The Bahama Mama

Yesterday Momma-San and I were braving the elements of the incoming Nor'easter and decided that we needed a few cocktails before picking up the kids. So we dipped into the recently opened Applebee's in Parkchester (which replaced the longtime Pizzeria Uno). We checked out their Happy Hour specials and found that they had three cocktails available for five dollars. One was a frozen Margarita, which Momma-San enjoyed. The second was a Long Island Iced Tea and the third was the one I settled on: A Bahama Mama.

Now I can't recall if I've ever had a Bahama Mama in my travels so I was somewhat interested in having the cocktail. I looked up the recipe for the Bahama Mama in my iBartender app and this is how they have it listed:

Bahama Mama
1/4oz 151 Proof Rum
1/4oz Coffee Liqueur
1/2oz Dark Rum
1/2oz Coconut Rum
4oz Pineapple juice
Juice of half a Lemon

Combine ingredients with ice in a shaker. Shake well and strain into a collins glass filled with cracked ice. Garnish with a cherry.

I was intrigued. Once the bartender served me the cocktail I was surprised with its presentation. So much so that I ordered a second one. It was on the second one that my attention was really piqued. As I watched the bartender make the second one, I noticed that some ingredients from the above listed recipe were missing. I saw her using the Malibu Coconut Rum but not the dark rum or the coffee liqueur to name a few. Now in looking online, I've seen some variations on how to make the Bahama Mama. Most that I have noticed omit the use of 151 proof rum. Perhaps it has to do with policy. For example, a place like Bleecker Street Bar which has a full wood bar doesn't serve any spirit or liqueur that would catch fire or can be lit on fire. So keeping that in mind, I decided to look at the cocktail menu listing to see what Applebee's uses to make a Bahama Mama. Here is their recipe:

Bahama Mama
Coconut Rum
Creme de Banana Liqueur
Pineapple Juice
Orange Juice
Grenadine

Pineapple Wedge and Cherry for garnish

As you can see the ingredients are somewhat different. Now mind you, I'm not hating this version. It was very light and sweet. The kind of cocktail that you would expect to find in a tourist area on a Caribbean island. A big batch of these at a party would be ideal as a punch of sorts. I guess I'm going to have to find (or make) a Bahama Mama based on the first recipe to see what the differences are in each one. More research folks. More research.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla