Have you ever wanted to meet someone for a quiet drink away from the hustle and bustle of Hamilton?

The Lido Complex on Elbow Beach is the place.

Bar manager Charlie Bristol is the man in charge of the drinks and the man who loves making interesting cocktails.

Cocktails at Lido — where tapas are also available — start at 5 p.m. and continue on through 2 a.m.

After 10 p.m., the Sea Breeze opens for the whole terrace and you can come and listen to music, eat and have drinks.

Some of the cocktails he said are for relaxing on the beach or for after dinner.

“The drink that is becoming most popular for the beach is the mojito, it has Bacardi Light Rum, mint leaves, lemon mashed, roses lime, crushed ice, soda water and sugar,” he explained.

“The next one is the Yellow Bird and this is a good drink for the ladies. It has a light Cockspur Rum, banana liquor, Galliano liquor, orange juice and pineapple juice.

“We also have the Bermuda Triangle, which is another beach drink. It is Black Seal (black rum), Bermuda Gold, orange juice and pineapple juice.”

Another is the Long Island Iced Tea, says Mr. Bristol.

“This is always a hit with the light mixes gin, light rum, vodka, Triple Sec, Cointreau lemon juice and a splash of Coke to give it that iced tea look.

“Then we have Sex on the Beach, which is made from vodka, peach snaps, cranberry juice and orange juice.

“The next is called the Blue Lagoon, and that has vodka, Blue Curacao with fresh lemon juice.

“The next is the Bermuda Rose and that has gin, apricot brandy and grenadine.”

The selection of after dinner drinks includes one called a Pick-Me-Up.

Mr. Bristol explained: “This has Baileys on the rocks with an espresso poured over, and this is proving very popular.

“There is also After Eight, which has vodka, chocolate liquor and white mint.”

Mr. Bristol has been a bartender for about 17 years, and bar manager at the Lido Complex for about the last five years. All together he has worked for MEF for 12 years.

“I’ve worked in a few of their restaurants, in Lido, in Mickeys and the Harbour Front,” he explained.

“I started out at Portofino and Jackie (DeMeglio asked me to come and work for him and I worked here in the day times and there in the evenings.

“Then they offered me to become the manager of Mickeys and I did that for six years and then after Hurricane Fabian it was wiped out.

“So in the interim I moved onto another restaurant (Mediterraneo), which is not part of the company.

“After that they came back and said that the Lido Complex was ready and asked if I would come back. But I changed my position and decided that I would stay in the bar area.

“And it is the perfect place for me, because I am here in the summer and in Europe in the winter.

“It is a good company and a fun place to work.

“The owners and managers are easy going and they are like anybody else, as long as you come straight with them they are straight with you.”

When asked if he had to choose a favourite drink, he answered: “It would have to be a Yellow Bird.”