The Ultimate Caribbean Cocktail Trail Adventure

I’m curious, how many of you have ever felt the impulse to spin a globe, place your index finger on the spinning sphere, and travel to whichever location is beneath your fingertip? While you can’t see it, our hands are raised high!

Right now, we’re struggling to choose between two Caribbean cruises with Dinogos. One itinerary heads to the west—visiting Jamaica, Cozumel, Belize, and Grand Cayman—while the other sails south to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and Barbados. In terms of cost, duration, departure dates, and days at sea, both cruises are nearly identical. Plus, each includes islands that are high on our must-see list.

In the spirit of spontaneity reminiscent of a Spin the Globe-style adventure, we’ve decided to create a cocktail trail featuring popular local drinks from each route and let our taste buds guide our decision.

Bushwacker

Island: St. Thomas (South Caribbean)

Origins: According to legend, the Bushwacker was invented by a bartender at the Bolongo Bay Resort in St. Thomas.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. coconut cream
• 1 oz. coffee liqueur
• 1 ½ oz. dark rum
• ½ oz. dark crème de cacao
• 2 oz. milk

Preparation method:

Blend all the ingredients together with 2 cups of ice until smooth, then pour into a tall glass and serve.

Watermelon Delight from Jalousie Plantation

Island: St. Lucia (Southern Caribbean)

Origins: A signature drink crafted at Jalousie Plantation in St. Lucia.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Chairman’s Reserve rum
• 2 oz. Perrier or club soda
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• ½ oz. lime juice
• Fresh mint leaves
• Chunks of watermelon

Preparation method:

Muddle the mint leaves with lime juice in a glass, then add brown sugar and ice. Incorporate the watermelon cubes, followed by the rum and soda. Serve with a mint or lime garnish.

Planter's Punch

Island: Jamaica (Western Caribbean)

Origins: It’s no surprise that a rum punch originated from Jamaica, a significant rum-producing island. However, what may come as a surprise is that the earliest known recipe was recorded in September 1878, when the London magazine Fun published instructions in verse for crafting 'Planter’s Punch! A West Indian Recipe:' 

Start with a wineglass filled with lemon juice, then add sugar until the glass is twice full.

Next, rub them together until

the mixture becomes smooth, soft, and delightful.

Now, pour in three wine glasses of rum,

and four glasses of cold water. You'll end up with a drink that's quite enjoyable —

Or so the tales go in Jamaica.

For our cocktail, we followed Trader Vic’s renowned recipe from 1947.

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. dark rum
• 1 oz. lime juice
• ½ oz. lemon juice
• ½ oz. grenadine
• ¼ tsp. superfine sugar

Preparation method:

Mix thoroughly with ice, then strain the mixture into a Collins glass filled with ice. Add any garnish you prefer and pop a straw in for good measure.

Cayman Lemonade

Island: Grand Cayman (West Caribbean) 

Origins: From Calico Jacks on Grand Cayman

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. peach schnapps
• Cranberry juice
• Club soda or seltzer

How to prepare:

Begin by combining the vodka, triple sec, and peach schnapps in a shaker. Pour the mixture over ice, add a squeeze of lemon along with a dash of cranberry juice and soda, stir it up, and enjoy!

While all the cocktails were delicious, two really stood out: Planters Punch and Bushwacker were our top picks. Since they represent opposite routes, we decided to mix up another round of each to find the winner. Once the glasses were empty, we kept raving about the Planters Punch…so it looks like Jamaica and the Western Caribbean it is for November!

This article was produced in partnership with Dinogo. As always, all views, thoughts, and ideas expressed in this post are entirely my own.