Who cares about what time of the day it is, what season it is or even what part of the world you’re in? If you feel like going on a mini-vacation to a Caribbean island, even if it’s in your own home, the best path there is via a one-way trip through one of these seven cocktails. So, whether your toes are in the sand or you’re thinking of what you’ll make when you get home from work, these are the Caribbean drink recipes you’ll need to unwind.
Planter’s Punch
It’s not just a drink; it’s a way of life, says Rick’s Cafe in Negril, Jamaica, about its refreshing rum-and-fruit juice concoction. Mix ingredients together, and pour over ice. Add a splash of club soda, if you’d like, for one of the best Caribbean drinks. (Source: liquor.com)
Recipe
- 3 oz. dark rum
- ¾ oz. fresh lime juice
- 1 oz. simple syrup
- 1 bar spoon grenadine
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 splash soda water
- Garnish: Mint sprig
- Glass: Collins
Add ingredients into shaker with ice; shake vigorously; strain into a Collins glass over crushed ice; top with a splash of soda water
Painkiller
You know and love the famous Painkiller drink from the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost van Dyke of the British Virgin Islands. Now, take the pain home and away with this recipe straight from the famed bar itself to enjoy one of the best Caribbean cocktails.
Recipe
- 2-4 oz. of Pusser’s Rum
- 4 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 oz. cream of coconut
- 1 oz. Orange juice
- Garnish: Grated fresh nutmeg
- Glass: Hurricane or snifter
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the first four ingredients, and shake. Pour the contents into glasses over ice, and then top with grated nutmeg.
Karel’s Special
Two parts Malibu rum, one part each coconut crème and pineapple juice and a splash of vodka make this drink a favorite at Karel’s Beach Bar in Bonaire.
Recipe
- 2 oz. coconut rum
- 1 oz. cream of coconut
- 1 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 splash of vodka
- Garnish: Pineapple slice
- Glass: Collins
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Then, add the ice, shake it well, and strain it into a glass to serve one of the best Caribbean drink recipes.
Nipper Juice
This tantalizing mix of rum, pineapple, orange and cranberry juices is enough to make us book a ticket to Great Guana Cay, Bahamas, and pay a visit to Nippers.
Recipe
- 2 oz. rum
- 2 oz. pineapple juice
- 2 oz. orange juice
- 1 oz. cranberry juice
- 1 splash of Nassau Royal liquor
- Garnish: Cherry
- Glass: High ball
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice, and shake well. Strain into a glass and garnish with a cherry to complete one of the best island cocktails.
Bamboo Rum Teaser
Wash down your lobster at Anegada’s Big Bamboo Restaurant with the Bamboo Rum Teaser, a refreshing blend of Kahlua, rum and fruit juices that’s garnished with a sprinkle of nutmeg.
Recipe
- 1 oz. Myer’s Rum
- 1 oz. Kahlua
- 3 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 oz. guava juice
- 1 dash of lime juice
- Garnish: Nutmeg
- Glass: Hurricane
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice, and then shake well. Strain into a glass, and then garnish with fresh nutmeg.
Chi Chi
Called the “cousin to the piña colada,” this creamy coconut drink is a favorite of patrons at the Moomba Beach Bar on Aruba. Mix well, then garnish with pineapple and cherry. (Source: allrecipes.com)
Recipe
- 1 cup of crushed ice
- 1.5 oz. jigger vodka
- 4 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 oz. cream of coconut
- 1 slice of fresh pineapple
- 1 maraschino cherry
- Garnish: Cherry and pineapple
- Glass: Collins
Combine the ice, the vodka, the pineapple juice and the cream of coconut in a blender. Blend the ingredients until they’re smooth. Then, pour the contents into a glass, and garnish with a slice of pineapple and a cherry.
Banana Bailey’s Colada (BBC)
Made with Bailey’s, Banana Liqueur and piña colada mix, this drink is a favorite of bar-goers at the Sunset Beach Bar on St. Martin of the Leeward Islands. (Source: livelaughrowe.com)
Recipe
- 2 oz. Bailey’s
- 2 oz. piña colada mix
- 1 oz. dark rum
- 1 oz. cream of coconut
- ½ a banana sliced
- 2 cups of ice
- Garnish: Cherry and banana
- Glass: Hurricane
Place all ingredients in a blender, and mix. Add optional cool whip, and garnish with maraschino cherries.
