The Bahama Mama...
Your complete guide to what it is and how to make this Caribbean beauty
Totally tropical, totally tasty, the Bahama Mama has a surprisingly complex flavour profile that never fails to disappoint. Well… it doesn’t if you make it the right way. There are quite a few variations out there that are just waaaay too luminous and way to nasty. As is the way with many tiki drinks, its origins are murky and it’s been abused throughout the ages. Mostly with sugar. And colourings. And Boney M. (Those lyrics!)
So how do you make this Caribbean classic without overloading it with sugary syrups? It’s all about balance and good quality ingredients.
We have three recipes for you: the first is as close to an ‘original’ or classic recipe as we can get and is our clear favourite; whilst the second is a ‘blended’ banana variation that takes the holiday vibe you’re longing for and turns it all the way up to 11. The third? Well, it’s the Applebees recipe. Don’t judge me!! Sometimes you just gotta do that thing.
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Bahama Mama - The ‘Classic’ Recipe
Pineapple sweetness wrapped around a coconut rum center, it’s sublimely balanced against the lemon juice and 151 rum... with just a hint of coffee. Whatever you do, make sure you use a decent 151, like Hamilton or Lemonhart - some 151's can taste like aviator fuel and are best saved for setting fire to in your volcano bowls.
Servings 1
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz Dark Rum
- 1/2 oz Coconut Rum
- 1/4 oz 151 Rum - Hamilton or Lemonhart
- 1/4 oz Coffee Liqueur
- 1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 4 oz Pineapple Juice
- 1 Orange Slice
- 2 Maraschino Cherries - with stems if possible
Method
- Pour all ingredients into a shaker, then add enough ice to show above the surface of the liquid.
- Shake vigorously for around 15 seconds, strain and pour into a chilled Hurricane or Highball glass filled with ice cubes.
- To make your garnish cut a wedge or wheel from the fresh orange, place two cherries onto a cocktail stick and push into the orange, make a slit in the bottom of the wedge and place onto the side of the glass.
Notes
Although a lot of modern recipes have ditched the coffee liqueur, its addition in such a small quantity brings a subtle chocolatey note, an earthy edge to the drink that rounds off the other flavors. It's definitely worth leaving it in.
'151 rum eh? It’s going to blow my socks off’, I hear you say. Don’t worry, the actual amount isn’t very much and the combined alcohol content isn’t that high overall, so it shouldn’t hit you in the same way as something like a Zombie - but it does go down smooth and it can definitely creep up on you if you have a few 😉
Add in Dottie Lee Anderson (billed in Miami as the Bahama Mama) a calypso dancer and singer who was all over the billboard charts in the US between 1951-57 (regularly popping up in Jet magazine), and you can see where the momentum came from for the naming of this particular tropical libation.
Although its creation story is generally undeclared (and sadly, undisputed - how boring for a Tiki drink!) there is however one claimant to the throne. 'Oswald Greenslade’ (‘Slade'), born in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas in 1943. With decades of bartending experience under his belt - from the beginnings of the Nassau Beach Hotel (1961) to the Banana Boat Club (1993-99) - in his book ‘One More Cocktail’ he claims he was the inventor of the Bahama Mama.
A possible front-runner based on his pedigree, if you look at the dates it seems more likely that, as with many drinks of that era and origin, it was a house or family based recipe handed down or approximated across the islands.
Variations
- Can I make this in a pitcher? Ideally this is a drink that should be shaken with ice (the juices benefit from being mixed and aerated in this manner), however it’s also one that can be built in the glass, making it a good drink for a summer pitcher (the Applebees recipe below is perfect for this).
- Prefer your Bahama Mama with Grenadine? If you need a little ombré in your life and find yourself lusting after that grenadine colour change, add a splash straight into the glass before you pour in your mix - but try (TRY dammit!) to use a homemade syrup if you can. And if you can't then we recommend something like 'Employees Only' as it blends real pomegranate juice with spices and cane sugar, rather than the dreaded fructose! If you're using grenadine you may also want to try unsweetened Pineapple as it’ll help rebalance the sweet with the sour.
Origin
A drink that was popularised in the early 50’s, the term 'Bahama Mama’ was a name very much used across certain areas of the music and entertainment scene within that decade. With a number of songs released under the name - from Blind Blake in '52 all the way through to the Goombay Troubadours in ’57 - all mostly goombay, or junkanoo ‘style' and all straight out of Nassau.
Add in Dottie Lee Anderson (billed in Miami as the Bahama Mama) a calypso dancer and singer who was all over the billboard charts in the US between 1951-57 (regularly popping up in Jet magazine), and you can see where the momentum came from for the naming of this particular tropical libation.
Although its creation story is generally undeclared (and sadly, undisputed - how boring for a Tiki drink!) there is however one claimant to the throne. 'Oswald Greenslade’ (‘Slade'), born in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas in 1943. With decades of bartending experience under his belt - from the beginnings of the Nassau Beach Hotel (1961) to the Banana Boat Club (1993-99) - in his book ‘One More Cocktail’ he claims he was the inventor of the Bahama Mama.
A possible front-runner based on his pedigree, if you look at the dates it seems more likely that, as with many drinks of that era and origin, it was a house or family based recipe handed down or approximated across the islands.Banana Mama - Blended
If you're feeling a little more banana than Bahama you may fancy trying out this version of the Bahama Mama. A blended drink, it's a crowd pleaser that’s perfect for hot summer days and pretending you’re lying on a beach.
Servings 1
Ingredients
- 1 oz White Rum
- 1 oz Coconut Rum
- 1/2 oz Dark Rum
- 1/2 oz Banana Liqueur
- 1 oz Orange Juice
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
- 1 dash Grenadine - homemade syrup if you have it, if not 'Employees Only'
- 8 oz Ice - for blending
- 1 Pineapple Slice
- 1 Cocktail Umbrella
Method
- Chop the banana into slices
- Add all ingredients into a blender and blitz until the sound of the ice cracking stops
- Pour into a Hurricane glass, adding your pineapple wedge as garnish, along with a cocktail umbrella
- OR - if you feel like going full on Tiki bonanza why not take your banana dolphins out for a spin? When I’m at a garnish turning point like this, I always ask myself, ‘Why wouldn’t I put a banana dolphin on a drink?' 🙂
Applebees Bahama Mama
A lightly sparkling riff on this tropical classic, Applebees version (promotionally known as the DollarMama) obviously doesn’t have the nuances of the original, but it does hit you right in the refreshers. And as a bonus, it’s built in the glass rather than shaken, so it’s just perfect for that summertime BBQ pitcher.
Servings 1
Ingredients
- 1 oz White Rum
- 1/2 oz Coconut Rum
- 1/2 oz Banana Liqueur
- 1/2 oz Grenadine - homemade syrup if you have it, if not 'Employees Only'
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
- 1 oz Orange Juice
- A splash of Sprite or 7-UP
- 1 Pineapple Slice
- 2 Maraschino Cherries
Method
- Partially fill a tall glass with ice - preferably a Hurricane
- Add all ingredients straight into the glass in the order they're listed in, topping up with the sprite at the end
- To make your garnish cut fresh pineapple into a wedge (leave the outer skin on for a nice contrast), place two cherries onto a cocktail stick and push into the pineapple, make a slit in the bottom of the wedge and place onto the side of the glass.
We put a whole lotta love, lime and rum into our work, so if you think your friends would find this article useful, we’d be thrilled if you could share it with them!
Thank you. Mahalo.
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