Taking the Orient Express via Cocktails

By Sandra Scott

My husband, John, suggested, “Let’s take the Orient Express. We can start in London and end in Istanbul.”

We were sitting in the Esplanade 1925 Lounge of the elegant Regent Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb, Croatia. I thought it was a great idea. Then I realized John was looking at the cocktail menu. The Esplanade 1925 Lounge and Cocktail Bar was inspired by key stops on the classic Orient Express. The hotel has created signature cocktails for each place where the historic Orient Express stopped: London, Paris, Berlin, Venice, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest, Zagreb, Athens, and Istanbul.

The London Cocktail contained gin, peach schnapps, orange juice and Sprite. The Istanbul Cocktail was a luscious mix of Maraschino brandy, mixed fruit juice, lime juice, and grenadine. “John, I think a cocktail trip on the Orient Express might be more than we can handle, especially in one sitting! Why don’t we each try a different one.”

I decided that the Zagreb Orient Express Cocktail was the most appropriate, for we loved Zagreb and all of Croatia. Zagreb may be a new capital becoming the political and administrative center for the Republic Croatia in 1991 but it is steeped in history. We loved the Baroque atmosphere of the Upper Town. We wandered the cobbled streets, visited the churches and museum, and joined in the time-honored tradition of sitting in a street café sipping coffee.

“You are right,” John said. “A whole cocktail trip might not be pretty! I am going to pick the Esplanade 1925 which will represent the Orient Express, Zagreb, and this beautiful hotel.”

John was right. The Regent Esplanade Hotel is one of the grand old hotels of Europe, recently made state-of-the-art without destroying the historical ambiance.

Having settled on our cocktail destinations we placed our orders. When the barman, Davor Kaic, brought our cocktails we were pleased with our choices. My Zagreb Cocktail was a wonderful blend of Zrinski Brandy, Honey Liqueur, and orange juice and garnished with a lemon.

I asked Davor about the Zrinski Brandy. “It is Croatian and named for one of our kings. It is aged and distilled in an oak cask similar to the process by which the French produce their cognac,” he said.

John’s Esplanade 1925 Cocktail was equally appropriate. It contained gin, Zadar Maraschino Liqueur, grapefruit juice, and grenadine served in a martini glass rimmed with sugar. Once again we learned about another traditional libation. Zadar Maraschino is named for the Croatian city where it originated. Maraschino is a clear, dry cherry-flavored liqueur made from maraschino cherries and pure cane syrup.

We sipped our Orient Express Cocktails and envisioned the grandeur of the Orient Express. We could hear the strains of Straus in the background and imagined what it was like to be swirling around the hotel’s grand ballroom to similar music. The oval ballroom has a beautiful stained-glass dome ceiling with accent lights simulating a star-studded sky. Ah, the glory of the days of the traditional Orient Express and the grand hotels like the Regent Esplanade that accommodated those fortunate enough to make the journey.

Visit www.regenthotels.com/zagreb, www.zagreb-touristinfo.hr, and www.visitcroatia.com.

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Creators Syndicate
and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.

Photos by J. J. Scott.

©CocktailAtlas.com

Contact Us: Editor Webmaster