets or in S&R








THE HOW TO:


Mix the rum, amaretto, triple sec, & juices. Shake until the juice froths a little. Pour in a tall glass and drizzle with grenadine. Wait a few seconds for the grenadine to drop and serve unstirred.

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There you have it! My version of a Mai Tai. Grab those shakers and have yourself a great glass of cocktail. Let me know how it goes!

Inside B-Side

This is a backdated post of an adventure, two weeks late to be exact.
This grew out from the hopes of prep-ing ourselves for a "BarCrawl" in Makati.

And then there's three of us (two girls and a guy), all donning semi-casaul attires, hailing a cab from the Fort and making our way to the streets of Makati. Our destination, B-SIDE. It is a most talked about place of my "Tito Teban" (an expat who has covered more square feet of the metro party scene that I have been) where as he described it: music is good, ambiance is rexaling, and drinks are cheap.



LOCATION:  B-SIDE at The Collective (7274 Malugay St.), Makati, PHILIPPINES
The building's at the corner of Mayapis and Malugay Streets
(Do lookup, as there is a big glaring white light convenietly spelling: The Collective)

ENTRANCE: B-SIDE is inside The Collective which has a big white entrance gate
Once you enter, turn to the left and you'll see b-side (at the side--no pun intended)

AMBIANCE: Home-y, Rustic, Chill
Feels like your drinking at home or by the beach or at an old shack



OUR ESCAPADE:

The place is like a big warehouse waiting to be filled with good vibes and good music. Though we felt a bit out-of-place wearing semi-formal office attire vs shorts, creative shirts and slip-ons.

It was a Friday Night when we went there and nothing much was happening at around 11:00pm, a steady beat and some good conversations

The crowd must be from the condominiums around the area, there are also the creatives and the free people...the artists, if I was to describe. Plus expats looking like surfer hotties and Bob Marleys.


Drinks are indeed cheap and they have a selection of San Miguel Beers (Premium, Strong Ice, Pilsen, Lemon, & Apple) that range from Php60 to Php100 per bottle. Vodka Cruisers and Tanduay Ice are also available plus their house cocktail mixes. We tried the Long Island Iced Tea in a Teapot (Php 350 per pot, roughly 400ml). It was Creatively Fantastic!

THE VERDICT:

It was only through my recent internet surfing that I've seen parties at B-SIDE during Sundays. Where everyone flocks and dance to an IRIE Sunday --a DJ mixing his beats in a mobile truck. For that reason and that reason alone... I WILL GO BACK TO B-SIDE.

But none-the-less for the cheap drinks and the home-y ambiance, I will definitely visit this place again, though more appropriately dressed for the second time around!

OUT OF 5
PLACE:     ★★★
SERVICE:   SELF-SERVICE
PRICE:     ★★★★★


Like B-SIDE on Facebook: B-SIDE Page


Photo Credits:
Nikki Tuason in http://rippedtee.blogspot.com
Pinoy Boy Journals in http://www.pinoyboyjournals.com
B-SIDE Facebook Page