Margarita To The Max

What better way to promote a newly redesigned bar than to create a festive cocktail gimmick?

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 5/1/2007

The new Margarita Alfresco

What better way to promote a newly redesigned bar than to create a festive cocktail gimmick? After a multimillion-dollar renovation to the entire property, the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino has introduced a new, open-air lobby bar concept aptly called Alfresco. To promote the new venue, the F&B team wanted to create a signature cocktail, and the Margarita Alfresco was born. But this is not your average tequila and citrus concoction with a salted rim. Rather, this top-of-the-line beverage features fresh lime juice and premium spirits—Grand Marnier that has been age 150 years and pure Tequila Porfidio. The price of such an indulgence? US$34.


According to the hotel, Tequila Porfidio is made from 100% Blue Agave from plants that have been aged 10 to 12 years—which translates to no bitterness in taste (regular tequila, by contrast, is by legal definition a blended tequila that is made from 51% Agave and 49% sugar cane or maize derivates). It also goes through a more complex and time-consuming distilling process than regular tequila, thereby explaining why it is so much more expensive.

Guests can partake in the upmarket experience in the new bar’s contemporary setting with a South Beach vibe. The indoor/outdoor environment is made for lounging and includes stainless-steel day-bed seating complemented by classic rattan and teak furniture. The central bar is stacked strip-limestone and backed with colorful embedded-resin panels and topped with Italian Bottochino marble.