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We are renting a condo and would like to make drinks (that aren't a ton of work). What should we make and what would you suggest we buy for booze for in the condo? Any local kinds of booze and/or beer?????
Some of the simplest and best are the flavored Cruzan rums. They're absolutely delicious and mix well with juices and sodas - or have them on the rocks. I enjoy all the flavors. The Cruzan Confusion is awesomely good and there are tons of variations. The one I served at my restaurant was literally a mixture of ALL of them. topped with Sprite, a dash of cranberry juice and a dash of OJ. Buy a few of them and mix whatever you've got. Cheers!
That sounds good. Will definitely try that. Is the factory on St Crouix? It would be fun to do a tour of this kind of factory--any on either St Thomas or St John?
Limin da coconut..........lime juice, a whole lime (including the rhine), rum, coco lopez and ice. Blend till frothy. Absolutely delicious~~~~
The Pirates
Make a big batch of Painkiller Mix (search the forum for the recipe) and keep it in the refrigerator. Then add your favorite flavored Cruzan rum to the mix and - POOF - you have a great villa cocktail. We enjoy Banana Rum (for a Bananawacker), Vanilla Rum (for a NillaKilla) and of course, regular ol' Cruzan for a classic Painkiller (okay - use the darker rum for the classic one).
Good Luck! Have Fun!
The Cruzan rum factory is on St Croix but there are none on either STT or STJ.
Dark n Stormy's.
Find some ginger beer, a cousin to ginger ale but more of a bite from the ginger, look for gosling's rum, lime, ice and have at it.
cheers!
As already suggested make painkillers--our favorite. The mix:
1/2 pineapple juice
1/2 orange juice
coco lopez to taste
mix ahead then add Meyers dark rum 1 1/2 oz or 2 oz per glass. Just keep the blender filled with the mix and then add the rum when you want a glass. This is what we did last year. Per glass recipe:
2 oz pineapple juice
2 oz orange juice
2 plus or minus tablespoons coco lopez
1-2 oz Meyers Rum
While in the VI strongly suggest you give Cruzan rum a try.
Never mind using dark rum from elsewhere - the Cruzan Dark and the heavier and delicious Blackstrap are local!
Oh, and Ric, did you miss the first few posts?
Regarding Beer:
I am a big fan of Carib. It's got a flavor somewhere between maybe Landshark and Corona. Mmmm..
There is no commercially bottled beer actually made here. The beers promoted as "VI" are actually produced and bottled on the mainland and shipped back. Not to say that they're not OK but an assumption that they're actually brewed here would be incorrect. Over the years many local bars have made their own beers and, to the best of my knowledge, there's still a St John bar which does so and also one on St Croix. However, the consistency and quality of anything actually brewed on island can't be guaranteed. The water itself has become less of an issue in later years with UV filters resulting in pretty good general consistency for such operations but the necessary temperature maintenance remains a problem. When the power goes out, the refrigeration of course goes down and anyone who knows anything about the beer fermenting process knows very well that a constant temperature is crucial.
We rely on an antediluvian power system which not only costs us more per kWH than anywhere else under the US flag but which frequently fails, resulting in frequent power outages. State of the art generator systems which kick in when the grid goes out are very nice but very expensive to maintain and run - and most small businesses simply can't afford them. Just saying! 😀
Carib beer is excellent.
For mixed drinks...
Painkillers
Rum Punch
Mojitos
... using Cruzan (and maybe some Pussers).
Have fun!
Island John wrote:
... using Cruzan (and maybe some Pussers).
Use Cruzan Blackstrap instead of Pussers - it is SO much better!!!!
So what is Coco Lopez? I see a few of you noted that. Is it just a type of coconut juice?
Yes. It's a coconut cream. Not a "milk". Thicker than that. Normally found in the baking section of grocery. Maybe around juices on STJ since it's such a popular drink/mix ingredient. We always heat the can in some warm water then shake it up before opening it. Otherwise the inside can separate.
It's one of the brand names for canned cream of coconut and is readily available here.
Coco Goya, basically same thing. Shake vigorously before opening.
With all the cocktails, plenty of ice and a real glass make a big difference.
OMG there are so many good ideas here I want to try them all. Ginger beer, Carib beer, Gosling's rum and lime, Cruzan Confusion, and several variations of painkillers. I am normally a beer and margarita kind of guy but I have been known to knock back tasty rum concoctions too. Does Cruzan have anything like a sampler pack of their different flavored rums? That would make it convenient and affordable to make some Cruzan Confusions.
My first painkiller experience was at the outdoor bar (can't remember the name) at Secret Harbor. It was so good, we looked up recipes and made them for our friends at home. They were an enormous hit. A note on the Coco Lopez though..... I don't like too much Coco Lopez because I think its too overpowering. Its also not very easy on the waist line if ya know what I mean..... lol.
Ginger beer is a soda. Almost like ginger ale, but with a stronger ginger taste. Non-alcoholic.
Sometimes you can find canned cream of coconut by the alcohol. It just depends on the store.
