Sip, savour & celebrate: 6 refreshing cocktails to amp up your long weekend Add a fun twist to your well-deserved break with these delicious drinks

Fill your fridge, stock your bar, and dust off your cooler. The long weekend is almost upon us, and no emergency trips to the store should come between you and your holiday schedule: sip, dip, repeat.

Add a refreshing twist to your weekend plans with these delightful cocktails. Whether you're feeling experimental or just seeking something new, we've rounded up the very best drink recipes to celebrate with your loved ones. Here are our top picks by Ali Hamdan, Head Mixologist and Beverage Manager at Hilton Maldives Amingiri and his team, Yangdup Lama, Mixologist - Budweiser Magnum Double Barrel Whiskey and Ami Shroff - Mixologist, Smoke Lab Vodka.

These are easy to mix, uniquely flavorsome, and the perfect way to channel your inner mixologist.

The Barot

Ingredients and quantities 

Few American Gin - 40 ml 

House-made chamomile citrus oil  syrup - 30 ml 

Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 10 ml Lychee syrup - 5 ml 

Cocktail enhancer - 4 drops 

Preparation 

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill it with ice. Shake well, and fine strain into the glass. 

Garnish and serve 

Garnish with a Berry Tuile and serve in a coupe glass.

Kumiko

Ingredients and quantities 

Beefeater 24 - 40 ml 

Clarified melon, grapefruit, and yuzu  blend - 40 ml 

Mint cordial - 5 ml 

Elderflower syrup - 5 ml 

Finger lime - 1 tsp 

Preparation 

First, muddle the finger lime in a  shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients and fill the shaker with ice. Shake well, strain, and pour over ice. 

Garnish and serve 

To garnish use a banana leaf and finger lime, finished with a pump of house-made sakura perfume- serve in a Kes-sho Geber.

Curry Highball
Ingredients and quantities 

Curry leaves - 3 

Passion fruit puree - 20 ml 

Pressed lemon juice - 20 ml 

Simple Syrup - 15 ml 

Beefeater 24 Gin - 60 ml 

Tepache, fermented in the Cocktail  Lab - 90 ml 

Preparation 

Muddle and shake. 

Garnish and serve 

Garnish with dehydrated pineapple and curry leaves and serve in a  highball glass.

Sunset Soiree

Ingredients and quantities

50 ml Smoke Lab Saffron Vodka 50 ml brew of jasmine & orange zest 10 ml honey-apple (or as per taste) Approx. 75ml tonic 

Preparation 

Jasmine-orange tea- Make a strong  brew of dried jasmine flowers &  orange zest and leave to cool. 

Honey apple- Dilute organic honey  with apple juice equal parts (1:1) 

Garnish and serve 

Built up - add all ingredients over ice  in a wine glass or tall glass. 

Garnish with a jasmine flower or any  edible flower & smoke.

The Meadow
Ingredients and quantities 

60ml Budweiser Magnum Double  Barrel Whisky 

10ml mint cordial 

10ml fresh lime juice 

3 drops vegan foamer 

Preparation 

Shaken and served straight up. 

Garnish and serve 

Garnish with an orange peel and fresh mint sprig.

American Pie

Ingredients and quantities 

60 ml Budweiser Magnum Double  Barrel Whiskey  

60 ml apple juice reduction 

10 ml maple syrup  

10 ml fresh lime juice 

Preparation 

Shaken and strained into a stem glass. 

Garnish and serve 

Dehydrated apple and grated cinnamon powder.