Dubai Has Strict Rules Against Drinking Alcohol, but an Amazing Cocktail Scene

"Later that week, I’m sitting in Ginger Moon, the boho-inspired, poolside bar and kitchen at the W Hotel Mina Seyahi, an adults-only hotel that opened just over a year ago. I am overlooking the giant yachts resting in the handsome human-made harbor while the breeze floats by as though it, too, were manufactured. Ginger Moon understands the importance of providing guests with a superior cocktail experience and approaches mixing drinks like an art. The cocktail menu is written like a poem, lyrical and flowery with descriptions that start with “fly on the wild side,” and “get lost in the jungle.” I am sampling their ‘no waste’ dinner menu, part of Dubai Food Week that highlights this year’s theme: sustainability. The beverage manager, Emanuel Ferraz, has designed a cocktail for each course, crafted from kitchen leftovers. With the kitchen leading the way, this project has allowed Ginger Moon’s mixologists to get creative, combining new flavors, playing with the sweet and the savory. “There is a big connection between the W brand and cocktail culture, it's in our DNA,” says Ferraz as I sample his gin, tomato, and basil concoction. “When [guests] arrive in the hotel they already expect to find something unique. [They want] something different than the classic, something quite extravagant and [for us] we can say that cocktails are a big part [of that].”" - Travel + Leisure Editors