Bar: Asoka Cocktail Lounge
Address: 68 Kloof Street, Cape Town
021 422 0909
Cocktail: The Equinox
Price: R30
Ingredients: Mango, pineapple, lime juice and coconut cream shaken over ice
An equinox occurs twice a year, when day and night have equal length.
At Asoka Cocktail Lounge, however, The Equinox happens Mondays to Saturdays between 5pm and 2am.
The sunny-coloured cocktail boasts a creamy combination of mango, pineapple and coconut, topped with a slice of passion fruit dusted with icing sugar.
The attention to aesthetic detail is appealing and the friendly barman, Phillip Banda, puts the pretty drink together with an infectious smile.
But, unfortunately, the cocktail fails to put a smile on my face.
The drink has too much ice, which rapidly melts to unpleasantly dilute the cocktail.
The overall combination of the cocktail is not very creative either.
The mango flavour dominates the pineapple, and completely overpowers the coconut, leaving an unmemorable taste.
With a name like The Equinox, I expected a burst of flavour that would make my world stop spinning on its axis.
Alas, my world kept spinning.
Looking at the beautifully decorated and sophisticated lounge, one can’t help but be surprised at the poor selection of non-alcoholic cocktails. There are a total of only three virgin cocktails available.
Asoka general manager Wesley Sheehan says The Equinox is the bar’s most popular non-alcoholic drink.
I’d recommend you have it while walking around and taking in the beautiful décor inside the cocktail lounge.
The open-air courtyard provides beautiful, unforgettable views of the night sky.
The Equinox doesn’t taste terrible, but for R30 I’m better off having fruit juice. Final impressions? The slice of passion fruit was quite nice.
Asoka targets a 25 to 40-year-old age group. – Weekend Argus