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title: Hotel Apologizes for &#x27;Apartheid&#x27; Cocktail
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# Hotel Apologizes for 'Apartheid' Cocktail

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by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Dec 19, 2014 7:34 PM UTC

by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Dec 19, 2014 7:34 PM UTC

Words: sometimes they’re just so hard. A Reykjavik hotel owned by Icelandair has apologized for offering a cocktail called “Apartheid” on its bar menu, saying an employee was “unaware of its meaning.”

> [](https://twitter.com/AfricasaCountry/status/545944117629689856)

To make matters worse, when someone shared an image of the Hotel Reykjavik Marina’s menu on Twitter, Icelandair at first [responded](https://twitter.com/Icelandair/status/545954496988602368), “Simply scrumptious, enjoy! Happy Holidays.”

The company later [apologized](https://twitter.com/Icelandair/status/545974253511000066) and [explained](https://twitter.com/Icelandair/status/545976695954870272) the mix-up: “\[The staffer\] thought the word just meant separation and did not understand the connotation and historical significance.”

For the record, “separation” apparently tastes like vodka, stout liqueur, cream and roasted hazelnuts.

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