An all-inclusive vacation deal just screams indulgence. With my Royal Holiday group in Cancun last week, we often wrapped up our activities for the day with a cocktail or three. We never drank too much, we merely just enjoyed our drinks and relaxed while revelling in each other’s company (until the tequila incident during my last night there, but that’s a different story). I was up every morning at 7 a.m., after all.
At the Lobby Cassis bar of my resort, Monica and I decided I would become a professional drink photographer. Yes, I, Candice Walsh have found my market niche combining two of my greatest loves into a career choice: drinks, and travel. I will travel the world and sample every drink ever made! Brilliant!
It was an ill-devised plan, but I had fun trying to win a personal record of Most Drinks Sampled in Cancun Ever. I failed miserably, but here were some of my favourites (not limited to cocktails):
1. Xtabentún – A liqueur made solely in the Yucatan from anise seed and fermented honey. It sounds all sweet and docile, but I assure you this drink packs a punch. Like tequila, but maybe with more bruises.
2. Mojitos – My personal favourite, I like to annoy bartenders by pronouncing it English-style rather than “moe-hee-toe.” Rum, mint, sugar, club soda, and lime…this is a Cuban drink, but I first tried it in Mexico and will forever acquaint it with white beaches and pretty Mexican men. I like this one best because it’s not-too-sweet and not-too-sour.
3. Tequila – Ugh.
Behold the breathtaking Julio Loco.
4. The Julio Loco – A drink specifically developed at the Cancun Caribe Park Royal Grand resort, it’s a daunting (but pretty!) mixture of crushed ice, mango and chocolate. By the time we left Cancun, the drink had caught on and was spreading like wildfire.
5. Tequila Sunrise & Margaritas – Probably the best way to stomach tequila, the margarita adds lime juice (most basic) and the sunrise adds orange juice and grenadine.
6. Sangrita – Not to be confused with sangria, sangrita is used as a mixer for tequila and includes tomatoes, onions and hot chilli peppers. Yum.
7. Mescal – Made mostly in Oaxaca from the maguey plant, strong and sharp like tequila. This saying sums it up: “para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien también.” (For everything bad, mezcal, and for everything good, too.)
8. Pina Colada – Also a pretty international rum drink, for those with a sweet tooth craving pineapples, coconut milk, cinnamon and hangovers. 
By the time Andy and I switched hotels, I needed a beer. We wandered over to the bar and requested a nice refreshing glass of Dos Equis. I am a beer lady, and man did I miss that cool tower of bubbly amber life juice. Barely a millimetre of head perched atop the brew, poured in the most perfect art form known to man, transcendent over centuries of civilization. Forget Corona, although it tastes better in Mexico (kinda like Guinness in Dublin). Dos Equis I do enjoy, but until this trip I never tried any other Mexican beers: Tecate, Bohemia, Modelo Especial, Victoria, Pacifo! They’re good. Trust me.
What’s your favourite?
