Photo by Photo by iStockphoto. Facing page photo by Brendan Veary

Signature Cocktail Secretsby Susan Campbell

Creating signature cocktails has virtually become a competitive sport among

this island’s best bartenders in both beach bars and fine restaurants. Let’s get

some insight into the secrets of how they make such unique and delicious drinks.

Recipe for successThe original Caribbean signature cocktail

is the rum punch, a potent concoction hailing

from 18th-century Jamaica. It has gone through

many incarnations and name changes, but the

100-year-old rhyme that resonates throughout

the Caribbean to aid in its making still rings

true today. It goes like this: “One of sour, two

of sweet, three of strong, and four of weak.” The

“sour” is lime juice, the “sweet” is cane sugar,

the “strong” is rum, and the “weak” is water and

ice, though the variations over the years have

made the “weak” pineapple or orange juice or

both, and cane sugar is often substituted with

gre nadine or simple syrup (sugar and water

boiled down to create a thick liquid sweetener).

Either way, what makes this original punch so

popular is the balance. All great signature cock-

tails need a good balance whether sweet, savory

or spicy; for every ingredient, there must be a

com plementary foil. E

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Another important rule of thumb when

creating a great drink is to use fresh ingredi-

ents whenever possible. Though it might be

tempting to use pre-mixes to make cocktails

like pina coladas or frozen strawberry daiqui-

ris, you can really taste the difference when

fresh fruits and juices are incorporated.

Experiment with the basicsMost great signature cocktails begin with

a classic drink recipe as a building block. Often

a sweet spirit and a strong liquor for short

drinks, with the addition of a variety of juices

or creamy liquids for taller concoctions. Blend-

ers to crush ice and really mix ingredients are

also often in play, but a good bartender should

be able to make an outstanding drink with

only a shaker glass. Once you have educated

your palate to the different tastes and textures

of various spirits – which ones are sweet, sour,

Left photo by Lise Gagné. Top photo by Yamac Beyter. Bottom photo by iStockphoto

strong, mild, pungent – then you can begin ex-

perimenting with different combinations. The

best signature cocktails are ones that are made

with surprising substitutes like apple juice or

pomegranate juice in place of plain old orange,

or by adding original sweeteners like agave

syrup instead of grenadine. And the sky is the

limit these days when it comes to experimenting

with creative combinations of liqueurs: seek out

new intriguing flavors like passion fruit, dragon

berry, praline pecan, maple syrup, sweet ginger,

violet, hibiscus, elderberry, bittersweet chocolate,

cactus, and other exotic essences. Schnapps also

now comes in a multitude of cool flavors be-

yond peppermint and peach like root beer and

even cotton candy! E

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Left photo by Fotolia. Right photo by Eugene Bochkarev

Appearance is also paramount in the ap-

peal of a cocktail. There are all kinds of new

offerings you can use to color your drinks like

prickly pear cactus syrup, which is a lovely violet

shade. Blue Curaçao liqueur is another popular

color changer; it comes in a variety of colors and

flavors and when combined with grenadine

will come out a royal purple. True professionals

la yer their drinks to delineate the ingredients.

They also make sure to name their drinks well.

Most people will be more attracted to a “Sweet

Nectar Delight” than something like a “John

Doe Special.”

Today’s trendsThe latest trend for professional mixologists

the world-over is to embrace culinary elements

in their creations. Adding food stuffs like clams,

oysters, shrimps, hot and mild peppers, fresh

herbs, candied or glazed flower petals, vegetable

sticks, chocolates, even blue cheese or bacon

strips is now all the rage. And garnishes are

going gourmet as well. The days of simply de-

corating a drink with a pineapple spear or a

skewered orange and maraschino cherry are

numbered. Fancy edible garnishes and even ed-

ible stir sticks as well as gourmet blends for

rimming are available. And spirited gourmet

coffees and teas as well as signature sangrias

and wine-martinis are also trending as is the

addition of energy drinks as part of the cocktail

base to ensure the party keeps hopping.

Local delightsAruba’s original signature drink is the

Aruba Ariba, made island-wide in various in-

carnations and always highlighting an ancient

deep red liqueur called coecoei that tastes some-

what like licorice and is made from agave. Coecoei

is also often used in place of grenadine to color

drinks like the Aruban Sunset. Other native

spirits include the thick, rich, liquor-laden,

eggnog-like concoction named ponche crema.

And though flavors like mango, coconut, pine-

apple do have their place among them, there

are many more taste palettes to discover here.

You will also find barkeeps using the fresh lo-

cal juices of fruits like soursop, cashew apple,

guava, and mango in their creations whenever

possible. Aruba’s native aloe, which is digest-

ible in the right dilution, is also used in some

surprisingly interesting signature drinks, and

the locally made rums often figure in the in-

gredients list. E

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Top photo by Bigstock. Middle and bottom photos courtesy of Garufa Ultra Lounge. Facing page photo courtesy of Waka Waka Adventure Café & Cantina Photo by

Whether you want to swim up to a resort

pool bar, get all decked-out to trip the light

fantastic at an upscale establishment, or sneak

away to a secret spot the locals swear by, if you

ask Aruba’s bartenders for their signature cock-

tail they are bound to serve up something very

special. Here is but a sampling of a few stand-

outs that are worth tracking down.

The Aruba Aloe Fantasy is a unique offering

found only at the Marriott resorts. They’ve also

got an aloe rum punch, aloe and mint colada,

and an aloe martini. If martinis are your thing,

Garufa Ultra Lounge in downtown Oranjestad

has an entire menu of signature martinis and

special Garufa Flights with three martinis to

sample. Passions on the Beach on Eagle Beach

has its own martini menu, while Yvette’s signa-

ture martini at Amuse Bistro proves that the

drinks can be just as inventive as the cuisine. The

bar at Waka Waka Adventure Café & Cantina is

open late: “as long as it takes,” they say. It’s a

good thing, since that leaves lots of time to enjoy

their signature Waka Waka Safari Juice. If you

find yourself at Pure Beach at the Divi Phoenix

Resort, be sure to try their amazing frozen hurri-

cane. The Bucuti & Tara Resorts’ adorably named

Sand in Your Shorts and the Boozer Colada at

Charlie’s Bar in San Nicolas are two more musts,

and just as tasty: the Crazy Cosmo and Bon

Nochi (which means goodnight in Papiamento)

at Pinchos Grill & Bar.

Aruba’s best bartenders are just waiting for

the opportunity to mix up something special

for you. They are passionate about adding to the

kaleidoscope of creative variations of martinis,

coladas, mojitos, margaritas, and daiquiris, even

shooters – layered or set on fire – so don’t hesi-

tate to forego your usual order and opt for one

of the island’s signature cocktails. KGarufa Flights martinis by Garufa Ultra Lounge

Garufa Ultra Lounge

Waka Waka Safari Juice from Waka Waka Adventure Café & Cantina

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