There’s something undeniably escapist about a great beach cocktail. Whether you’re lounging poolside, hosting friends on the patio, or simply trying to channel vacation energy from home, the right drink has a way of instantly transporting you somewhere warmer.
Allyson Reedy’s Beach Cocktails: Pours, Drinks, Sips, and Bites captures that carefree spirit with 75 recipes ranging from classic tiki cocktails and frozen favourites to tropical mocktails and beach-ready bites. Featuring iconic drinks like mai tais, margaritas, rum punch, and painkillers with recipes inspired by celebrated destinations and bars including Death & Co and the Four Seasons, the book is equal parts cocktail guide and summer mood booster.
Complete with tips on tropical ingredients, infused rums, homemade syrups, and entertaining essentials, it’s the kind of cocktail book that makes every hour feel a little more like golden hour. We’re sharing three delicious recipes that deserve a spot in your summer rotation:
SPIRIT OF ALOHA
ROYAL LAHAINA RESORT & BUNGALOWS, MAUI, HI
Ube is a staple in Hawaii; the purple root vegetable offers a mildly sweet and nutty flavor as well as a showstopping hue. Here, ube syrup is balanced with coconut rum and lime and pineapple juices for a drink that screams aloha.
SERVES 1
2 ounces Kōloa Kaua‘i coconut rum, or other coconut rum
2 ounces ube syrup
1 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce Coconut Syrup (page 10)
1/2 ounce pineapple juice
Lime slice, for garnish (optional)
Pineapple slice, for garnish (optional)
GLASS: snifter
Pour coconut rum, ube syrup, lime juice, coconut syrup, and pineapple juice in a shaker filled with ice. Give it a good shake and strain into a snifter glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with lime and pineapple, if using.
SILVERSANDS TROPICAL BLISS
SILVERSANDS RESORT GRENADA AT GRAND ANSE
There’s no denying the dynamic duo that is passion fruit and coconut cream. They go together like a tropical peanut butter and jelly, a beachy Batman and Robin. Add some rum, lime, simple syrup, and bitters to the classic combo, and you’ll understand why they call this one bliss.
SERVES 1
1 1/2 ounces premium white rum
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce passion fruit purée
1/2 ounce coconut cream
1/4 ounce Simple Syrup (see below)
1 dash Angostura bitters
Pineapple slice, for garnish
Mint sprig, for garnish
GLASS: chilled hurricane or highball
In a cocktail shaker, combine rum, lime juice, passion fruit purée, coconut cream, simple syrup, and bitters. Fill the shaker with crushed ice and shake vigorously until well chilled. Strain the mixture into a chilled glass of your choice filled with crushed ice. Garnish with pineapple slice and mint sprig.
BOG CUTTER
JAKE POWELL, DEATH & CO, DENVER, CO
This drink has more layers than a wedding cake. You get notes of lemon’s bright citrus, orgeat’s creamy almond, amaro’s bittersweet herbs, cinnamon syrup’s spicy kick, and banana’s tropical smoothness. (And we haven’t even gotten to the boozy rums and gin.) The complexity of this drink unfolds with every sip.
SERVES 1
1 1/2 ounces Denizen Vatted dark rum, or other dark rum
1/4 ounce Wray & Nephew rum, or other Jamaican rum
1/2 ounce Amaro Averna, or other amaro
1/2 ounce orgeat syrup
1/4 ounce Four Pillars navy strength gin, or other navy strength gin
1/4 ounce Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane, or other banana liqueur
1 ounce lemon juice
1/4 ounce Cinnamon Syrup (see below)
Mint sprig, for garnish (optional)
Edible orchid, for garnish (optional)
Cinnamon, freshly grated, for garnish (optional)
GLASS: tulip
Pour rums, amaro, orgeat syrup, gin, banana liqueur, lemon juice, and cinnamon syrup into a shaker with 12 or so pieces of pebble ice. Whip shake it, or shake until the ice melts. Strain into a tulip glass filled with pebble ice and garnish with mint, orchid, and grated cinnamon, if using.
Orgeat Syrup
MAKES 2 CUPS
1 cup almond milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Add all ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce for 10 minutes and ensure sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool before use..
Recipes excerpted from Beach Cocktails: Pours, Drinks, Sips, and Bites. Edited by Allyson Reedy. Photography by Lauren McDuffie. Reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith Books.
