Bahama Mama

Lansdale, Pennsylvania’s Boardroom Spirits has launched a new line of RTDs—Vodka Iced Teas—with a lemon-flavored canned cocktail. The 5.5% drink mixes Boardroom’s vodka with black tea and lemon flavoring, among other ingredients, and comes in 12-ounce cans. While the new line is launching with just one flavor, the company says that other fruit-flavored extensions are on the horizon. Boardroom’s Vodka Iced Tea Original Lemon is now available in 4- and 24-packs.

Los Angeles-based LiveWire Cocktail Co. has launched a new RTD in collaboration with bartender Erin Hayes. The new cocktail, called Rocket Queen (after Hayes’ favorite Guns n’ Roses song), is made with Magdalena rum, absinthe, pomello, cinnamon, and pandan, and comes in at 7.5% abv. Rocket Queen (and LiveWire’s other three canned cocktails) is now available in California, New York, New Jersey, and Texas for around $20 a 4-pack of 12-ounce cans.

After a strong rollout last year, Bacardi is extending its Real Rum Cocktails range with three new flavors and a variety pack. Newcomers to the lineup include Bahama Mama, Mojito, and Sunset Punch, with the first two retailing at $13 a four-pack and Sunset Punch exclusive to the new variety pack. These flavors join the existing Lime & Soda, Limon & Lemonade, and Rum Punch expressions in the 5.9% abv brand portfolio.

Las Vegas-based Two Chicks Cocktails is extending with two new expressions, Cranberry Tartini and Sparkling Lemon Strawberry Kiss. Retailing at $16 a four-pack of 12-ounce cans, the new entries join Citrus Margarita, Vodka Fizz, Apple Gimlet, Paloma, and others in the Two Chicks range, which is at 5% abv and has less than 100 calories a can.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

A fairly standard faux-tropical drink with the notable exception of the coffee liqueur. And really, it is this one aspect alone which makes this drink stand above the crowd. The origins of this drink are lost to history, other than perhaps it originated in the Bahamas. But, even that is debatable.

My opinion is that the ratio of pineapple juice is way too high. First off, I’d double the recipe, cut the pineapple juice out altogether, and build over crushed ice in a tiki mug. Way more character and less sweet. Still, this is a great drink to make in the middle of winter and take your mind off of the bitter cold. Since decent strawberries are unavailable in Central New York this time of year, I opted to use a bourbon vanilla cherry I picked up recently. The vanilla worked really well with the rums.

Bahama Mama
0.5oz dark rum
0.5oz coconut rum
0.25oz 151-roof rum
0.25oz coffee liqueur
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
4oz pineapple juice
Garnish: Strawberry or maraschino cherry

Shake with ice and strain into ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with strawberry or cherry.