By Nadia Vitari

Since you are here and reading this blog (and hopefully finding it interesting), we can easily establish that food is our favourite F word! In this post we take a look at some of the world’s weirdest cocktails that I have either tried or want to try very soon!

To enjoy a fine meal, an aperitif with friends or just a nice night out, it is also important to select the drinks that go well with your choice of food. In one of my previous entries, I had written about some weird food from various parts of the world and today I am sharing some experiences about crazy beverages, or at least, unconventional ones.

It is amazing to see how cultures differ in this regard too. For example, while in India there might still be a social stigma connected to alcohol consumption openly, I remember traveling in Mexico and purchasing premixed beverages with tequila and lime, beer and lemon at any store!  In the USA it is easy to find Jack Daniels being sold blended with a variety of fruity flavors. In Europe, the most popular are Smirnoff and Bacardi Breezers, which are consistently lighter, and usually marketed to women or not-so-heavy drinkers.

What shocked me in Mexico was that they were selling prepacked Virgin Bloody Mary, or namely, just spiced tomato juice, with clams or shrimps! In fact, one could find their alcoholic version in the local bars too! Would you taste any of it?

I’m originally from Milan, Italy, and one of its nightlife’s best kept secrets is an amazing café’/bar founded by a group of sailors who also worked as barmen all over the world. Two decades ago, they opened Nottingham Forest (since 2008, it is listed as among the 50 greatest bars in the world), a unique place decorated with their memorabilia from their sailing days. It serves unconventional appetizers (like crocodile meat) and weirdest cocktails, for example, made with gold powder, served in Polynesian shells. Even the original Italian pizza, arugula or risotto, or flower petal daiquiris –  are all so good, trust me! They even use spirits of weird origin, like distillates from insects or African goat milk, cryonics or molecular cocktails and others paying homage to James Bond or Pollock!

My experience at Nottingham Forest led me to search about the world’s weirdest cocktails.. and a desire to try them out myself whenever possible!

I wasn’t then surprised to find in this list a beverage that was called Meatequita at Shaka Zulu in London’s Stables Market. So when I was in London sometime ago, I ended up visiting this place with a friend and no points for guessing, we did order a Meatequita! It is tequila based cocktail “infused with chorizo, vegetable juice, balsamic vinegar, smoked sea salt pepper, port; garnished with biltong strips and grilled chorizo..”

This unique (and somewhat weird) beverage goes out to prove that anything can be turned into a drink! To be honest, my friend ordered it and I only took a sip or two; which I found very interesting to taste. The presentation, however, was so glamorous that it was surely something unmissable!

Would you, literally, ‘give it a shot’? To be honest, I have a more ‘refined’ palate, so I remember not getting enough of Oyster Martini when I was in the States! My favorite version was served in a Japanese restaurant with sake coupled with vodka, tabasco and a real oyster in the glass! Adventurous much?

I was recently reading a list compiled by CNN about weirdest cocktails and now on my hit list is an amazing margarita (also known as Doug Laming’s margarita) inspired by molecular drinks and sashimi at Rabbit Hole in Sydney. The drink has pearls of caviar Cointreau that burst in your mouth! And its presentation is just as unique, with the spirited eggs being served on a cut lime!

There is so much creativity in food and beverages that the more we look into them, there more there is to discover! As we experience amazing culinary delights during our travels, we really come to understand that there is almost no barrier to experimentation and the world is just out there for us to explore! As Holachef surely knows well, with its effort to propose us variegated meals every day from different kinds of cuisines and chefs!

So let’s all continue this journey; fearless and curious like little children with a universe of discoveries at our feet!

About Nadia Vitari

Passionate traveler and backpacker, Nadia comes from the Lake of Como area in Italy (yes, where George Clooney lives!). She moved to Mumbai to work for an NGO. Being Italian and having lived, worked and studied in different countries, she is passionate about food and other cultures, especially anything Japanese! She also loves reading, football and rock music.

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This post is part of Holachef’s Write Ho! program which is open to Holachef’s fans, critics, customers and their loved ones! To participate, write to [email protected]