Entertaining

5 Best Drinks for Tropical Destinations

Palomas might be the national drink of Mexico, but if you want a drink fit for tourist-swamped Acapulco, grab this offspring of the Margarita. The drink actually hails from its namesake vacation destination, so its combination of white rum and tequila is an accurate way to conjure the resort town’s sandy, sundappled beaches.

Like many pale, pasty, mid-century Americans desperately in need of a tan, gin made its way to Hawaii in the 1950s, where it was transformed into a beautiful tropical flower. One of the few gin-based tiki drinks, the Royal Hawaiian combines the botanical-heavy spirit with tropical mainstays orgeat, pineapple and lemon.

With multiple types of rum, including coconut and 151, along with several types of citrus, the Bahama Mama is a shortcut to the tropics. Served in a vacation-ready hurricane glass, the bright red drink doesn’t pull any therapeutic punches.

You may think of Singapore more as a sprawling metropolis than a true tropical getaway, but it definitely fits all the requirements, especially in the beverage department. Just look at the most famous cocktail to emerge from the city-state. Originally crafted to help ladies drink on the sly in the early 20th century, this inclusive cocktail builds on a base of gin with two liqueurs, Benedictine and Cherry Heering, which give the drink a fruity taste and fun-loving vibe. Sip one and slip off to steamy Singapore.

If you need to escape the daily grind, free yourself with a tall glass of Cuban rum and Coca-Cola. Born in Havana, the Cuba Libre was created to celebrate the end of the Spanish-American War. It brings together the tastes of the island nation with the all-American soda, and it works equally well as a celebration of the end of the work week.