Nestled between meandering pools and lushly landscaped gardens is Annabelle’s Grotto Bar. From April through November, the seasonal bar welcomes guests for cocktails, snacks, and conversation between the hours of 10:00 and 17:00. Approach from land or by water (the bar enjoys swim-up access with in-pool stools), and you will be greeted by bar supervisor Sakis and his colleagues. With over a decade of service at the hotel, Sakis is a fixture at Annabelle. He loves to talk through the preparation of your cocktail with you. Order a mojito and he will begin to slice a lime as he explains his preference for using homemade brown simple syrup in this drink. He mixes the lime with simple syrup and rum in a cocktail glass and muddles the mixture. Then he steps just a few feet to his garden, where he harvests fresh mint leaves; enjoy their sweet scent wafting across the bar as he lightly muddles them. He next adds the muddled mint to the glass with ice cubes, club soda, and additional, crushed ice. The drink is garnished with a sprig of fresh mint before being handed over for your enjoyment. Other popular summer drinks include the Watermelon Daiquiri—concocted with fresh melon, rum, homemade lemonade, Monin watermelon, lemon juice, and ice—and the classic Negroni, which he garnishes with strips of fresh orange peel. If you haven’t met Sakis, please stop by the Grotto Bar for a drink and a chat—he is ready to share his mixological secrets with you.
