R.AIRE at The Hampton Maid Serves Up Tropical Cocktail

While drinking a cocktail on the beach is the ideal for many, you don’t have to have your feet in the sand to feel like you’re at a tropical oasis. A properly sourced, flavored, measured drink can transport anyone to the warm sun rays of the Caribbean.

“The inspiration for the bloomer comes from my background in Spanish cuisine, married with flavors of the Caribbean, to create that carefree, happy feeling of being on a tropical vacation,” says Chef Alex Bujoreanu, who created the R.AIRE concept, which has two dining experiences — a chef’s tasing menu and a Spanish-influenced a la carte menu featuring authentic tapas and shareable paella. — at The Hampton Maid, a family-owned and -operated hotel in the Hamptons.

The cocktail’s ingredients are Bacardi Black rum (1.75 ounces), Pedro Ximenez sherry wine (.5 ounces), fresh-squeezed lime juice (.5 ounces), passion fruit puree (.75 ounces), and agave (.5 ounces).

“What makes this cocktail different is the use of Pedro Ximenez,” he says. “Usually, this Spanish wine is used as a digestif. I wanted to incorporate the sweetness, smokiness and intensity of the color in the bloomer. Mixed with the contrasting flavors of the lime and passion fruit, it creates the perfect balance. Our cuisine at R.AIRE is just that, traditional Spanish dishes with a modern twist.”

Here’s how to make the bloomer at home. Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice, strain into glass over ice, and garnish with a dried star anise.

“This cocktail is refreshing with a mix of dark rum, lime juice and passion fruit , and it finishes with the sweetness of the Spanish sherry,” he says. “The flavors blend together to create a tropical taste, as if you’re in the Caribbean on vacation.”

R.AIRE at The Hampton Maid is located at 259 E. Montauk Hwy., Hampton Bays. It can be reached at 631-728-4184.