Her name was Gioconda and her smile lived up to her name. Above all, however, she was kind enough to accompany me to the best pasta and marisco restaurant in Managua. La Cueva del Buzo (diving cave) is run by Alessio, a former terrorist of the Brigada Rossa, who is said to have sat on the lap of Pope Paul VI as a young boy in the garden of the Vatican and played the Journey to Jerusalem with him and the cardinals . This is only marginally.
La Gioconda asked me if I had ever tried Macuá, Nicaragua`s national cocktail? I said no and thought to myself: As a passionate beer drinker, I always felt in good hands in Nicaragua with beers with girls` names. Victoria and Toña, a short form of Antonia, are the names of the two attractive blondes who were always brought to the table by the country`s waiters. La Gioconda smiled and I felt through. With a proud expression she declared that she would be my personal ambassador for Nicaragua for the evening, raised her glass and asked me to try her cocktail.
With slight regret, I released my hands from my beloved Toña and inwardly sighed, reached for her cocktail. It had been served in a highball glass and was a delicate shade of pink. A slice of orange and a bright green lime cherry served as decoration. And then I was surprised by the soft, fruity taste and the velvety mouthfeel, a perfect amalgam of the refined mixed fruit juices. The firing of the cocktail by the excellent Nicaraguan rum Flor de Caña could be felt, but remained discreetly in the background.
The macuá had been invented by a doctor from Granada who had involved his entire family in his creative process. He presented his cocktail in September 2006 in a competition initiated by Immanuel Zerger, a German tourism entrepreneur in Nicaragua. It is due to his negotiating skills that the Ministry of Tourism, Flor de Caña, the national catering association and his own company Solentiname Tours cooperated effectively. Attractive prizes and intensive journalistic support for the competition generated considerable public interest. In contrast to comparable competitions, the award winner was not forgotten after a few weeks, on the contrary. Starting in Granada and Managua, the Macuá is enjoying growing popularity and is now part of the standard repertoire of all good restaurants and bars in Nicaragua.
So what is that? was my spontaneous and somewhat awkward reaction to the drink. Thankfully, La Gioconda could tell from my face that this was meant to be very appreciative and so she willingly declared:
“Oye, mi amor / Look, my darling, Macuá is one and a half parts Flor de Caña rum, one part guava juice, one part orange juice and half a part each of lime juice and sugar syrup. You put the whole thing in a cocktail shaker, fill it up with ice cubes or crushed ice and shake it for half a minute or until your hand falls off from the cold. Then you put the cocktail in a long drink glass filled with a few ice cubes and decorate it with a slice of orange and a green cherry. That`s all! No big secret, just knew how !!! ”
“And the name“ Macuá ”? What does that mean? I kept digging.
“The Macuá is a small bird from the primeval forests of Nicaragua. Only a few have ever seen it because it builds its nest in tree hollows in the middle of the forest, about 30 m above the ground. In our mythology he is a lucky bird. Money or love. As you wish. Quasi a dating agency from before the internet. And because this is so, the birds` nests are turned into a perfume, the “Perfume nido del pájaro Macuá”. For the close combat phase, so to speak. La Gioconda paused a little and then continued - this time with an amused smile - “Don`t worry! I`m wearing a simple Dior today!
Relieved, I reached for my glass of beer again and wanted to allow myself a long sip of Toña when La Gioconda, with a face from which all smiles had disappeared, hissed conspiratorially: Estoy celosa !!!! (I`m jealous !!!!) El está metido con su Toñita, otra vez! (He`s already hooked up with his little toña again!) ”
It took me a moment to understand that what she said was a quote from the beer commercial, which alludes to the fact that men turn too easily and too quickly to their beer friends rather than their real girlfriend or wife take care of.
La Gioconda looked at me with raised eyebrows and let her gaze wander between me and her empty glass. I understood and ordered TWO macuá. The ambassador smiled contentedly: Misión cumplida! (Task completed!)
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