SPIRITS

Tropical Sips

Sipping on this Mermaid Rum Punch will transport you to a tropical island on a perfect summer day.

BY SANDI GRIGG

MMy spouse and I just finished re-staining our patio, and it was a long, hot, sweaty labor of love. We put all the furniture back on the patio and sat down to admire our work. The color we had selected turned out to be a bit more blue than the grey, but it looked even better than I imagined — more like the color of the deep part of the ocean. With all that hard work we were in need of a nice cool, crisp cocktail to reward ourselves.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed pineapple juice and limes. I then proceeded to the bar to get both rums we had. Since the patio turned out bluer than anticipated, I selected the Blue Curacao as well. This cocktail may sound like it would be super sweet, but the fresh-squeezed lime juice helps to balance out the sweetness and create a unique flavor in this punch. After simply stirring the ingredients together in a glass and adding a few pieces of fruit for presentation, I served the cocktails out on our newly painted patio. That first sip brought about such a feeling of accomplishment and relaxation. The beautiful shade of greenish-blue created in this drink is reminiscent of the ocean, and the flavor provides all the hints of summer, so I named it Mermaid Rum Punch. This recipe is perfect for two drinks, but you can certainly multiply the ingredients to make a big batch for a party as well. Next time you finish a DIY project at your home, finish it off with a Mermaid Rum Punch. I hope you enjoy this cocktail as much as we did!

MERMAID RUM PUNCH

Makes 2 drinks

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces Captain Morgan Spiced Rum 2 ounces coconut rum 8 ounces pineapple juice 1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice splash of Blue Curacao slices of pineapple and a cherry for garnish

METHOD

Fill two glasses with ice. Divide the Captain Morgan, coconut rum, pineapple juice, lime juice and Blue Curacao into each glass and stir to create a nice greenish-blue color. Add pineapple slices and cherries for garnish.