Malta Amstel is something completely different from amstel malt.
It is not even beer. Apart from the fact that they are both aerated drinks, Malta Amstel has nothing to do with beer at all. For one it contains no alcohol(some of you are zapping to another site as we speak, I know..), it is horribly sweet and - for sure - unnecessarily fattening.
In spite of all these flaws (or maybe because of..), Malta Amstel is one of my favorite beverages. It has been my favorite forever. Back then the malta was made in the same factory where the Amstel beer was made. That is no longer the case ever since the factory was shifted from Curacao to another island in the Caribbean. This is a pitty bacause it was the only beer in the world made of distilled seawater! But I am reminiscing....
We used to drink it on special occasions. It's one of those things (that and the smell of mercury) that take me back to my childhood instantly.
Over the years I have always made it a point to bring one or two cans with me from Curacao. They last a long time because their purpose is not to be drunken, but to be there and remind me that I am not homesick enough to have one. I could go for months at the time without even longing for one. I would still see them sitting in my refrigerator and they never bother me. They are quite decent about it, you know. They don't call out for me or try to persuade me to have them. They just seem to say "hi, you're fine, just drink something else. You dont't need us yet.".
Before you guys think that I go from depression to depression, this is really not the case. But there are days that require a Malta to get through. It can be set of by anything: time of the month, never-ending winter, longing to be somewhere else, quarrel with loved one or lack of sleep (90% of the cases). But when I open the refrigerator and I HAVE TO HAVE ONE, then I know that I reached rock-bottom.
The time has come.
After the decision I am always very calm and relaxed. I make sure that the can is ice cold. Then I take out a beer glass and wash it thoroughly. After that I put both tin and glass on the side table. If the Television is on, I switch it of. I make sure my phone is on silent mode.
I sit.
Then I poor about one third of the content of the can in the glass. This has to be done tilted to prevent the froth from flowing out of the glass. That would be a complete waste. Some people have it with ice cubes, but I don't approve. The ice cubes delute the taste of the Malta, making the Malta effect-less. It has to be non-comprimised, ice-cold Malta.
Then I drink it. In small sips. Taking my time.
And when I am done, I feel so much better, and less thirsty.
I had the last one yesterday. Going home tomorrow.
