11 Cocktails Created on Islands—and Where To Drink Them

Bright in appearance and also on the palate, this cocktail’s trademarked by Prusser’s Rum, a spirit that also happens to be a key ingredient. (Although any dark rum will do.) Invented during the 1970s at Soggy Dollar Bar, the rum’s blended with cream of coconut, orange, and pineapple juices, topped with grated nutmeg (preferably Grenadian). As the story goes, Soggy Dollar Bar owners George and Marie Myrick were tinkering around and developed this drink, named after a nearby bush, and dubbed it their house beverage.

Where to Try It: Soggy Dollar Bar.

Not only is an unassuming pub (The Swizzle Inn) where this cocktail was invented in 1932, but it’s also the island nation’s oldest pub, dating back to the early 1900s. BBQ is hugely popular with locals and served here on the weekends and is an ideal pairing. Or, try Bermuda fish chowder, a fish sandwich, or fish and chips any day of the week. Don’t be put off by the drink arriving in a pitcher: that’s just how it’s done. Gosling’s Black Seal and Gold Seal rums are stirred with a trio of juices (lemon, orange, and pineapple) along with fruit liqueurs and what’s called falernum (lime and spice).

Where to Try It: The Swizzle Inn.

While “Trader Vic” Bergeron created this cocktail in 1934, it was first served ten years later at this iconic pink resort in Waikiki Beach. And, yes, that Trader Vic who also founded his namesake Polynesian-themed restaurant chain, of which 18 locations remain. At the property’s Mai Tai bar, you’re literally just steps from the beach, and—on some nights—the experience is accompanied by live music. In this fun, vibrant cocktail recipe is light and dark rums, pineapple and orange juices, orange Curacao, and Orgeat.

Where to Try It: Mai Tai Bar at The Royal Hawaiian.

In 1954, this popular beach-y and poolside cocktail was born at Caribe Hilton by bartender Ramon Marrero. What’s cool is that you can still sip the cocktail at this resort today. That said, despite this resort claiming it was invented here, a similar version of the drink—featuring rum, coconut milk, and pineapple (pineapple juice or crushed pineapple) blended with ice and garnished with a maraschino cherry and pineapple wedge—popped up in the Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930.

Where to Try It: Caribe Hilton’s Caribar in San Juan.

Some say this rum-based drink originated at The Planters Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, but Jamaica is largely assumed to be the palace where it was founded. That’s based on a historical artifact: the September 1878 edition of a London magazine called Fun, which featured a recipe and linked it to Jamaica. The ingredients are dark rum, orange zest, lime juice, and sugarcane juice.

Where to Try It: Nearly every bar in Jamaica serves Planter’s Punch but it’s especially fine at Round Hill Hotel & Villas in Montego Bay, which has three bars and is right on the beach.

This South American archipelago’s signature cocktail features lemon juice, hot water, Drambuie (Scotch whiskey), and sugar. Sounds simple, yes, but it’s the perfect drink to stave off the chills or a bad cold during winter, which is exactly when locals drink this. While the date that this hot beverage was created is not known, it is known that it appeared in Trader Vic’s Book of Food & Drink in 1946.

Where to Try It: Just about anywhere—even if you aren’t cold or sick.

A blend of fruit juices—typically orange, lemon, and pineapple juices—is shaken with crème de banana, grenadine, rum, and vodka to make an Aruba Ariba. It’s thought to have been created and first served by bartender Juan “Jocky” Tromp at Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino in 1963. “Ariba Aruba” is what he said when presenting it to the staff as a toast, and the name stuck.

Where to Try It: Mira Solo at Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino, where it’s called “Aruba-tini” on the menu.