Drink of the Week: African Queen at Mozambique

We stepped into ’s Shebeen Bar at 1740 S. Coast Highway on a drizzly night this week. Shebeen’s drink menu is full of African-inspired libations like the Dark Continent, the Heart of Darkness, and this week's Drink of the Week, The African Queen.  

This creamy beauty has a very simple ingredient list: 

• Bacardi Rock Coconut 
• Amarula Cream 
• Chocolate syrup

Since we’re attempting to be more adventurous in our liquor choices, this looked like a good idea. Amarula Cream is imported from South Africa and is made from the marula fruit, a pale yellow fruit with white flesh that grows wild on trees in Africa. The tree is sacred to many tribes, and many legends are associated with it. To make Amarula Cream, the marula fruit is pounded to a pulp, fermented, distilled and aged for two years. Then cream is added to the clear liqueur. 

“Are you ready for dessert?” our server asked as she set the drink down on our table. In combination with the Bacardi Coconut, it was initially too sweet, but then was followed by an alcohol aftertaste—the perfect combination. The Bacardi contributed to the coconut flavor (obviously) and the Amarula contributed a fruity taste that also had something of a caramel overtone. And a bonus not found with most cocktails—it actually had a pretty smooth mouth feel. 

Brilliant. 

If you’re not a fan of sweet things, this may not be the cocktail for you. But if you’re looking for just the right thing to set off a salty dish, the African Queen may be the perfect match for your meal.