Meet the Expert Behind Grand Hotel Residencia’s Signature Cocktails

The secrets of mixology at one of the best hotel bars in Gran Canaria 

The elegant Piano Bar at Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia is considered one of the best hotel bars in Gran Canaria. With its opulent central counter, atmospheric lighting and a breezy terrace overlooking the lush palm garden, it’s a perfect space for leisurely aperitifs and relaxing after-dinner nightcaps. The drinks menu at Grand Hotel Residencia boasts an extensive collection of cocktails, including well-loved classics, as well as creative signature cocktails, developed by an in-house team of mixologists.  

Just like Grand Hotel Residencia’s head chef, Wolfgang Grobauer, who uses fresh, seasonal ingredients from the Canary Islands in his cooking, Bettina Durdel, the bar manager, is passionate about sourcing Canarian produce and locally crafted spirits. Meet the mixologist behind some of the best cocktails in Gran Canaria. 

Meet Bettina Durdel – The Creative Mind Behind the Bar 

From Bavaria to Gran Canaria 

Born in Berlin and raised in a charming market town in Bavaria, Bettina first moved to Gran Canaria to improve her Spanish. “I planned to stay for a year, then decided to stay another year, and that has turned into 13 years. And now I don't want to leave,” she says, smiling. Before that, Bettina’s work had taken her around Europe: a smart hotel housed in Hamburg’s 19th-century water tower, a five star chalet-style hotel in the Swiss Alps, a luxurious resort on the banks of Lake Lugano in Italy. “I’ve always been interested in drinks, I worked as a wine director in Switzerland. Grand Hotel Residencia has given me the opportunity to take on a new challenge and pursue my interest in mixology.” Soon, she has fallen in love — with both mixology and the island — and I decided to stay. ”I still enjoy travelling, but for me, nothing can beat Gran Canaria. There’s unique beauty anywhere you go: I love hiking in Tejeda, walking along the secluded sands of Playa de Güigüí, swimming in the natural rock pools in Agaete. You don’t see much of this elsewhere in the world.”  

Crafting Cocktails Inspired by the Island 

Using Local Ingredients to Elevate Every Sip 

The abundance of luscious Canarian produce — sweet tropical fruit, tangy citrus, fragrant herbs — is a great source of inspiration for Grand Hotel Residencia’s mixologists. This results in an impressive menu of handcrafted cocktails. “Nearly all of our new cocktails are kilometre zero, made with Canarian produce,” Bettina points out proudly. “The island provides excellent produce, so we try to use those ingredients as much as possible when developing new things. Some of our cocktails are infused with aromatic herbs: basil, thyme, rosemary. Our Italian Mojito is, in my opinion, one of the best cocktails at Grand Hotel Residencia. It resembles a Mojito, but we make it with gin instead of rum. The drink is flavoured with crushed basil and chillies, which makes it really fresh and aromatic.”  

Spotlight on Signature Spirits and Distinctive Blends 

Bettina and her team are always on the lookout for exciting local spirits, like Blat Vodka, made in Gran Canaria by brothers Fernando and Esteban Banús, who took over one of their father’s distilleries in 1993. At Grand Hotel Residencia’ cocktail bar, the vodka is mixed with egg whites, lime and mint to create a pleasantly tangy take on Vodka Sour. There are a few brands of Canarian gins that the team likes to work with: Carmela Gin flavoured with local guava and mango, smooth Macaronesian Gin with hints of juniper and cardamom, and Sürest, crafted in Lanzarote, with fruity notes of Canarian prickly pear. In one of The Piano Bar’s luxurious cocktails, it’s paired with 5-year-old artisanal Drogo Whiskey: the finest blended whiskey on the Canaries, made in La Palma from locally-grown ingredients: native varieties of raw wheat, gofio and barley malt, roasted and slowly smoked over wood embers.  

A Team That Mixes Passion With Precision 

Creative Collaboration in Every Glass 

As the Head of Bars, Bettina is lucky to have a marvellous team, who learn from each other and exchange ideas in a creative environment. They constantly experiment, sourcing new flavours and adding new cocktails to the menu. “We usually start with one main ingredient and try to figure out which spirit will best complement it. Will it work as a long drink or an after-dinner cocktail? We do a lot of tastings, brainstorming and tweaking the recipe, and then invite the management and sometimes even the owners for the final tests. The last stage — coming up with a name — is surprisingly challenging.”  

Guest Favorites and Bespoke Creations 

Building Bonds Through Cocktails 

After 13 years at Grand Hotel Residencia, Bettina knows the hotel inside out. She’s familiar not only with the staff, but also the guests, who often come back to Grand Hotel Residencia regularly. “I see some of them more often than my own family,” Bettina laughs. “We’ve got a regular guest from Belgium, who comes to stay with us twice a year. He knows our menu really well and when we create bespoke drinks for him, he’s always able to tell which alcohol we used. If I use rum, for instance, he can identify not just the brand, but also the vintage! It’s always fun to come up with new ways to surprise him. Giving our guests an exceptional cocktail experience really motivates me and, most days, I come to work with great enthusiasm.”