Earlier this year, I bet my entire reputation as an educated alcoholic to a nice lady in Rheims that Boracay is THE best beach on earth.
OK, I know I promised I would never turn my site into a travel blog, but as I sought inspiration from the gorgeous sand and sunset of Boracay, it hit me: One can actually talk about Boracay with its beverages.
First, let’s start with the obvious staples: San Miguel Beer, its cousins Red Horse and Gold Eagle Beer in varying sizes, and the ripe mango shake… In my opinion, these are tourist attractions in their own right.
Thai Basil’s Pineapple Basil Pleasure
Now, each of the dozens of bars in Boracay would normally have their own cocktails. While I wasn’t able to try every single one for this trip (three days of non-stop drinking will kill anybody’s liver), the legendary Weng-Weng from Guilly’s is something I can remember (okay, barely… I blame it on the alcohol). For my trip last week, I made an amazing discovery in Thai Basil restaurant in D’Mall. The cocktails are signature concoctions of Suzy, a fabulous German lady whose artistry translated to these one-of-a-kind beverages. I instantly became a huge fan of their creamy, refreshing Pineapple Basil Pleasure. This drink is made out of pineapple, basil, coconut, almond milk, and ginger. Yum!
Jonah’s Mango Fruit Shake
Speaking of shakes, Jonah’s Fruitshake has always been a LEGEND in Boracay since… Well, forever. Adding to the charm of their many variations of fruit shake flavors is that they continually serve it in little recycled water bottles. I normally have the strawberry mango flavored one every time I visit.
Lakas ng Lakan
Of course, Boracay isn’t all about staying sober (I’m sure party-philes reading this entry are about to doze off). Interestingly enough, they have launched a premium version of the proudly Filipino liver-killer/memory-eradicator lambanog. Banned in some countries for questionable distillation methods, this only-for-the-brave, 90 proof alcohol is distilled from pure coconut nectar. This premium lambanog is aptly named “Lakan”, after the Philippines’ pre-hispanic tribe rulers. And why not, the strength of the Lakan can equal the strength of this alcohol.
Singing “Mr. Brightside” in a Karaoke Bar
For the even more adventurous, do try to join the PubCrawl groups every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. This tour gets you in 4 bars and 1 club, 10 free shooters, a shirt, a shot glass… All you need to have good, drunken fun in the beach party capital of the world (and meet friends). You can log on to their website at www.pubcrawl.ph for more details.
So there you have it, Boracay as told through drink glasses. Let me know your other amazing Boracay beverage adventures. Cheers!
