UBTR brings bold and fresh flavours to new cocktail menu

You may be wondering what juices like June plum, fruit punch, mango, and pine and ginger have in common. For many, this quartet represents the diversity and vibrancy of local culture. So imagine when paired with the right spirits? Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records (UBTR) used these key ingredients to shake things up and bring bold and fresh flavours to the restaurant’s new cocktail menu.

From the classic twist to mixes stirred outside of the traditional cups, UBTR is making some fast moves and changing the cocktail game as we know it.

UBTR’s Group Marketing Manager, Petagay Gentles, tells Food: “We wanted persons to feel that real Jamaican vibes, not just in our food offerings, but in our drinks line-up as well. Our previous menu felt limited, so we decided to add new mixes that are in tune [with] our local culture while keeping a few fan favourites to savour.”

The new menu features new baby drinks and signature cocktails such as the blue martini, mango margarita, coco java martini, Jamaica sling, 9.58, June plum daiquiri and fantasy, just to name a few.

“We have different sections of the menu line like the blast drink, where we brought back the 9.58. The mix, similar to a rum punch, is signature to the restaurant, not only because it reflects the famous [Usain Bolt’s] breaking record on the track, but it sets its own record as one of the most requested drinks,” Gentles revealed.

There are new beer-inspired mixes like yardy shandy, steel bottom, and u-go for diners who are looking to try a remix of the fermented beverage. “You can now watch a match and ditch the bucket of beer by having one of these cocktails made with beer and a specific rum,” she added.

New martinis have entered the chat and are already becoming real conversation starters for their unique flavours. For instance, the coco java combines coffee, chocolate, and Bailey’s Irish Cream, laced with premium liquor, to provide an awakening sipping experience.

Wines have made their debut, too. And there’s no beating daiquiris, which are now available in fresh flavours like June plum and pine and ginger, to put the yard fruits into the spotlight.

With many hitting the mark and a few having to wheel and come again, for fine-tuning purposes, it took the team months to brainstorm and come up with these creative concoctions for others to enjoy. “UBTR believes in the local culture. After all, it’s taste with Jamaican vibes. So in our brainstorming process, we thought about what was authentic to 876, and these drinks are the result,” the marketing manager added.

As a sports bar, the company works with local brands such as Red Stripe, Appleton Estate Worthy Park, Bailey’s, Select Brands, and CPJ, among others, so it was only natural to add spirits to the mix as well.

Now that the new cocktail menu is ready, specially invited guests received the opportunity of a lifetime when they were invited to the official launch just last night.

“We want to give our customers the ultimate drinking experience. People come here to watch sports, celebrate special occasions and milestones, or hang out with friends. So we wanted to provide a myriad of options for them to choose from, sip, and savour. There’s a page for every get-together or social event whether big or small,” Gentles said.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com