In the kitchen, some chefs refer to onions, bell peppers, and celery as “the holy trinity,” and if you’ve ever used these three ingredients as the base of a dish, you’ll know why. 

Behind the bar, some professionals refer to pineapple juice, coconut, and rum as “the holy trinity,” and as you can imagine, this mix is also incredible. A Bahama Mama includes all three of these ingredients, resulting in a fruity, strong, and sweet drink. 

What's in a Bahama Mama exactly? That depends on who you ask. The one thing this drink consistently has across most recipes is rum, lots of it. A Bahama Mama recipe commonly contains Bacardi (especially the coconut or 151 varieties) or darker, spicier rums. If asked what a Bahama Mama tastes like, we’d likely say fruity. If you garnish your drink—which we recommend you do for visual effect—you’ll be including at least four fruit flavors. Some traditional recipes even contain coffee. 

In our opinion, the best part about this drink is how easy it is to make. You don’t even need a cocktail shaker or any other fancy bar tools. All you need are the basic ingredients, a large glass, some ice, and three minutes. 

Given the drink’s simplicity, it’s also easy to stir up these tropical flavors in large batches, making a Bahama Mama the perfect summer cocktail for all your pool parties and beach adventures.

Preparation time: 3 minutes

Cooking time: None

Total time: 3 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients 

• 1 ounce light rum

• 1 ounce coconut rum (like Malibu) 

• ½ ounce dark rum

• 2 ounces orange juice

• 2 ounces pineapple juice

• A splash of grenadine

• Orange slice and Maraschino cherry (for garnish)

Glassware

• Hurricane glass or highball glass

Preparation instructions 

1. Put plenty of ice in a hurricane, highball, or other tall glass. Pour in the white rum, the coconut rum, the dark rum, the orange juice, and the pineapple juice. Gently stir. 

2. Add in a splash of grenadine on top. 

3. Garnish your finished drink with an orange slice and a sweet cocktail cherry.

Cocktail recipe adapted from The Tipsy Bartender

Brent Hofacker - stock.adobe.com

Variations on the Bahama Mama drink recipe: 

• A frozen Bahama Mama: To make a frozen Bahama Mama, combine the rums, juices, and grenadine in a blender with plenty of crushed ice and liquify. Serve the cocktail in a hurricane glass and garnish with a sweet cherry and an orange wedge. Don’t forget the straw. This drink has a thick, slushy texture. 

• A fruitier Bahama Mama: In this variety, substitute the light rum for banana liqueur. Your drink will have banana, pineapple, cherry, coconut, and orange flavors in this preparation method.

• A caffeinated mama: The original recipe for this drink contained a shot of coffee, which sounds like a great hangover cure. Bring back this classic by omitting the orange juice and adding some coffee liqueur like Kahlua. You’ll also need to tweak the measurements of the liquors in this drink. Use one-quarter ounce of Kahlua, one-half ounce of dark rum, one-half ounce of coconut liqueur or coconut-flavored rum, and one-quarter ounce of 151 proof rum. Double up on the pineapple juice to 4 ounces to compensate for the omitted orange juice component.

Brent Hofacker - stock.adobe.com

FAQs

Does the grenadine go into a Bahama Mama first or last? 

This rum cocktail will separate with a bit of luck, giving it an ombre, “sunset” finish. Whether you put the grenadine in first or last is up to you. If added first, the deep red color of this mixer will sit at the bottom of your cocktail. If added last, it should float at the top. 

Mixing the contents produces a warm, coral hue. Both preparations will taste equally fruity, sweet, and fresh. 

What is a hurricane glass? 

A hurricane glass is a tall, curvy piece of barware that holds up to 20 ounces of liquid (read: “liquid” not “liquor”!) It’s great for mixed drinks that contain several ounces of juice or lots of ice, like a Bahama Mama. The glass gets its name from the similarly shaped hurricane lamps.

What else can I prepare with rum? 

You can make a variety of classic drinks with rum like a piña colada or daiquiri, but you can get far more creative than that, too. Rum is a yummy substitute for other hard liquors. You can make a more tropical version of Manhattan or Bloody Mary by using rum as your base liquor. 

Rum is also a common ingredient in many sangria varieties and punches. The spicy flavors of this spirit bring complexity to more traditional recipes. The flavor is lighter than that of whisky or certain vodkas, giving a silky smooth finish to most beverages. There are also different types of rum, like dark rum or spiced rum, to further vary the flavor of your cocktails.

If you want to get in a vacation state of mind this weekend by making a tropical cocktail, you’re going to need several types of rum. Go to the virtual liquor store with Gopuff, and they’ll deliver all the spirits and mixers you need to your door in minutes. All you have to do is invite over your friends and stir up a pitcher of Bahama Mamas.