Frulatte: Commencing My Mission to Find the Best Fruit Cocktail Shop :: NoGarlicNoOnions: Restaurant, Food, and Travel Stories/Reviews

A part of Lebanese traditions include enjoying some fruit cocktails during summer... or what we refer to as "Cocktail Che2af" Yum... a cup of fresh fruits cut in pieces, mixed in fruit juice and other ingredients... how heavenly does that sound during the hot days... So of course I am now on a task to find the best cocktails shops in Lebanon, and I definitely need your help.

It's a difficult task and I am not sure if I'm up for it: the mission requires time, access to the kitchens as well as finding out the freshness of all the fruits they are using... It isn’t easy. Then again, a hundred things can be hidden in a mixed fruit cocktail. But let's stay positive, follow our intuitions as well as recommendations and start enjoying some "Cocktail Che2af" this summer.

Starting my mission at the start of summer, Frulatte is the best place to commence. This famous cocktail shop nestled on the Jeita roundabout has become a reference for many... a landmark if I may say so... Open more than 20 years ago, Frullate started as a small cocktail shop until it developed into a pizza place with arguile. The place is known for cocktails and pizza these days.

At 5pm, in a calm restaurant, we sat and ordered the best they have. The proud owner recommended the fruit cocktail or in Lebanese "Cocktail Che2af".

The cocktails:

Mango
Mango/Strawberry
Mango/Strawberry/Pineapple
Mango/Banana
Melon
Orange
Orange/Strawberry/Pineapple
Peach
Peach/Strawberry
Watermelon
Watermelon/Melon
Fruit Mix cocktail

In a large beer glass, we received a mountain of fruits on top of strawberry juice. The cup comes fully loaded, with fruit hanging on wooden sticks, a layer of white ashta cream and a cup filled to the top with fruit cubes bathing in freshly squeezed strawberry juice.

Half a kiwi for decoration and the other half cut in cubes on top of the ashta
A large piece of melon
Two cubes of mango
A strawberry
A quarter slice of pineapple
Almonds
Ashta: fresh and not synthetic
Honey

Inside: Strawberries, bananas, avocado, mango, a super cold real strawberry mix with crushed ice. With the cup, we received a fork and knife, along with a long spoon placed inside. I took a deep breath and plunged into this fresh mix to dicover what makes Frulatte different and more expensive than all other cocktail shops around.

I loved the freshness of the fruits, the size of the pieces and the generosity of the ingredients. A large cup filled with premium exotic fruits, all carefully chosen to melt under your teeth in style. At the bottom, and this is what makes all the difference, is a freshly squeezed natural strawberry juice. Super cold strawberry juice mixed with crushed ice. You feel the freshness of this fruit, its skin, its seeds and the cold crunch of the ice bits. With no added sugar, the cup is a piece of art. Even the ashta is different. The ashta is as fresh and as you would want it to be with an authentic taste that specialized people from the villages know how to make... The honey, again, natural and real non-synthetic honey.

Frulatte's is one of the most expensive around priced at L.L17,000L.L

Now I understand why Frulatte is always talked about. The only thing I personally didn't like or would change is the missing avocado cocktail. I would have loved to have with it a layer of avocado juice which will definitely add more flavor and colors at the same time. It's a national habit after all. Now that the quest has started, help me find the best. Send me your recommendations no matter which part of the country you're in... We want to hear from you...