These premium drinks will give you something new to sip on this summer.
Caribbean-owned spirit brands are making a splash in the industry by bringing the culture and traditional island drinks to a mainstream, American audience. Recognized as the birthplace of rum, the cluster of tropical islands have always been a source for revered liquor blends. While the brands below have unique attributes, they all have a tie to island traditions while encompassing a multitude of complex flavors and cultural influences of the region. In addition to their vibrant taste, these drinks serve as the ultimate refreshment on hot days and compliment a diet of fresh seafood and vibrant dishes.
Between racking up celebrity endorsements, awards, and record sales, these premium drinks will give you something new to sip on this summer. Keep reading for their origin stories and delicious cocktail recipes packed with powerful flavors that will transport you to the islands.
Ten To One, Trinidad and Tobago
Founder Marc-Kwesi Farrell is passionate about highlighting his Caribbean heritage through rum. He founded Ten To One as a introduction for Americans to the region’s rich history, heritage and cultural impact on rum. Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Farrell went on to become the youngest vice president in Starbucks history. In 2018, he ventured on his own to found Ten to One rum with the mission of creating a contemporary and elevated blend, designed to challenge the way Americans taste, experience, and talk about rum. The brand blends rums from all over the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Dominican Republic and Barbados, which has garnered numerous awards and record sales. In fall 2021, Ciara joined the brand as co-owner, investor, and brand director to continue to build brand brand awareness.
The Perfect Daquiri
Ingredients:
1oz. Fresh Lime Juice
.75oz Simple Syrup
2oz. Ten To One White or Dark Rum
Preparation:
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake it like you mean it. Strain into your favorite cocktail glass. Garnish with lime. Celebrate with friends.
Sorel, Bahamas
Sorel’s founder Jackie Summers left his 20+ year corporate career in pursuit of creating Sorel as a way to honor his Bajan heritage and the history of this ancestral beverage. Sorel Liqueur is the first shelf-stable alcoholic rendition of sorrel, the original Red Drink and a traditional hibiscus beverage with 500+ years of history across West Africa and the Caribbean. Across the African diaspora, there is an ancestral memory of The Red Drink. It begins in West Africa, where hibiscus, a potent botanical, was used for medicinal purposes. As the Transatlantic Trade began in the 1600s, hibiscus flowers were first imported to the New World from West Africa and hibiscus- based beverages became a Caribbean tradition. For well over a century in African American communities, “red drink” has becoming synonymous with celebrating Juneteenth. Summers was able to create the first-evert shelf stable version of this 500-year old beverage.
Cocktail: Millionaire 718
Ingredients:
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Almond Blossom Syrup
3/4 oz Sorel
1 1/2 oz Due North Rum
Lime Wheels
Glass: Martini 7 oz
Directions:
Shake all and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with mint bouquet.
The Red Drink
.5 oz Sorel
.5 oz Latitude 29 Orgeat
.5 oz Pineapple Juice
.75 oz Lime Juice
.5 oz Plantation Jamaica Rum
1 oz Raspberry Tea
1.5 oz Plantation Barbados
1 tbsp Cane Syrup
1.5 oz Prosecco
Rhum Barbancourt, Haiti
Known as “the star of Haiti”, this flavorful spirit, founded in 1862, has gained global prestige for its unique recipe inspired by Cognac traditions of double distillation and French oak barrel aging. For 160 years, the Rhum Barbancourt has been produced in a by the Gadère family in a Port-au-Prince based distillery who has passed down the tradition, technology, and consistent quality of the spirit from generation to generation. Made from pure sugar cane juice, a bountiful crop in Haiti, and filled with notes of peppercorn, cinnamon, fruits, and ginger, the rum was recognized by the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition with a Gold medal. Today the company is run by CEO Delphine Gardère, the fifth generation to run the company, who is committed to brand development and investing in the Haitian community.
Cocktail: Barbancourt Signature Rum Sour
Ingredients:
2 oz Rhum Barbancourt 3 star, aged 4 years
1/2 oz Orangel Liquer
3/4 oz Fresh lime juice
3/4 oz Sugarcane syrup
3 Drops Angostura bitters
Preparation
Garnish with 1/2 lime and cherries. Enjoy!
Preparation: Muddle the mint leaves with the sugar in a glass. Fill the glass with cubed ice then add the Rhum Barbancourt 3 Star and lime juice. Complete the cocktail with club soda and Angostura bitters. Enjoy!
Carib Brewery, Trinidad
On the heels of celebrating their 75th anniversary, Carib Brewery USA is known for their iconic blue and cold bottle, which alludes to sunny days, blue waters, and all-year sunshine. The Trinidadian-owned company, has a reputation in America for producing high-quality brews with the finest ingredients and craftsmanship. In an interview with Island Origins Magazine, marketing director Asa Sealy said nostalgia of the brand makes it so successful in the US. “So much of our population has migrated from the Caribbean region, and they long for those products that bring them back to home,” he explained. “One of the biggest initiatives for us is to mine that Caribbean pride and use that brand that we so dearly represent to connect with the diaspora.” Despite its success in America, the company remains dedicated to the involvement and betterment of the local community, and contribute in a number of ways to the arts, sports, and culture in Trinidad.
Caribbean Lager and Blood Orange Cider
Carib Lager, a full-bodied golden brew that bursts to life with every pour. A rich combination of flavor and aromatics blends perfectly to create a unique balance between malt and hops, sweet and bitter. Caribe cider offers a premium, refreshing, tropical hard cider with a complex blend of apple, champagne yeast and natural tropical flavor, possessing a light dry body and naturally gluten free.
