It’s your first day in the tropics. You walk up to the poolside bar in your cute new bikini and see rows and rows of rainbow-colored alcohol behind the bar. After your initial surge of excitement, the bartender asks what you would like. You realize you have no idea what to order. Overwhelmed by all the choices, you panic and ask for a piña colada.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good a piña colada, but after 3 days of drinking only those coconut concoctions, it was time for a change. Here are some tropical drinks that taste almost as good as they look.
1. Miami Vice
Photo courtesy of miamibeach411.com
Piña colada and strawberry daiquiri — why choose just one when you can have both? This combo of the classics puts a new twist on your two favorite tropical drinks.
2. Blue Hawaiian
Photo courtesy of Zoe Denenberg
The Blue Hawaiian, a photogenic mix of blue Curaçao liqueur, pineapple juice, and coconut rum, can be made with coconut cream and blended like a piña colada or mixed with simple syrup and poured over ice. My favorite variation is the classic Blue Hawaiian, but each take on this drink is beautiful as well as tasty.
3. Mai Tai
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Rum, orange Curaçao, lime, what’s not to love? The Mai Tai is a gorgeous sweet-and-sour drink that will make you wish you could live at the beach year-round.
4. Hurricane
Photo by Abigail Wilkins
This drink is exactly what it sounds like: a hurricane in a glass. With up to five different kinds of alcohol in one drink, the Hurricane definitely packs a punch. There are many different variations of the Hurricane, but it commonly contains a base of rum and passion fruit juice.
5. Bob Marley
Photo courtesy of Zoe Denenberg
Each country does this drink differently, so you never know quite what you’ll get when you order the Bob Marley. In Turks and Caicos, the Flaming Bob Marley is a shot made with grenadine, banana liqueur, creme de menthe, and overproof rum. In the Dominican Republic, it’s an entire cup of grenadine, pineapple juice, creme de menthe, and other mystery ingredients.
6. Mojito
Photo by Christin Urso
No matter how many new drinks I try, I always revert back to the classic MVP: the mojito. The mint and lime make it a perfect refreshing drink for any time of day. If you’re looking to change this recipe up a bit, try making pink lemonade mojitos.
7. Sex on the Beach
Photo by Keni Lin
A fruity cocktail that tastes more like juice than alcohol, the Sex on the Beach can be very dangerous. But don’t worry, if you have one two many of these bad boys, these quick and easy hangover cures will get you back on your feet in no time.
While all of these tropical cocktails are excellent, make sure to ask the bartender what the local specialties are. Each island most likely has a signature drink that’ll trump anything you can get in the USA.
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And remember, vacation will be over soon. It will no longer be acceptable to consume 7 drinks a day. Take advantage of island life while you can. But not to worry, you can still replicate your favorite tropical drinks at home with these recipes. Cheers!