The World of Cocktails - Trends that we hope last a little longer

When temperatures start to rise, what better way could there be to enjoy summer than with a cool drink, colourfully garnished for visual appeal and with plenty of ice. So once you’ve found a place in your favourite bar, you can settle down for the hard part. Shaken or stirred? The famous question from the James Bond films was yesterday. Today, our barkeeper Hans Höfer reveals the hottest cocktail trends of the summer season and those we hope will be trending for a little while longer:

Barkeeper Hans Höfer

For the Adventurous: Fresh Herbs and Spices

What has long been commonplace in the kitchen can now be found in cocktail mixers: fresh herbs and spices in fruity cocktails. Adventurous barkeepers are reaching for basil, ginger, thyme and sage to create a trend that not only tastes good, but is healthy as well. The reason is that herbs contain many valuable substances like minerals, trace elements and chlorophyll. 

For the Hard-Bitten: Booze Infusions

If you’re the sort of person who only uses a teabag when you have a cold, then you’ve obviously never heard of the latest trend: Booze infusions. Take a common or garden teabag and let it steep in vodka or gin. Topped with lime juice, ginger ale or cucumber, there’s no better way to cool down on hot summer days. 

For Real Royals: Sparkling Wine Cocktails

Cocktails with sparkling wine or champagne are once again at the top of the summer hit list. And as well as the famous Kir Royal, there are plenty of new flavours to be enjoyed. Purée some fresh berries and then top up the mixture with champagne. And if you like, you can also add a dash of spirits to the fruity drink. 

For Hotheads: Lemonade Cocktails

Admittedly, lemonade cocktails are not really cocktails. But if we follow the definition that a cocktail is a mixed drink made of two or more ingredients, then lemonade cocktails certainly deserve a place on our list! As real all-rounders they offer refreshment on hot summer days and also provide the body with liquids. How about a homemade elderberry or lime and ginger lemonade? Simple recipes that you can try out at home can be found on chefkoch.de.
 

Cocktail Happy Hour @ U-ONE Bar 
Every day between 10.00 p.m. and 11.00 p.m. you can enjoy all cocktails for just EUR 5.10!

Extended Due to Popular Demand: Vegan Barbecue at the ARCOTEL Kaiserwasser!

On 7 June 2014 we launched this year’s BBQ season with a vegan barbecue evening. In response to popular demand, we have now scheduled an additional three dates for all friends of vegan cuisine: From July to September our executive chef Johann Schwarz will again be heating up the grill on the first Saturday of every month.

A variety of vegan hors d’oeuvres will be served before things get hot around the char grill. With everything from marinated seitan steak, Asian vegetable and tofu skewers, and veggie burgers vegan guests too will now be spoiled for choice. The barbecue is rounded off by a large selection of summer salads and fresh side dishes, while the view of the Alte Donau from the terrace invites diners to enjoy their meal under the summer skies.

Vegan Barbecue
5 July, 2 August, 6 September 2014 | from 6.00 p.m.
EUR 38.00 p.p. incl. All-U-Can-Eat Buffet
Parking in our underground car park subject to availability

Reservation
T +43 1 224 24-866
E restaurantuno@arcotelhotels.com
www.restaurantuno.at

We look forward to seeing you at the ARCOTEL Kaiserwasser!

MYSTERY SURROUNDS A MURDER IN VIENNA’S HISTORIC CITY CENTRE

As a child I loved brainteasers. I simply couldn’t get enough of puzzles, playing hide-and-seek in the garden or going on treasure hunts. And that hasn’t changed much since I became an adult. So I was all the more thrilled when I received an invitation to the Vienna City Hunt for my birthday. A dangerous decision, as it would turn out …

Together with two friends, I set off to the historic centre of Vienna on a Friday afternoon. It was pouring with rain, but that didn’t spoil our mood. We were too excited about the prospect of tracking down our suspect. Arriving at the operations centre of the local police headquarters – a typical Viennese coffee house near St. Stephen’s cathedral – we got to know our team of investigators and were given the file about the cold-blooded murder.

Once we had the details of the operation and had been given an emergency phone number in case we should run into any problems, we went straight back onto the streets and took up the trail through the centre of Vienna. But tracking down the perpetrator was no easy matter! The more witnesses we found, the more confused their statementsappeared to be. But although the investigation became increasingly difficult, we eventually managed to put the facts together correctly and identify a perpetrator.

Back at the operations centre, we reviewed the hunt with the other teams and treated ourselves to a cup of steaming coffee as we were soaked through.
We can definitely recommend it. A tricky challenge for young and old, and one where you have to demonstrate your logical thinking skills.
 

http://www.cityhunt.at/
An article by Claudia H.:

BBQ Tips and Techniques from an Expert

Award-winning chef Johann Schwarz shares his secrets
 
It’s finally that time of the year again: Spring has come and is enticing us to come outside with balmy temperatures and fresh spring air. The first rays of sun also herald the beginning of the barbecue season, for whether you fancy fish or meat, food never tastes better than when it’s fresh off the grill.  

Award-winning chef Johann Schwarz offers some valuable tips and techniques to guarantee that your BBQ is a resounding success:

·        Fresh herbs are indispensable for a barbecue! Rosemary and oregano go well with beef and lamb, while marjoram and thyme go really well with pork. Poultry is best spiced up with sage. But don’t forget: the best way to get that perfect flavour is to leave the meat to marinate for a couple of hours.

·        Personally, I swear by a good old fashioned charcoal grill. The charcoal grill gives the meat its characteristic smoky flavour and creates that convivial barbecue atmosphere.

·         But be careful! It is essential that you get the charcoal to the right temperature! At the correct temperature of approx. 200°C the meat will become tender and lose less juice.

·        Everyone who has ever barbecued is familiar with the problem: Stomachs rumble but the charcoal simply won’t get hot. The solution is a chimney starter. This practical device will shorten the time you have to wait before you can start grilling and at the same time ensures that the charcoal is lit evenly.

·        And finally, guys, you’re much better off enjoying your beer straight away instead of pouring it over the meat. For a start, this dramatically reduces the temperature of the barbecue and secondly it churns up the embers and releases harmful particles that then stick to the food.

ARCOTEL Hotels – The Story of a Name

Founder Raimund D. Wimmer

It all started with the vision of ARCOTEL Hotels founder Raimund Wimmer to develop an Austrian hotel group in which each hotel has its own unique personality. But a great company needs a great name! And so ideas were hatched and suggestions made until, after much discussion, the name ARCOTEL Hotels was born.   

the origin logo of the ARCOTEL group

But why ARCOTEL? What is the deeper meaning behind this artificial word? The syllables are easily explained: ARCus (lat. arch) and ÔTEL (German with a French accent, the guesthouse). The name blends two concepts and expresses Raimund Wimmer’s idea of spanning an arc between the host and the guest and offering guests a home from home. This in turn led to our corporate philosophy of "passionate hosts", which the teams at ARCOTEL Hotels having been putting into practice for more than 25 years now.

But the unofficial explanation for the name is this: Raimund Wimmer wanted his guests to find him as quickly as possible. He therefore chose a name that would come pretty near the front of the telephone directory – even in those days, our founder was ahead of his time, because in a way, he was already doing "search engine optimisation" 25 years ago.