Boat drinks
Encyclopedia
The name "boat drinks" comes from the song "Boat Drinks
" by Jimmy Buffett
from the album Volcano
. Boat drinks are also known as umbrella drinks but are more commonly referred to as tiki drinks or exotic cocktails. These types of drinks are a class of cocktail generally containing rum
and one or more fruit juices. They are usually garnished with Maraschino cherries or other fruit
and often further ornamented with cocktail umbrella
s. The quintessential boat drink is the mai tai
. Outside of "Jimmy Buffett" culture and within the resurgent Tiki culture of today, these types of drinks are never referred to as "boat drinks". Instead, these types of cocktails are called "tiki drinks" or "exotic cocktails". The term "boat drinks" was not used to describe these cocktails until it was made popular by Jimmy Buffett.
, but less than a cocktail such as a martini
or a manhattan
. Typically, they contain at least one "hard" liquor (usually rum
) one or more sweeter liquors (such as triple sec
) with the balance made of fruit juices. Often there are additional flavorings such as Angostura bitters
. Garnishes are often lavish.
The menu at Trader Vic's includes 20-plus entries such as the "Dr Funk of Tahiti" and the "Honi Honi". Other Tiki bars have similarly long lists. Many of the more elaborate recipes are proprietary.
swizzles during his stop in Barbados. These drinks were often a variation of rum, sugar and lime juice, and did not have the same complexity of cocktails that were later served in "tiki" restaurants and bars of the 1950s and 1960s.
Boat drinks were created from and rose to prominence in the late 1940s through the early 1970s as part of the Tiki culture
. US servicemen returning from service in the South Pacific during World War II
brought with them a taste for drinks made with exotic fruit juices.
In addition, the often indifferent quality of the liquor available at this time could be hidden.
Donn Beach, founder of Don The Beachcomber restaurants is credited for having invented the exotic cocktail in the late 1940s when he began mixing fruit jucies and flavored syrups with rum alcohol. Donn Beach called his cocktails Rhum Rhapsodies.
Boat drinks have enjoyed a revival in recent times, again in parallel with a renewed interest in Tiki culture
. Boat drinks frequently appear in movies from the 1950s until the present, either to evoke an escapist/tropical atmosphere, or to mock such an atmosphere.
Boat drinks
The name "boat drinks" comes from the song "Boat Drinks" by Jimmy Buffett from the album Volcano. Boat drinks are also known as umbrella drinks but are more commonly referred to as tiki drinks or exotic cocktails. These types of drinks are a class of cocktail generally containing rum and one or...
" by Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
from the album Volcano
Volcano (Jimmy Buffett album)
Volcano is the 10th studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and is his 11th overall. It was released in May 1979 as MCA 5102 and was his first release on that label after its absorption of ABC Dunhill....
. Boat drinks are also known as umbrella drinks but are more commonly referred to as tiki drinks or exotic cocktails. These types of drinks are a class of cocktail generally containing rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
and one or more fruit juices. They are usually garnished with Maraschino cherries or other fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and often further ornamented with cocktail umbrella
Cocktail umbrella
A cocktail umbrella is a small umbrella or parasol made from paper, paperboard, and a toothpick, used as a garnish or decoration in cocktails, desserts or other food and beverages....
s. The quintessential boat drink is the mai tai
Mai Tai
The Mai Tai is an alcoholic cocktail based on rum, Curaçao liqueur, and lime juice, associated with "Polynesian-style" settings.-History:It was purportedly invented at the Trader Vic's restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. Trader Vic's rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it in...
. Outside of "Jimmy Buffett" culture and within the resurgent Tiki culture of today, these types of drinks are never referred to as "boat drinks". Instead, these types of cocktails are called "tiki drinks" or "exotic cocktails". The term "boat drinks" was not used to describe these cocktails until it was made popular by Jimmy Buffett.
Composition
Boat drinks usually have a higher fraction of alcoholic ingredients than a highballHighball
Highball is a type of alcoholic drinkHighball may also refer to:* Highball glass, a drinking vessel* Highball Wilson , professional baseball pitcher* the British Highball bouncing bomb project from World War 2...
, but less than a cocktail such as a martini
Martini (cocktail)
The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. H. L. Mencken called the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet" and E. B...
or a manhattan
Manhattan (cocktail)
A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Commonly used whiskeys include rye , Canadian whisky , bourbon, blended whiskey and Tennessee whiskey. The cocktail is often stirred with ice and strained into a cocktail glass, where it is garnished with a Maraschino cherry...
. Typically, they contain at least one "hard" liquor (usually rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
) one or more sweeter liquors (such as triple sec
Triple sec
Triple sec, originally Curaçao triple sec, is a variety of Curaçao liqueur, an orange-flavoured liqueur made from the dried peels of bitter and sweet orange....
) with the balance made of fruit juices. Often there are additional flavorings such as Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters
Angostura bitters, often simply referred to as angostura, is a concentrated bitters made of water, 44.7% alcohol, gentian root, and vegetable flavoring extracts by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. They are typically used for flavoring beverages, or food...
. Garnishes are often lavish.
A partial list of boat drinks
Many famous exotic cocktails that can be referred to as "Boat drinks" are:.- Mai TaiMai TaiThe Mai Tai is an alcoholic cocktail based on rum, Curaçao liqueur, and lime juice, associated with "Polynesian-style" settings.-History:It was purportedly invented at the Trader Vic's restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. Trader Vic's rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it in...
- Pina ColadaPiña ColadaThe piña colada is a sweet, rum-based cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with a pineapple wedge or a maraschino cherry or both...
- Singapore SlingSingapore SlingThe Singapore Sling is a cocktail that was developed sometime before 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon , a bartender working at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel Singapore...
- Zombie cocktailZombie cocktailThe Zombie is a cocktail made of fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums, so named for its perceived effects upon the drinker. It first appeared in the late 1930s, invented by Donn Beach of Hollywood's Don the Beachcomber restaurant...
- MargaritaMargaritaThe margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with orange-flavoured liqueur and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. It is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States...
- CaipirinhaCaipirinhaCaipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça , sugar and lime. Cachaça is Brazil's most common distilled alcoholic beverage . Both rum and cachaça are made from sugarcane-derived products...
- Gin pahitGin pahitGin Pahit is an alcoholic drink made with gin and bitters, as enjoyed in colonial Malaya. The name means "bitter gin" in Malay.The recipe, according to the food and beverage service of the Raffles Hotel, is 1½ ounces of gin and ½ ounce of Angostura bitters...
- Blue HawaiiBlue Hawaii (drink)The Blue Hawaii is a tropical cocktail made of rum, pineapple juice, blue Curacao, sweet and sour mix, and sometimes vodka as well. It should not be confused with the similarly named Blue Hawaiian cocktail that contains creme of coconut instead of sweet and sour mix, and never includes...
- MojitoMojitoMojito is a traditional Cuban highball.Traditionally, a Mojito is not very strong and made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar , lime juice, sparkling water and mint. The original Cuban recipe uses spearmint or yerba buena, a mint variety very popular on the island...
- Planter's Punch
The menu at Trader Vic's includes 20-plus entries such as the "Dr Funk of Tahiti" and the "Honi Honi". Other Tiki bars have similarly long lists. Many of the more elaborate recipes are proprietary.
History
Beverages similar to boat drinks are described by travelers to the Caribbean at least as early as 1920. Ralph Stock, while sailing around the world, alludes to drinks calledswizzles during his stop in Barbados. These drinks were often a variation of rum, sugar and lime juice, and did not have the same complexity of cocktails that were later served in "tiki" restaurants and bars of the 1950s and 1960s.
Boat drinks were created from and rose to prominence in the late 1940s through the early 1970s as part of the Tiki culture
Tiki culture
Tiki kitsch culture is a 20th-century theme used in Polynesian-style restaurants and clubs originally in the United States and then, to a lesser degree, around the world...
. US servicemen returning from service in the South Pacific during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
brought with them a taste for drinks made with exotic fruit juices.
In addition, the often indifferent quality of the liquor available at this time could be hidden.
Donn Beach, founder of Don The Beachcomber restaurants is credited for having invented the exotic cocktail in the late 1940s when he began mixing fruit jucies and flavored syrups with rum alcohol. Donn Beach called his cocktails Rhum Rhapsodies.
Boat drinks have enjoyed a revival in recent times, again in parallel with a renewed interest in Tiki culture
Tiki culture
Tiki kitsch culture is a 20th-century theme used in Polynesian-style restaurants and clubs originally in the United States and then, to a lesser degree, around the world...
. Boat drinks frequently appear in movies from the 1950s until the present, either to evoke an escapist/tropical atmosphere, or to mock such an atmosphere.