Beverage list - Battle of the Shakes

I don't mean shakes like withdrawals, feverish rattling or tremors under your feet!  I mean delicious mixes of fruit and ice cream and here is why!

The Philippine is a tropical country with the weather being humid and warm. People in Metro Manila love to quench their thirst during meals or during breaks with fruit shakes and the like found in beverage lists. Companies have put up stalls, and shake bars to cater to this delight that people enjoy. Special blends are dependent on the different brands, but each bring their own original flavors to sate the need for a cool drink.

 

Fruit Magic has 15 branches across the metro to serve and deliver their cool goodness to everyone. They have fruzion drinks which are selected combinations of fruits that give a distinct taste and also boosts energy. Pineapple Pleasure has a mix of strawberry, ripe mango, banana, and pineapple. Melon Myth is a juice which is the combination of banana, ripe mango, papaya and melon. Mango Mania is one of the top sellers because it is sweeter and is a fruity combination of pineapple, ripe mango and papaya. Frugurt is their fruit yogurt drinks with flavors such as banana, mango, kiwi mango and strawberry. Shakes are their mainstay and have a long list of fruit combinations like fruit penta mix, merry berries, raspberry banana, strawberry mango, mango melon, strawberry kiwi and choco banana. Drinks cost around 50 php to 150 php. Some flavors are seasonal.

 Fruitas is another shake stand that offers great shakes and smoothies. They can be found in most malls and bring their own special blends and flavors to the people. Fruits shake flavors consist of apple, banana, mango, papaya, pineapple, melon, watermelon, lychee, mango and carrot. They are more creative with their smoothies and have combination flavors like apple carrot, apple banana, banana papaya, banana carrot, carrot pineapple, carrot watermelon, mango banana, melon mango, pineapple banana and banana split. They also sell fruit juices and their special seasonal flavors include avocado, kiwi, orange, and strawberry. Prices of drinks range from 50 php to 100 php.

 Just like the other two franchises above, the Big Chill has dotted the metro and is usually situated in malls to serve their drinks. Their classic blends are available in avocado, pineapple, strawberry, watermelon, peanut butter, dalanghati, green mango, grape, banana peanut, melon, lychee and kiwi. Boosters are offered to enhance drinks and they include calcium boost, spirulina, whey protein and vitamin c. Their power blends have catchy names and are fruit combinations. Names like Coldbuster-c, Fantastic Five, Power Breakfast and supercharger, customers have an idea what they are looking for. Fruit shake combinations are under the splendid blends and gives options in combining just about any fruit available. Flavors like grape banana, apple lychee, grape orange, kiwi orange, kiwi melon, orange carrot and strawberry orange are some possibilities that can be enjoyed.

 An extensive selection of beverage list which includes fruit shakes are made available by brands such as Fruit Magic, Fruitas and Big Chill.

List of Hotel Bars and their Specialty Drinks

As of last year, with the Department of Tourism’s push for everything being more fun in the Philippines, it was decided that if Singapore had the aptly named Singapore Sling in the historical Raffles Hotel, then the Makati Shangri-La would also have a signature drink for Manila, called, the “Manila Sunshine” of course.

 The “Manila Sunshine” is made with lambanog, a coconut wine, as its base. It is also mixed with local fruits including mangos and pineapple, with a dash of triple sec, and the local rum much loved by tourist, Tanduay. The cocktail is then garnished with lemongrass and a sliver of sliced pineapple. A non-alcoholic version of the drink is also available, appropriately called the “Virgin Manila Sunshine”.

 Not to be outdone, The Mandarin Hotel’s Martinis Bar provides live music in a sophisticated setting, and of course –excellent martinis. Have your fill of the hotel signature drinks in the form of the Ginger Martini, Calamansi Martini, and the Coconut Martini. If you’re looking for something not easily replicated in other bars though, have a “Manileno”, a mojito/caipirinha mix made of the local dark rum muddled with fresh ginger and topped with ginger ale.

If cocktails aren’t quite your thing, then head over to Dusit Thani Hotel’s bar and restaurant called Fiesta San Miguel.  Here you can take partake of their signature drinks in the form of unlimited San Miguel Draft Beer with beer matches such as currywurst, fish and chips, and adobo pizza. You can take your drinks in the main area backdropped by big brewery kettles while listening to the Top 40 tunes provided by the house DJ. If you’re looking for a more laidback evening with your friends or workmates, head over to the terrace to bask in the open air for a relaxed evening.

 A reliable list of hotel signature drinks in Manila would not be complete without mentioning the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s grand restaurant Spiral. With 21 dining ateliers to cater to your every gustatory need, including a peking duck oven, a churrasco, a cheese room, a hug chocolate station, and all the sushi and sashimi you could ever hope to eat in an evening –there is certainly the a drink to match your every need. But because this is a French-run hotel, you might as well have something from their impressive wine cellar. Have their in-house sommelier choose a wine to go with your food, and don’t be afraid to tell them your budget beforehand, they won’t sneer at you if you want something affordable.

 The Salon de Ning of the Peninsula Manila provides the setting for a 1930s Shanghai ala Wong Kar Wai’s film “In The Mood For Love”.  Lose yourself in the cocktail lounge’s signature drink “Ning Sling”, a blend of Belvedere Pomerancza, lychee liqueur, passionfruit fruit puree, and orange juice.