Bodrum’s Casa Sol crafts a citrus-silk stunner with infused Ketel One and Satsuma gold
In the kind of coastal Turkish heat that melts time and intention, where the Aegean sparkles like it’s been polished by a thousand hotelier dreams, Casa Sol at the Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort has done something quite rare. They’ve created a drink that is both maximalist and minimal: The Silk Road. A name that would seem overreaching in lesser hands, here it feels earned.
The Silk Road cocktail takes its inspiration from the spice-laden caravan trails of antiquity but retools the story for the poolside. It’s bright. It’s aromatic. It’s dripping in citrus and curiosity. And most importantly—it’s built for hot weather leisure, not academic reenactments.
The Silk Road Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients:
- 45ml Mango Cardamom & Fennel Tea-infused Ketel One Vodka*
- 15ml Cointreau
- 20ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 60ml Satsuma Purée
- 10ml Simple Syrup (2:1)
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
- Shake hard, until the outside of the tin frosts.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
At first glance, this is a citrus-forward vodka cocktail with structure. But peel it back, and you see a smart layering of flavors—delicate, not dull; tropical, not sweet; ancient, but not precious. Cointreau adds body and a backbone of orange-peel bitterness that plays beautifully with the acidity of lime and the fleshy pop of Satsuma. The simple syrup is intentionally restrained at 10ml, a nod to the cocktail’s lean and dry profile.
But the engine of the drink is the infused vodka. And here’s where things get interesting.
How to Make Mango Cardamom & Fennel Tea-Infused Ketel One Vodka
- Measure 50g of Melez Mango Cardamom & Fennel Tea.
- Combine with 1000ml (1L) of Ketel One Vodka.
- Let steep at room temperature overnight (about 12 hours).
- Strain out solids and store the infused vodka in a clean glass bottle.
Melez, for those unfamiliar, is an Istanbul-based tea house making herb-forward blends that feel almost medicinal in their precision. Mango offers the fruit. Cardamom brings warmth and shadow. Fennel lends a haunting, anisic depth. When infused into Ketel One’s crisp, wheat-based vodka, it turns into a surprisingly complex base spirit—like the ghost of a liqueur without the sugar.
At Casa Sol, you sip the Silk Road under olive trees and beach umbrellas, with the scent of rosemary and sea salt in the air. But the recipe travels well. Whether you’re beachside or landlocked, it offers a brief but vivid journey—one that begins in citrus and ends in spice, with vodka as the quiet guide.
Make it for friends. Make it for yourself. Just don’t skimp on the tea.
Make reservations for Casa Sol via the official website.
