It’s Wednesday. It’s payday. It’s time to get white-girl-wasted on a cocktail or two. This instalment of Cocktail of the Month is dedicated to everyone needing a sign to treat themselves to an extravagant but affordable night out! That’s you, baby!
Crown Hotels. Ever heard of them? That’s right; we’re showing up and showing out at one of the many luxurious bars in their Burswood location. And while this month’s complex cocktail may have been crowned the Best in WA by the Australian Hotels Association, how will it test against the Gen-Z tongue of this highly-opinionated picky eater who just started liking tomatoes on her 20th birthday (i.e. a year ago 😎)?
CAN I GET A…..
La Bamba at TWR Bar in the Crown Towers.
WAIT. WHAT’S IN THAT?
La Bamba’s creator, Robin De Mesquita Mollentze, answered this question while making his signature cocktail.
I won’t lie to y’all; this sh*t sounded and looked complicated. With each specialty ingredient made by Robin from scratch in the TWR kitchen, he’s also the only one who knows the recipe. From his charred corn & beeswax-infused tequila, coriander syrup, and red wine berry reduction to the tomato-Aperol foam and the black truffle tuille, the drink takes Robin approximately two days to make! Impressive, right?
HOW MUCH DO I OWE YOU??
All the signature cocktails, including La Bamba, are $24! With how inflation is going, I expected the State’s best cocktail to be at least $30 or more. If you asked me, $24 is amazing for such an intricate drink and such a great venue.
THE VIBES: SERVICE AND LOCATION (9/10)
You want fancy? You got it. Get dolled up and photo-ready for the class and subtle glamour of TWR, with their ceilings filled with rose-gold detailing next to chandeliers and refined interior design intricately covering their massive space next to a stunning vista of the city; TWR is not just a bar; it’s an experience. The service is just as excellent and charming as the venue. Even the drive-up makes you feel like old money! I have never felt wealthier in my dad’s 2008 Nissan X-Trail.
TWR would be perfect for small groups wanting to get lit and posting tipsy Instagram stories while looking hot and making your estranged high school friends jealous of your new mysterious, affluent lifestyle in the Crown Towers. I’m not sure how intimate and private it can get for sexy date nights due to the open-floor seating, but if you’re into PDA, go for it!
THE DRINK: TASTE AND PRESENTATION (9/10)
I can’t even describe how this tasted y’all. But I’m going to try. Because it is my job. Here goes nothing.
Do you know when you eat intensely-flavoured Mexican food and drink something cold and sweet afterwards? And it’s so refreshing and sugary, but the notes of savoury, earthy food stay in the back of your mouth? La Bamba tastes exactly like that.
It felt like I had eaten a complex Mexican meal and drank a fruity drink to wash everything down. But y’all, I hadn’t had a complex Mexican meal; I was nowhere near Mexican food or Mexico. I was in Burswood, Western Australia, with a drink made by a South African.
This drink tasted like corn tortillas, pico de gallo, mole, chocolate, wine, berries, and smoke. And somehow, all these flavours WORKED. It was yummy! YAY! Intense, though; every sip tastes the same, and the complexities of the flavours shock you every time. I suspect I would have to drink at least two La Bamba’s to get used to the taste, but it was 1 pm on a Wednesday when I tried it, so day drinking was out of the cards for this lightweight writer.
According to its creator, La Bamba also has a specific recommended drinking method. And I recommend it too! First, grab the black truffle tuille (the garnish) and eat it. Then, stir the drink with a straw until it changes colour and infuses flavour throughout (from the red wine berry reduction), and finally, smell the foam on top (the tomato-Aperol concoction) before drinking it from the glass. It brings the experience of the Mexican food/drink thing to life!
THE VERDICT: WOULD I DRINK AGAIN?
Why, yes, I would drink WA’s Best Cocktail again! It was surprising, tasty and affordable; I wouldn’t mind another round. Especially with friends, just so I could see their reactions to drinking it, like when you’re watching someone watch Game of Thrones for the first time, and you can see their faces during every plot twist.