Toppa Top 10: Ten Summer Coolers + Cocktails

Words by LargeUp Crew—

Summer never really ends in the Caribbean but, in the rest of the Northern hemisphere, the season officially begins today. Here’s 10 refreshing drinks from the islands to keep you cool as you celebrate the solstice, chill out by the beach or recharge from a wining session.

10. Ti’ Punch (Martinique)

Rhum agricole, Martinique’s distinctive variation on rum (it’s made from cane juice instead of molasses), is the main ingredient in this simple drink. In fact, the only other thing you’ll need to add to your ti’punch is some simple syrup (or falernum, or any other sugar syrup) and a slice of lime. Servers at many bars in Martinique will actually hand you the ingredients, and let you make it to your liking—just don’t add ice if you want to keep your good standing on the Isle of Flowers.

9. Shandy Carib (Trinidad & Tobago)

Technically speaking this isn’t a cocktail or a cooler, but it’s a refreshing summertime drink that—depending on where you live and the selection of your local supermarket—might be sitting right under your nose. Shandies (or shandygaffs if you’re on some real proper business)—beer mixed with a carbonated citrus beverage or ginger beer—are enjoyed everywhere from Australia to Austria, but Trinidad & Tobago actually puts them in a bottle, and exports them in three different flavors. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, though, this isn’t the drink for you—the Ginger, Sorrel and Lime flavors of Shandy Carib fall way more on the side of soft drinks than beer.

8. Gyal Ah Rush Me (Trinidad)/Pineapple Curacao Daiquiri (St. Croix)

Summer’s all about trying new things, right? Well, let’s get away from the staples for a minute then, shall we, and sample some from some recent creations from folks we rate, alright…

Not to be confused with the Vincy soca tune by Alston Becket Cyrus, Gyal Ah Rush Me is a Jillionaire specialty. Yes, our TnT correspondent has mixing skills at the bar that rival his skills on the turntables. This one is made with some puncheon (overproof Trini white rum) and a half shot of apple liqueur, topped with pineapple juice, a splash of cranberry for color and a splash of soda water for bubbles, and served in an oversized red wine glass.

Grilled Pineapple Curacao Daiquri

Travel website Uncommon Caribbean‘s “Friday Happy Hour” series is a great place to keep up on Caribbean cocktails, and that’s where we learned of this creation from St. Croix mixologist/cocktail blogger Jesse Card. Featured in the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s new The Caribbean Cocktail booklet, Card’s variation on the sorta Cuban, sorta American staple is notable for its hearty grilled pineapple garnish. Make it with two ounces of Cruzan (or other dark rum), one ounce Cointreau, a dash of Angostura bitters and a half-ounce of fresh lime juice.

7. Corn ‘N Oil (Barbados)

Spruce it up with a lime wedge and some Angostura bitters if you feel like it but all you really need for this Bajan cocktail are two very specific ingredients: three parts ultra-dark and molasses-y Cruzan black strap rum, and one part falernum (go with the OG, John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum), Barbados’ wonderful contribution to the world of sweet syrup.

6. Goombay Smash (Bahamas)

Now a staple at all-inclusive hotels and chain restaurants, this Bahamian innovation is the creation of Miss Emily’s Blue Bee, a still-operational bar and restaurant on tiny Green Turtle Cay. Miss Emily’s original recipe remains a secret, leaving bartenders at other establishments to guesswork. Good dark rum, coconut rum, lime juice and pineapple juice are musts—maraschino cherry, coconut cream, spiced rum, Creme de Banana, apricot liqueur, orange juice and grenadine and egg whites are also used in some recipes.

5. Rum Swizzle (Bermuda, St. Kitts, Barbados, et. al)

The rum swizzle is most often associated with Bermuda, where it is generally made using Gosling’s Black Seal rum, fruit juice, grenadine and lots and lots of ice, all whisked to a froth with its namesake “swizzle stick.” But the drink’s roots run perhaps just as deep in Barbados and St. Kitts, identified as the cocktail’s birthplace in the 1909 book, Beverages, Past and Present: An Historical Sketch of Their Production.

4. Planters Punch (Jamaica, Barbados, et. al)

We drink rum punch all year but when we’re really feeling hot, humid and bothered, that’s when it’s time to break out the ol’ planters punch recipe. Just about every island in the West Indies has their own variation on this classic cocktail, which can come out looking red, yellow, pink, brown, depending on the ingredients. Some dark rum, orange, pineapple and lemon juice, grenadine, Angostura bitters and sugar syrup (again, may we suggest John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum?) generally does the trick, though orange curaçao and guava nectar make mighty nice additions, too.

3. Pina Colada (Puerto Rico)

No amount of saccharine ’70s pop songs, cheesy resort bars or prefab TGI Fridays supermarket mixes can ever ruin this classic: when done right and proper, the quartet of Bacardi, coconut cream, pineapple juice and lots of lots of ice truly is the sublime stuff vacation (or happy hour) gold is made of.

2. Mojito (Cuba)

It wasn’t that long ago that we wouldn’t down a mojito any other way than they do in Havana (though being in the US meant making due with Bacardi instead of real deal Havana Club rum). But other countries are catching up with their own variations on Cuba’s national drink. The good people at Guyana’s El Dorado Rum recently put us up on a great mango mojito recipe. Muddle 10 mint leaves, a half-a-lime’s worth of lime juice, one teaspoon of demerara sugar and a wedge of lime, add ice, two ounces of white rum (they suggest their silver six-year), a half-ounce of mango nectar and top off with club soda and a fresh slice of mango or some mint—then take the afternoon off.

1. Dark and Stormy (Bermuda)

Dark and Stormys are the yin to our summer’s yang—or is it the other way around? Who cares—the real conundrum is choosing which of the rapidly growing pool of quality dark rums to mix with ginger beer to make Bermuda’s national drink, although some might say it’s not really a dark and stormy without Bermuda’s Gosling’s Black Seal.