Once upon a time in cocktail history, ‘Sex on the Beach' was about as clever a name as you'd find on a bar menu. Upping the ante, bartenders today are putting as much artistic energy into naming a cocktail as they do in creating one adding a whole new repertoire of catchy cocktail names guaranteed to get the conversation started. Inspired by local history in Grenada, stately palm trees in Nevis and a pair of lovebirds in Aruba, get on board our cocktail caravan and take a sip of the 10 best with names you'll never forget. Are we having rum yet?
Aruba
A love story like this one is impossible to make up. On June 21 of this year, a longtime flamingo —yes, the pink feathered birds— couple tied the knot in a private retreat. Home to the only flamingos on the island, it's no surprise the Renaissance Aruba hosted the wedding of Allie and Noah; the graceful pink birds that call the upscale resort home. A feathery fairy tale with a happy ending, the lovebirds said their "I Do's" under the wedding gazebo and after wading into the sea bedecked in a white veil (Allie) and black bow tie (Noah), the newlyweds hosted a reception featuring — what else? — pink cocktails and pink cupcakes as John Legend's "All of me" serenaded the happy couple. Honoring the island's first bird beach wedding, three campy cocktails are now on the menu at the Sole Pool Bar and Blue Bar. The ‘Flamingo-Tini' with Grey Goose (think: bird-inspired liquor choice), triple sec, fruity juices and a champagne topper is a fizzy refresher, ‘Flocktail' is fun with Bacardi rum, lime and raspberries and to cut the heat on a sunny afternoon, ‘Frozen Pinkarita' with a shot or two of tequila, triple sec and grapefruit juice is deliciousness in a glass.
Anguilla
When the bartenders at the CuisinArt Resort feel like jazzing up their cocktails with fresh herbs, they don't have to venture too far. Unprecedented in the Caribbean, the swanky seaside resort has its own hydroponic farm in an expansive on-site greenhouse. With a cocktail name that sounds more like a seed catalog that a drink, it's no surprise ‘Thymeless 10' is a big hit with guests who don't fancy those sweet kiddie drinks. Cleverly named for the house-grown herb, ‘Thymeless 10' is a delightful mix of Tanqueray 10 gin, thyme syrup, fresh lemons and a splash of ginger ale. Served at the Lobby Bar where the gin in the skinny sleek green bottle is a fan favorite, the herb-y cocktail goes for USD$15.00 and might even be good for you. For those with an interest in farming without soil, tours of the hydroponic garden can be organized.
St. Maarten
If it's Tuesday, the oh-so potent 'Bomb Rush' is the cocktail du jour at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, around the corner from the Princess Juliana International Airport. A different cocktail is featured every day at the Palm Grill, making it easy to shake up the mix from a boring gin and tonic. With a funny name and a recipe so simple you can try it at home, Bomb Rush is a tropical brew of Typhoon Rum or Bacardi Gold, pineapple juice, spritz of ginger ale and a couple of those red cherries with the long stems. Theories vary about the origin of the name of the alcohol-laced fruity cocktail. Some say because the airport is so close to the resort that if the ‘b' word is mentioned, guests rush to get away. If you ask Bartender Dido, who pours upwards of fifty Bomb Rush cocktails on a busy Tuesday, he'll ponder the question and then tell you, "gee, I really have no idea about the name but as long as our guests like it, I'll mix it." The perfect complement to Dido's refresher, Dutch snacks like Bamischijf or croquettes stuffed with potatoes are a good bet. For the less adventurous, try the house nachos topped with a particularly good guac and salsa.
Turks & Caicos
If you're calorie careful or finicky about fat content, you may want to think twice before sipping a ‘Kiss Me One More Time' at the sleek and stylish Gansevoort Turks and Caicos; Caribbean version of its New York hipster hotel namesake. More dessert-y than cocktail-ish, the high energy hooch is a killer combo of three scoops of vanilla ice cream, pineapple, coconut, rum and hazelnut liquor. To make it prettier, the frosty mélange is topped with crushed pistachios and almonds, shaved chocolate, coconut flakes and a cinnamon stick. Bartender Ayman Ekladious at the beachside Stelle Restaurant named the drinkable dessert because as he puts it, "whenever a guest tries the cocktail, they always ask for a second one." Part of the signature cocktail menu, ‘Kiss Me One More Time' is worth the splurge at USD$20.00, calories included.
Nevis
Built in 1778 and still the Caribbean's only plantation inn on the beach, Nisbet Plantation is postcard-pretty with the sea on one side, rolling lawn dotted with palms on the other, and the historic Great House in the middle. Celebrating the stately green 'Avenue of the Palms', the tasty drink with the same name is also the welcome drink at check-in. A frosty green delight, ‘Avenue of the Palms' is stirred with the local CSR light rum, a fizzy grapefruit soda called Ting, coconut rum and a splash of pineapple juice. Poured over crushed ice, Bartender Dan Perkins garnishes his liquid tour de force with a palm frond picked from a tree on the Avenue. As for additional palm perks, guests are invited to a plant a tree in honor of their marriage, honeymoon, or just another great vacation in Nevis, devour a stack of coconut pancakes at Coconuts Restaurant, sip water from a coconut just picked by chief groundskeeper Andrew Nisbett and indulge in a coconut milk massage at The Palms Spa.
Grenada
Inspired by an early chapter in island history, ‘Caribs Leap ‘makes a storied statement at Oliver's and the Sea and Surf Bar at the Spice Island Beach Resort. A rum-fuelled blend of Clark's Court, crème de cacao, pineapple juice and grenadine, the yummy anytime drink is a liquid tribute to the last remaining Carib Indians who in 1651 threw themselves off a cliff to resist capture by the French. With a recipe that hasn't changed in nearly a decade, the cocktail that goes for USD$7.00 is also a recommended drinkable history lesson.
Barbados
Bartender Chevaz Ward at the Mango Bay Beach Resort in Holetown has no doubt why folks at his bar are on vacation. Chatting up his work weary guests at the seaside resort on the west coast, he named his ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears' cocktail as a play on the long hours his happy sippers put in their office cubicles back home. No shaking and no stirring, Bartender Chevaz ‘builds' his cocktails which in bartender-speak means he adds one ingredient after the other and stacks them straight into the glass. Smooth to the taste, his BS&T is built with Bajan Mount Gay rum, a splash of the sweet syrup called ‘falernum' flavored with ginger, almonds and cloves, drizzle of cranberry juice and a lime squeeze for a citrusy zing. Guests of the all-inclusive can sip and savor at the Mango Bay Bar from 10 a.m. to midnight while those staying elsewhere are welcome to purchase a drink pass (US$30.00 for the first hour and US$25.00 for the next three).
St Thomas
As the story goes, a few years ago when a guest at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomaswas in the mood for a blue drink and didn't spot one on the bar menu, bartender Lawrence Charles came up with the ‘Shark Bite' to fill the void. With a creative hand and a sense of humor, this wizard behind the bar concocted a frozen blend of vodka, bright blue Curacao liqueur, raspberries and lemonade. With the blood-red swirl from the berries, the cool cocktail looks like the aftermath of a shark attack, although bartenders like pointing out that there really are no dangerous sharks in the US Virgin Islands. On 30 acres facing the ocean, the restaurant Sails at the ritzy resort features a ‘drink a day' rotation with the USD $15.00 ‘Shark Bite' at the top of the hit parade.
Dominican Republic
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Tortuga Bay in the AAA Five Diamond Puntacana Resort is a colorful stand-out with 30 canary yellow villas fronting the sea. In an enclave where Julio Iglesias and the late Oscar de la Renta have vacation homes, bartenders have been stirring the ‘Happy Turtle' since the elegant small hotel opened its doors a decade ago. As the Spanish word tortuga means turtle in English and guests at the swishy boutique are always happy, ‘Happy Turtle' was a natural addition to the bar menu. At USD$10.00, this salute to the turtles who call Punta Cana home is bright orange with juicy passionfruit with the black seeds at the bottom for a pretty effect, orchard-fresh mangos and white Dominican rum. Topped with ice, it is a sunny treat in a highball glass.
St. Lucia
Saluting the intoxicating views from the too-chic-to-believe Jade Mountain, ‘Stairway to Heaven' is not only a cocktail with a curious name but a befitting tribute to the majestic Pitons and Caribbean Sea. Crafted from a locally-made liqueur called Seventh Heaven that is distilled with ginger and bois bande rum that comes from the bark of a tree, the sassy sipper is even sweeter with an added shot of Bounty rum, orange juice and coconut cream. "With our many steps that lead up the resort to the stunning views," said Karolin Troubetzkoy, Jade Mountain's Executive Director," Stairway to Heaven sounded like a great name for this drink and of course, I am fond of the classic song so no doubt that influenced me, too."
