A classic tiki cocktail is a thing of beauty, syrupy sweet with plenty of rum and enough fruit to almost classify it as healthy. Get that daily box checked! Perhaps the best part of all is the presentation of a tiki cocktail: a giant coconut, a perfect mix of Bahamian sweetness and liquor, and, of course, a cocktail umbrella. A cocktail umbrella generally consists of a wooden or split bamboo skewer, several cardboard ribs, and a colorful piece of Japanese art paper. After mixing certain types of frozen or mixed cocktails, your chief stewardess will open the canopy of the umbrella and place it in your glass as a colorful decoration. A small ring around the skewer holds the umbrella open so you can sip your favorite drink through a straw while lounging on deck with your loved ones. Are you getting excited?
Watermelon Margaritas
Nothing says summer like a freshly cut slice of watermelon, so let’s opt for watermelon margaritas to match the gorgeous pink sandy beaches of the Bahamas! The first trick to making the ultimate watermelon margarita is in the fruit itself. Your chief stewardess will make sure to use a ripe watermelon to create a watermelon simple syrup from seedless melon and sugar that infuses a bright, unmistakable flavor in every sip of the drink.
Once the juice from the hand-picked watermelon and the watermelon simple syrup is ready, it is time to combine the watermelon juice and watermelon simple syrup with your favorite tequila, some fresh lime juice and ice and shake all the ingredients until your pink drink is perfectly chilled. Served in a glass rimmed with lime juice and coarse salt, or sugar, if you’d prefer, and decorated with a little watermelon slice, don’t forget to take a picture before you take your first sip!
Bahama Mama
Would you rather have a cocktail with the destination of your luxury yacht charter being part of the name? We got you covered! While relaxing on a white sandy beach, watching the sunset over jewel-toned waves, nothing is more fitting than a Bahama Mama!
Like many tropical cocktails, the Bahama Mama uses rum as its base. It can be served over ice or as an alcoholic slushie, and there are many variations available. What they all have in common is a mixture of rum, coffee liqueur, and pineapple juice. Most include orange juice as well, and some add a little grenadine, lemon juice, or lime juice. Often two types of rum are used, such as light and dark rum, or a combination of regular rum and coconut rum. The garnish is typically a cherry or a slice of pineapple or orange. Cheers!
Get ready for conch
Moving away from the color pink, fruity decorations and delightful rum, it is time to discuss the tasty offerings of the Bahamas. Bahamian cuisine mixes British, African and native Arawak flavors. The ultimate Bahamian food, conch, pronounced konk, is the country’s national dish and served everywhere from the beach to high-end restaurants. It is a large, edible sea snail with a chewy texture, and locals prefer the Queen conch variety. Give your taste buds a whirl with these traditional dishes featuring conch, rum, and other key ingredients native to the island. No charter to the Bahamas is complete without a taste of conch. The dish is so popular that it can be prepared in a myriad of ways. Conch salad, where fresh conch is marinated in citrus juices and tossed with peppers, tomatoes and onions, is a signature dish, as well as cracked conch, which is tenderized and deep-fried and served with a dipping sauce. Battered and fried conch fritters are a popular appetizer, while conch burgers served up with French fries are another option.
Conch salad is a good way to start if you want to feel as though you are eating something healthy, that is also interesting and different. In your conch salad bowl, you will find diced conch meat with add-ons like chopped peppers, onion, tomato, salt and pepper. Everything is tossed about in a marinade made with lime, lemon, and orange juice. This colorful dish is a refreshing treat on a hot day. Can you already taste the citrus explosion of the first bite, with the sound of the waves gently lapping against your yacht?
Cracked conch is a deep fried fish dish and also very popular in the Bahamas. The conch is sliced, battered and deep-fried to form golden, crispy strips of fish, similar to calamari or deep-fried squid. The name, cracked conch, refers to the process of pounding the conch with a mallet to tenderize and flatten it. Cracking is a strenuous activity that is critical for preparing cracked conch; conch is incredibly tough and chewy if not tenderized properly. When you are on charter in the Bahamas during the conch festival in McLean’s Town, celebrate the tradition of cracking with the locals and witness the best conch cracker being awarded a trophy! Cracked conch can be enjoyed as a main meal for lunch or dinner, where it is commonly served with peas and rice, fries, plantain or salad. It may also be served as an appetizer with just lime juice and sauces to dip.
The colorful drinks and dishes of the Bahamas are waiting for you! Talk to Boatsters Black about renting your private luxury yacht in the Bahamas and start making a list of all the festive cocktails and delicious dishes you would like to try on board and during long lazy picnics at the beach!
