- Title: Ghanaian businesses seek greater profits from holiday cheer
- Date: 24th December 2019
- Summary: BARMAN WITH ELECTRIC MIXER MAKING COCKTAIL SMOOTHIE BARMAN PUTTING KOKOROKO COCKTAIL SMOOTHIE IN A GLASS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CO-FOUNDER OF REPUBLIC BAR AND GRILL, RAJA OWUSU-ANSAH, SAYING: "Local cocktails are our specialty, our flagship drink at the Republic Bar is the Kokoroko, it’s called the Kokoroko which means the big, the mighty and the strong, and it is, it's base ingredient is from sorrel, or bissap, it's from the hibiscus family and it is a very indigenous West African plant or flower and we use the bissap and also local herbs and spices in the preparation of Kokoroko. It's red in color which goes very well with the season we are in, this festive season of Christmas, so yes, the Kokoroko is our best enjoyed drink over here at the Republic Bar and Grill and I would like you to try it if you can." BARMAN PUTTING TRIMMINGS ON KOKOROKO COCKTAIL KOKOROKO COCKTAIL IN A GLASS ON THE BAR PEOPLE AT THE BAR, SEATED OUTSIDE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CO-FOUNDER OF REPUBLIC BAR AND GRILL RAJA OWUSU-ANSAH, SAYING: "Christmas is a time when Ghanaians celebrate with a lot of family and friends and this is the build up to a very powerful Christmas and New Year's. Primarily because it also coincides with the year of return. So we are looking forward to a lot of festive occasions, events, this season, really very, very vibrant I can assure. There will be lots of fun here in Republic, lots of people having fun here at Republic so, you are all invited." TIME-LAPSE OF LIBERATION ROUNDABOUT WITH CHRISTMAS LIGHTS VARIOUS OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AT THE ROUNDABOUT
- Embargoed: 7th January 2020 10:36
- Keywords: christmas cockails decoration holidays liquor
- Location: ACCRA, GHANA
- City: ACCRA, GHANA
- Country: Ghana
- Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA005BBC3EJB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Accra's Makola market is bustling with people and good cheer this festive season, as shoppers look for bargains ahead of Christmas day.
Red can be seen everywhere as traders cash in on decorations, hats, glasses and presents for family and friends.
"When the year comes to a close, a lot of people come to town and that is how you can tell the year has ended. Next year is going to be really nice. A lot people come to town to buy a lot of stuff and there are also people who come and don't buy anything," says Sheree Martey, a street trader at the popular market.
And for the hipsters it is also time to party even harder.
One trendy bar in Accra's Osu district, Republic Bar and Grill, says this time of year is perfect for enjoying their unique Kokoroko cocktail.
"It's red in color which goes very well with the season we are in, this festive season of Christmas," said Republic co-founder, Raja Owusu-Ansah.
Raja believes his bar's success is hinged on Ghana's national drink, Akpeteshie, which is used in most of his outstanding cocktails.
"Akpeteshie, our local spirit is indeed the "Spirit of the Republic". It fuels our creativity and solidifies our friendship bonds in a homely manner," says the motto of the bar on the website.
"Some years ago we decided to set up Republic Bar, my brother and I and key to our objective is the utilization of Akpeteshie, which is the local, indigenous spirit of Ghana. In this case we use the Akpeteshie variant. And we haven't' looked back since then," said Raja.
Akpeteshie, which is produced mainly in the countryside, is made by distilling palm wine or sugar cane and is the most popular alcoholic drink in Ghana.
For those unaccustomed to Akpeteshie it can feel like it's burning the drinker's lips all the way down to their stomach, but at Republic, they mix it with the extremely sweet pink Bissap flower, another typical West African hibiscus drink, add crushed ice, water and garnish it with mint leaf to make the Kokoroko - which means big and mighty.
Christmas is a big occasion in Ghana. This year the Accra Metropolitan Assembly joined with private business for the #LightUpAccra project and squares and roundabouts all around the city have been decorated with garlands of light in the shape of Christmas trees, reindeers and even small boats.
The city said it wanted to show the best of Accra in this 'Year of Return', a landmark campaign to mark the 400 years of the first enslaved Africans who arrived in America. Ghana invited African Americans to come home to Africa and visit the country during this anniversary year 2019.
(Derrick Ankamah, Yvonne Bell) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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