Tag: dining

10 Beach Restaurants Perfecting the Art of Sea-to-Table Dining

Posted on by Caroline McCoy

Something physiological happens when bare feet touch sand, when eyes rest on water and when lungs breathe sea air. Nineteenth-century doctors knew it well enough and routinely prescribed beach trips; contemporary medicine has, more or less, followed suit. A study released in 2012 revealed that stress levels decrease and overall well-being improves the closer we get to the coast. Sunburns and jellyfish stings aside, beaches bring out the best in us.

When we’re at our best, we want to eat the best. Fortunately, the world’s most beautiful beaches are culturally and ecologically diverse, with thriving culinary scenes based on sustainably sourced seafood.

In Nevis, for example, Executive Sous-Chef Kai Autenrieth, a diving enthusiast, dots his menu with lionfish, a delicious but invasive and predatory species that wreaks havoc on the local reef system. In Casablanca, Executive Chef Thierry Papillier works directly with local fishermen who bring in fresh catch daily.

We’ve rounded up 10 of the most exceptional beach restaurants and dining experiences at Four Seasons hotels and resorts around the world. From the romantic to the cultural to the family-friendly, these culinary adventures capture and elevate the joyful spirit of a day at the beach.

Club Dauphin on the French Riviera

Cap Ferrat Club Dauphin

Here you’ll enjoy “the best view on the Côte d’Azur,” according to Johann Burgos, the club’s director, along with a menu of fresh salads, grilled fish and lobster.

It’s perfectly acceptable to spend the entire day soaking in the sun at Club Dauphin, a poolside restaurant perched on the Mediterranean cliffs at Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel.

But after lunch, you could retire to one of Club Dauphin’s luxury cabanas, or call on famed swim instructor Pierre Gruneberg for a private lesson. (Gruneberg’s past students include Somerset Maugham, Elton John and the children of Paul McCartney.) Cooler months bring opportunities for dolphin and whale watching, while warmer weather calls for poolside parties and evening firework shows.

Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel

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Fish House in Oahu

Ko Olina Seafood

Fresh island catch is the focus at Fish House – expect gigantic seafood towers and Hawaiian-style lobster- and clambakes.

A line-to-table menu and a casual, family-style atmosphere make Fish House at Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina a destination for seaside dining. “Our seafood comes straight from the ocean into the kitchen,” says Executive Chef Martin Knaubert.

There’s no other restaurant this close to the water. – Executive Chef Martin Knaubert

Dine with your toes in the sand and sample fish prepared on the outdoor wood-fired grill, or join friends for sunset cocktails on the beach before venturing indoors for an intimate dinner. Wherever you sit, the ocean view is magnificent.

Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina

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Private island dining in Bora Bora

Bora Bora Private Island Dining

After a canoe ride to your private island, spend a magical evening over a freshly prepared meal.

A romantic occasion is made magical when you board a canoe and cruise to your own private island, or motu, during the Private Island Dinner Experience at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora.

Surrounded by lagoon waters and views of Mount Otemanu, you’ll enjoy Champagne, canapés and a customised menu of fresh fish and local produce. Island flowers, local musicians and a telescope for stargazing create an authentically Polynesian setting for an unforgettable evening.

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

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Bleu in Casablanca

Casablanca Oysters

Bleu’s oysters are some of Morocco’s finest, sourced from the Dakhla coastline in the southeastern region of the country.

Lunch and dinner are complemented by ocean views at Bleu, a modern Mediterranean brasserie at Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca. Overlooking the Atlantic coastline and the grand El Hank lighthouse, the restaurant celebrates local seafood with a menu of fresh fish handpicked daily by Executive Chef Thierry Papillier, who visits the seaside fish markets himself.

Gather around the outdoor firepit on the restaurant’s terrace to watch the sunset before dining on Dakhla oysters, sea bass tartare or sea bream sashimi – all specialties of Bleu’s raw bar. If you prefer your fish cooked, look to Papillier’s menu of grilled fish options, which changes regularly but always adds well-paired, locally sourced vegetables.

Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca

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Bambou in Mauritius

Mauritius Bambou

Influenced by Indian, Asian, European and African cultures, the small island in the Indian Ocean is a vibrant culinary destination, and Bambou celebrates every flavour with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Taste the diverse cuisine of Mauritius at Bambou, a beachfront restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita. The restaurant’s Zilwa Night is a highlight. Zilwa means “of the island,” says Executive Chef Nicolas Vienne.

“This evening is the best opportunity to sample some of the most popular local food found across Mauritius.”
— Executive Chef Nicolas Vienne

On these nights, he recommends the heart-of-palm salad with smoked marlin and the chicken-and-prawn curry. In addition to live cooking stations, where chefs and diners share culinary techniques, the evening showcases local entertainment.

Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita

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Beach tent dining in Sharm El Sheikh

Sharm El-sheikh Bedouin Beach Tent

Enjoy a delicious meal under the stars and next to the Red Sea while traditional music plays in the background.

Step onto the sandy shore of the Red Sea for a traditional Bedouin Dinner at Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh. Though Bedouins traditionally dwell in deserts, their culture inspired this seaside dining experience, which features authentic Egyptian cuisine and entertainment.

Start with sweet hibiscus tea before visiting the bread-making station. Hot and cold meze and Arabian sweets offer tastes of the region’s rich flavours, while belly dancers, musicians, fire performers and oceanside camel rides create a cultural experience even young travellers can enjoy.

Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh

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Dining on the water in the Maldives

Maldives Ocean Dinner

While it’s not beachfront dining, the views are unbeatable.

In preparation for the Mid-Ocean Dinner at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, you’ll sail from the island shore of Landaa to a floating platform in a quiet lagoon. Surrounded by water, sip Champagne and savour locally caught reef fish such as tuna, barramundi, grouper and jackfish.

“[This] takes romantic dining to a whole new level.”
— Public Relations Director Juliana Ang

As for the ambience, there’s nothing in the world quite like it. The experience “takes romantic dining to a whole new level,” says Public Relations Director Juliana Ang. Dining on the water has inspired many proposals of marriage, she says. One groom popped the question in a message in a bottle, which was delivered by ocean waves. “How did we do it? It’s a trade secret,” says Ang. “But let’s just say we had to get wet. Very wet!”

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru

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Sunrise breakfast in Bali

Bali Sunrise Breakfast

Try the house specialty: the organic strawberry and homemade granola parfait, which features strawberries grown in the mountains of Bali.

In Bali, the Sunrise Gazebo Breakfast is a romantic start to the day. Meet in the beachfront gazebo at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay as the sun rises, sip Champagne, and dine on local, seasonal dishes customised for you by the Chef.

The romantic breakfast is a favourite offering of Executive Chef Pasquo King, who enjoys the serenity of the early morning hours.

“Often in the mornings you can see the silhouette of central Bali’s sacred Mount Agung in the distance.”
— Executive Chef Pasquo King

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay

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A private cove in Koh Samui

Koh Samui Private Cove

Candles and tiki torches, Thai music, and an exquisite meal make for a memorable dining experience in Koh Samui.

Once in a blue moon, you find a destination so peaceful, so beautiful and so romantic that you want to make it yours, if only for a night. The Private Cove at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is that place; and during the Once in a Blue Moon Dinner, it’s all yours.

On a beach set beneath a lantern-lit tree and the starry sky, taste exquisite Thai dishes, each paired with wine.

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

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Underwater dining in Nevis

Nevis Underwater Dining

“Lassoing the lobster is the biggest excitement for guests,” says Executive Sous-Chef Kai Autenrieth, who frequently accompanies divers during the underwater expedition. Photography courtesy National Geographic/Alamy

Dinner begins underwater during the Dive and Dine Extraordinary Experience at Four Seasons Resort Nevis. Accompanied by a chef and dive master, venture below the surface of the Caribbean Sea, where you’ll swim with reef fish, sea turtles, rays and gentle nurse sharks. The object of your quest is the Caribbean spiny lobster, which you’ll catch the local way – using a handmade lasso.

“Seafood deserves the freshest ingredients.”
— Executive Chef Kai Autenrieth

Back on shore, shed your wetsuit and sip cocktails in a private cabana while Autenrieth prepares your catch beach-side using herbs from the Resort’s garden. “Seafood deserves the freshest ingredients,” he says. “I never have a menu planned; it always depends on what we catch – besides the lobster, of course.

Four Seasons Resort Nevis

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An Unexpected Season: Truffles in August

Posted on by Finn-Olaf Jones

“I always choose the liveliest dog in the pound,” says truffle-dog trainer Simon French as Mandy, a cross-breed border collie, eagerly zigzags through English oak trees planted over the past 15 years. Every time Mandy paws the ground, French throws down a washer with coloured ribbon. Although only a few trees have washers at their bases, one particularly dwarfish tree has almost a dozen.

“That’s what I like to see,” says Marcus Jessup, the farm manager, while browsing the grove at Tamar Valley Truffles. He bends down and sniffs the ground.

“This one seems ready,” he says. Jessup gingerly digs around the washer with a knife, uncovering a black bulb the size of a golf ball. He removes it with the care and precision of a heart surgeon.

Tamar Valley Truffles sits on approximately 8 hectares and has nearly 3,000 oak trees. Farm manager Marcus Jessup (second from left) and farmer and marketing manager John Baily (far right) stroll through the groves with family and trained truffle-hunting dogs.

Photography courtesy Philip Kuruvita

It’s a Périgord truffle worthy of a Michelin-starred chef – here in the Tasmanian bush. In the U.S., truffles like the one sniffed out by French’s dog, known as “black diamonds,” easily fetch $700 a pound. Truffle fans have long flocked to restaurants and shops blessed with French and Italian truffles during those countries’ short-lived harvest season, which runs October through January. But Australian farmers have been rapidly developing their own truffle industry, one that has grown so ripe it has added a second season, from June to August.

Introducing the Australian Périgord truffle


Australian truffles in bowl

Around 9 tons of truffles were harvested in Australia in 2014, a yield double that of just three years prior.

Photography courtesy Ulrike Schmid/StockFood

“We learned about this opportunity nine years ago and thought we’d make a go of it,” says John Baily, a rancher and farmer in the Tamar Valley in northern Tasmania. That meant replanting 8 hectares (20 acres) of poppy fields – Australia is a big producer of pharmaceutical opium – with 3,000 oak trees. To nurture black diamonds, their roots were dipped in truffle sludge to produce spores.

In true Aussie fashion, a make-it-happen attitude is infusing the ancient brotherhood of truffières with improvisation. At harvest, Baily cleans mud from the truffles and moves them into a toolshed. There, seasonal workers place them in a spotless sink-size bin and dry them using small plastic fans from the local hardware store.

Were consultants brought in from France or Italy to put together this operation? “Nah,” Baily says. “We just figured it out as we went along.”

The making of a divine breakfast

 

There are two types of people who eat truffles,” the French writer Jean-Louis Vaudoyer noted. “Those who think truffles are good because they are dear, and those who know they are dear because they are good.”

Georgie Patterson, who lives in the Victorian countryside, fits both descriptions.

“I had six spaniels, and my husband, Marty, said he’d like them to pay for themselves,” Patterson says. “I thought it would be fun to train them to be truffle dogs.”

Now she rises at 5:00 am during harvest months to go to nearby farms to find truffles, or dig her own from the 1,100 oaks she planted next to the house.

“Marty has gotten a taste for truffles and now likes to shave them over his eggs for breakfast. I reckon he’s eaten several times the cost of the dogs,” she says with a smile. “But I’m getting more busy than ever. This has grown so quickly it stopped being a hobby.”

More than a hobby, indeed. Australian truffle producers are aggressively catching up with the Europeans. In 2014, an estimated 9 tons of truffles were harvested here, doubling in three years the yield of black diamonds from Down Under. French truffières dig up 20 to 30 tons of black truffles annually, but they’ve been at it for at least five centuries.

“Last year, I brought out my dogs to a new farmer to harvest her first season of truffles,” Patterson recalls. “I brought a fork and spoon to dig them out, but when I saw her with a big shovel, I said, ‘You’re confident!’”

Where to eat Australian truffles

In Sydney: If you’re close to the source, the team at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney recommends a visit to the Harbour City from June through August to try the truffles at their peak. A must-visit is Madame Truffles, which is only open during the peak season.

 

Four Seasons Hotel Sydney

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In Hong Kong: Three restaurants at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong plan to feature Australian truffles this year, each with a unique take on the gourmet ingredient. Sample Executive Chinese Chef Chan Yan Tak’s wild mushroom tasting menu in July and August at Lung King Heen. Executive Chef Andrea Accordi at The Lounge will have a special Australian winter black truffle menu, and Chef de Cuisine Fabrice Vulin will prepare two Australian winter truffle dishes at Caprice.

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong

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In California: “When they were first introduced to me a few years ago, I was a little sceptical,” recalls Josiah Citrin, who runs the Michelin-starred Mélisse restaurant in Santa Monica, California, in driving distance from Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. “But they’re great, and now I have a reliable source for summer. If anything, I’d say we have way more consistency in the truffles coming from Australia.”

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

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Australian truffles in LA

The summer Aussie truffle menu at Mélisse has included truffle eggs, truffle risotto, wild mushroom agnolotti with paper-thin truffle slivers – “anything that can bring up the flavour and the aroma of the truffle,” Citrin says.

Photography courtesy Mélisse

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The Best Places for Brunch
Around the Globe

Posted on by Heidi Mitchell

Brunch Spread

Brunch is an integral aspect of any culinary journey. – Layne Nguyen, General Manager at Nobu Doha

There are few better ways to toast a week’s end than with brunch. The meal that falls somewhere between breakfast and lunch is a time for celebration, community and little agenda beyond filling plate after plate with global delicacies like Peking duck, beef Wellington and eggs Benedict – plus copious tipples of Champagne. Whether you’re travelling to an exotic port city or hunkering down in a cultural capital, book a table at one of the best places for brunch with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Los Angeles: Sunday Brunch at Culina, Modern Italian


Burrata Pizza With Spec

Locals consider Culina, Modern Italian’s Sunday dining affair the most extravagant in the City of Angels, thanks to its multiple dining stations (including omelettes and fresh, custom juices) and a fondue fountain that overflows with some 40 pounds of chocolate every single week. The restaurant is also a magnet for celebs, and though we can’t mention the boldfaced names of many regular diners, you’ll surely recognise their faces.

Recently added to the menu: pizza from the restaurant’s new al fresco pizza oven, set on the patio underneath California skies. Don’t miss ordering Chef Luca Moriconi’s favourite: Pizza with Burrata e Speck. “I love the fact that the tomatoes are locally sourced and the burrata is from Puglia,” he says. “The smoky flavour from the Speck completes the flavour profile for an amazing pizza!” To go off-campus for your next bite, head to Bianca Bakery, where Moriconi brings his own family.  “It is a new Italian-Argentinian place where you can enjoy great bread, pastries, pasta and mimosas,” he says.

See what else is on the menu at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills >

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

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Washington, DC: Sunday Brunch at Seasons


Seasons Brunch Salad Is A Signature Dish

On sunny spring days, political players and denizens desiring a gossip session reserve seats on the outdoor terrace at Seasons for views of Rock Creek Parkway’s joggers and cherry-blossom-seeking travellers. It’s a favourite for special occasions like Mother’s Day, but every weekend is packed – and delicious – thanks to Chef Andrew Court’s expansive menu. Locals stop by regularly to try the international station with rotating themes, which might include anything from sushi to paella. Currently on offer? The charms of a Hawaiian luau, such as pineapple fried rice with spicy shrimp, chef-carved kalua pork with passion fruit sauce, and Hawaiian barbecue chicken.

When he’s grabbing his own brunch, Court often beelines to the cheekily named Dirty Habit in D.C.’s Penn Quarter. “I used to go to the original Dirty Habit in San Francisco when I was living there, so it’s become a tradition,” he says. “I’ll generally order the house-made yogurt and granola, then the BBQ Burrito or the Healthy Bowl – it depends on how much exercise I can get in on Sunday morning!”

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Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC

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London: Weekend Brunch at Amaranto Restaurant


London Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Amaranto Restaurant is inarguably chic: Polished black marble and dark red booths create an intimate environment. The mouthwatering menu is an Anglophile’s delight, featuring Gloucestershire beef, Kent berries and Shetland smoked salmon. Those with a sweet tooth shouldn’t leave without trying the lemon ricotta pancakes with Yorkshire rhubarb compote – an ideal way to kick-start another day in the city.

For another brunch experience in London, Ivan Arena, Bar Manager at Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, recommends Granger & Co: “My go-to order is the Sweet Corn Fritter dish, followed by something sweet from the bakery menu. They also do a very good Bloody Mary, which is always important to me!”

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Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane

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Doha: Friday Brunch at Nobu Doha


Doha Chef Setting Up Brunch

The 2,400-square-metre Nobu outpost in Doha is one of Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s largest restaurants, and the menu is worthy of its grand space on the Marina, where nearly every seat overlooks the Arabian Gulf. While a Sunday or Saturday brunch is customary in much of the world, catch it here on Friday, the first day of the Arabic weekend. It’s well worthy of a splurge, thanks to dishes like lobster quinoa risotto and Wagyu rib-eye.

“Not only are guests treated to incredible cuisine with a wonderful tasting-style menu,” says Layne Nguyen, General Manager at Nobu Doha, “but the Friday brunch allows for an ideal ambience to gather with family and friends and reconnect over a magnificent meal, matched by a stylish setting.”

If you’re ready for another local gem, Andrew Bozoki, Head Chef of Nobu, recommends brunching at Baladna Farm Restaurant in northern Qatar. “I love the lamb thareed there, and the fact that I can visit their milk factory with my family,” he says. “It’s the place to savour delicious Arabic-style food alongside the freshest possible dairy products.”

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Four Seasons Hotel Doha

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Bahrain Bay: Friday Brunch at CUT by Wolfgang Puck

 


Cut In Bahrain Bay

Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck brings his cutting-edge experience to the meat-centric CUT restaurant in the capital city of Manama – a brunch spot beloved by diplomats and members of the royal family. When it comes to the à la carte menu, start with Puck’s famous pretzel bread, then move on to more filling fare, served family style: creamy burrata bruschetta, steak skewers with a kick of chimichurri sauce, and homemade pasta. Try the filet mignon au poivre – a USDA prime hunk of marbled steak drizzled in black peppercorn and mustard sauce.

Another favourite, suggested by Fabio Marques, Director of CUT by Wolfgang Puck: NOMAD Urban Eatery. “It’s a great spot for brunch, with an elegant and sophisticated Greek design,” he says. “The friendly staff and quality food make for a pleasant and relaxed dining experience.”

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Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay

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Macau: Wellness Menu at Windows


Macau Beetroot And Cinnamon Latte

Healthy living is the order of the day at Windows, an intimate fireside lounge helmed by Executive Sous-Chef Benjamin Lim. Dishes on the all-day menu would delight any wellness enthusiast, including meat-free Impossible burgers served with tahini and grilled eggplant; turmeric bliss kombucha; and a vitamin- and antioxidant-stocked juice blend with guava, orange, blueberry and raspberry – an excellent way to prepare for a day of exploring Macau’s ancient temples.

When Lim himself ventures into Macau for brunch, he often selects Shun Hin, where his go-to dish is braised black mushrooms and assorted vegetables in fish broth. “Macau is a place where I have been immersed in the Chinese culture, especially the food culture,” he says. “Dim sum with tea starts as breakfast and is served until lunchtime, and can be savoury or sweet – a wonderful way to enjoy the moment with your family.”

See what else is on the menu at Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip® 

Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip®

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Singapore: Champagne Brunch at One-Ninety: Wood-Fired Steaks and Seafood


Singapore Buffet Spread

Newly reborn as a botanically rich Provençal and Asian brasserie, One-Ninety is practically tailor-made for Instagram, thanks to abundant flowers and lush, tropical plantings that dangle from columns and adorn the bar. Restaurant Chef Kamarl John, who formerly worked with Michelin-garnering chef David Myers, begins each brunch with artisan sourdough bread made from flour milled in Hokkaido, Japan, and served with seaweed butter. His inventive Sunday brunch menu features abundant dishes such as chilli crab omelettes with mantou buns and coriander, and laksa rice noodles with cockles, scallops and quail eggs. Guests love the option of adding free-flowing bubbly – Taittinger Brut champagne or Ruffino Prosecco – and the sustainably sourced seafood tower with Maine lobster, king crab, bluefin tuna, fresh prawns and Hokkaido scallops.

To sit down for brunch, he often heads to Five Oars Coffee Roasters. “The restaurant always reminds me of a trendy, informal brunch spot in London, and they serve really great food,” John says. “My must-orders are the Five Oars Breakfast and their craft beers and ales.”

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Four Seasons Hotel Singapore

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Orlando: Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy and His Pals


Goofy Brunch Orlando 2 970x540

Technically it isn’t brunch, but since it’s so special for families visiting Four Seasons Resort Orlando Walt Disney World® Resort, we couldn’t resist including it. On Thursday, Saturday and select Tuesday mornings, Goofy and his pals arrive to entertain picky eaters of all ages at the Resort’s Ravello restaurant.

Ask for a table on the patio overlooking the lake and fountains. Though your kids may be too distracted by Minnie Mouse to realise that the jams are homemade and the bread freshly baked, after their professional photos you can all enjoy house-cured meats followed by the Nutella-filled bomboloni on the dessert table.

When he’s seeking out a magical brunch for himself in Orlando, Executive Sous-Chef Ryan Schelling heads to DoveCote downtown. “The brioche French toast is fantastic, and the steak and eggs are a great way to start a Sunday,” he says. “I love the chicken liver pâté, which keeps me going back. After seeing the dishes you didn’t order, you’ll want to return to try it all.”

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Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort

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Spring Cocktails With a Twist

Posted on by Alexandra Sheehan

One of the greatest rewards of travel – or reminiscing about a journey – is the engagement of the senses: New sights, sounds, smells and tastes come together to portray a destination in its fullness.

Wander along the beach in Punta Mita and listen to the waves lapping at the shore as you smell – and taste – the salty breeze blowing through your hair. Take a hike in the crisp mountain air of Jackson Hole and feel delicate snowflakes melt on your face, or the delicious steam of hot cocoa after a day on the slopes.

These are the types of flavours, scents and experiences that inspire Four Seasons mixologists. Add seasonal harvests from local gardens – think flowers, herbs and even mushrooms – and the result is spring cocktails that capture the spirit of global destinations.

Here’s a taste.

Lisbon: LX Purple Bloom


Recipe card for LX Purple Bloom cocktail

Every spring, Lisbon’s first jacaranda blossom serves as a sign that a new season has arrived; next, the city streets are lined with beautiful purple, violet and lavender. Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon celebrates the occasion with a jacaranda-themed cocktail.

In the months where the city flourishes into lavender, it seems only fitting that the cocktails at the Ritz Bar follow suit.

It was the violet view of the city from the terrace at the Ritz Bar that inspired the LX Purple Bloom, a refreshing mix of Portuguese Gin Nao, St-Germain liqueur, Pêra Rocha purée, grapefruit juice and a spritz of rose water.


Scottsdale: Tip of the Cap


Recipe card for Tip of the Cap

April showers bring not only flowers but also mushrooms to the Scottsdale area. In a surprising twist on the change of seasons, chefs at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North delicately infuse this local harvest with citrus and herbs to achieve a fresh, earthy taste.

Fruit and floral notes are predominant in springtime cocktail menus, but the rich umami aspect that mushrooms bring [is often] bypassed.

A variation on the traditional dirty martini, Tip of the Cap replaces olive brine with a porcini “tea” made of local mushrooms, herbs and lemon. That tea is combined with Stoli Elit vodka in a Sercial Madeira–rinsed rocks glass and garnished with a pickled porcini mushroom, a twist of lemon and a sprig of thyme.

Doha: Rose Gold Julab


Recipe card for Rose Gold Julab cocktail

Vast desert landscapes and a bustling, cosmopolitan city greet visitors to Doha. Tradition is not lost here; a thriving coffee house culture makes for unique opportunities to learn more about Qatar and the Middle East. It’s not uncommon to see locals adding rose water to their caffeinated beverages, lemonade or milk.

Rose water has a very distinctive flavour. It’s aromatic, which makes it refreshing in the hot sun.

At Four Seasons Hotel Doha, rose water is an essential ingredient in the Rose Gold Julab. Mixed with a simple syrup and vodka, served over crushed ice with mint leaves and rose petals, it makes a fine treat.

Seychelles: Hibiscus Shower


Recipe card for Hibiscus shower cocktail

Quintessentially tropical hibiscus flowers brighten your stroll around the grounds at Four Seasons Resort Seychelles. They’re a beautiful addition to the scenery – and they’re full of fresh, citrusy flavour.

In our tropical environment, we often have rain showers which make these beautiful flowers bloom.

The Resort’s Kannel Bar makes the most of that citrus flavour – and the abundance of blossoms. The flowers in its Hibiscus Shower cocktails are handpicked from the property grounds. Hibiscus iced tea, Cointreau, local Takamaka coco rum and pineapple juice combine for an unbeatable chilled drink.

Chiang Mai: Siam Honey Breeze


Recipe card for Siam Honey Breeze cocktail

In Northern Thailand, spring comes with plenty of rainfall. It can be seen in the lush green blankets of vegetation on the surrounding mountains, and tasted in the sweetness of Thai honey.

Thai honey is at its most delicate and delicious in April and May.

Thai honey isn’t the only local ingredient at its peak in spring. At Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, mixologists merge camomile-flower tea – brewed using fresh blossoms from the Mon Jam district – with local honey and Thai rum, lemon and ginger ale to create the Siam Honey Breeze, an original cocktail with a fresh perspective.

Editor’s note: While some of these spring cocktails may no longer be listed on the menu, most can be made upon special request.