If you missed it, Quarantine and Cocktails have been a viral trend over the last few weeks. A Special Thanks to TikTok and the Make Me a Cocktail Website for helping us use every last ingredient in our home to make the most unique drinks. Recently the Basic Travel Facebook Community was surveyed on their Favorite Travel Themed Cocktails. We thought it would be fun to highlight the 10 Most Popular Travel Themed Cocktails and show you how to make them at home!
Polling the Basic Travel Community
I enjoyed looking over the Results and Comments from the Facebook Group Respondents. It’s nice to think back on times I’ve had these Cocktails while traveling around the world. These top drinks are a combination of Travel Themed Cocktails and Drinks Enjoyed While Traveling!
If you Want to Submit your Favorite Cocktail, you’ll find the Facebook Poll HERE. Bonus Points for Creating One of These Drinks and posting in the Group 😉
Basic Traveler’s Top Ten Travel Themed Drinks & Cocktails
Ten – Long Island Ice Tea
A classic drink that’s not for the faint of heart. The origin of this famous drink is split between the 1920’s in Kingsport Tennessee and the early 1970’s in Long Island New York.
Glass Type – Highball Glass
8 Ingredients
- 1.25 cl Triple Sec
- Top up Coke
- 1.25 cl White Rum
- 1.25 cl Lemon Juice
- 1.25 cl Gin
- 1.25 cl Tequila
- Teaspoon Sugar
- 1.25 cl Russian Standard Vodka
Make a Long Island Ice Tea – Shake all ingredients except for the coke in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well for 10-15 seconds or until the outside of the shaker becomes frosted. Strain into highball glass and then top up with coke.
Nine – Margarita
Margaritas are an especially popular drink down in Mexico and throughout the world on Cinco De Mayo. Like many popular drinks, the origin of the Margarita is clouded in mystery. Many cocktail historians believe the Margarita was created halfway between Tijuana and California in the early 1900’s for a customer that was allergic almost all alcohol, except Tequila!
Glass Type – Classic Cocktail Glass
3 Ingredients
- 2 cl Cointreau
- 1.5 cl Lime Juice
- 3.3 cl Tequila
Make a Margarita – Rim the edge of a cocktail glass with salt by wiping the edge with a wedge of lemon first. Next shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into the cocktail glass.
Eight – Painkiller with Pusser’s Rum BVI
Number eight is the Painkiller with a twist. Typically a Painkiller is made with Woods 100 Dark Rum. However, the Basic Travel Community specifically selected the “Official Cocktail of the British Virgin Islands”. The BVI spin substitute’s Pusser’s Rum for the Woods 100 Dark Rum. This cocktail is known throughout the world for its deliciousness.
Glass Type – Highball Glass
4 Ingredients
Make a Painkiller – Add 1 shot of Woods 100 dark rum (or Pusser’s Rum for the BVI Classic), 1 shot of pineapple juice, 1/3 shot of orange juice and 1/3 shot of coconut cream to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a highball glass with ice.
Seven – Pina Colada
Number seven is recognizable by name and melody! As I write this, “if you like Pina Colada’s’ is playing through my head. The Pina Colada was first mixed up in 1954 by a bartender in San Juan Puerto Rico. This summer treat has been served around the world and is especially delicious on a beach in a shady chair!
Glass Type – Hurricane Glass
3 Ingredients
- 3.33 oz Pineapple Juice
- 1 oz White Rum
- 1 oz Coconut Cream
Make a Pina Colada – In a hurricane glass with crushed ice add the ingredients and stir to fully mix. Traditionally served with a garnish of tropical fruit such as pineapple.
Six – Sex on The Beach
Number six is a drink that most people giggle saying. The Sex on the Beach was allegedly mixed up down in Florida in the 1980’s. What about the wacky name? The bartender who first created it, thought that “Sex” and “The Beach” are the two reasons why people come to Florida for Spring Break. He figured it would be a hit with them and fast forward 40 years – he was right!
Glass Type – Hurricane Glass
4 Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Vodka
- 0.75 oz Peach Schnapps
- 1.5 oz Orange Juice
- 1.5 oz Cranberry Juice
Make a Sex on The Beach – Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well for 10-15 seconds or until the outside of the shaker becomes frosted. Strain into highball glass or hurricane glass with ice cubes in. Often served with a drizzle of grenadine down the sides to create that sunset look. Garnish with your fruit or decoration of choice.
Five – Miami Vice
Coming in at Number Four is one of my favorite tropical drinks, the Miami Vice! Basically, the Miami Vice is a combination of the Pina Colada and a Strawberry Daiquiri. Both refreshing and delicious, this drink always hits the spot on a warm day. My favorite Miami Vice by far was served down at the Hyatt Ziva in Jamaica. Typically all-inclusive resorts food and beverages lose their appeal after a few days, but that certainly wasn’t the case at the Hyatt Ziva.
Glass Type – Hurricane Glass
6 Ingredients
- 2 oz Rum
- 1 cup Strawberries, chopped with stems removed
- 1 oz Fresh lime juice
- 2 oz Cream of coconut
- 2 oz Pineapple juice
- Garnish: Pineapple slice
How to Make a Miami Vice – In a blender, add 1 oz rum, the strawberries, the lime juice and 1 cup crushed ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a hurricane glass and set aside in the freezer. Wash and dry blender thoroughly. In the clean blender, add 1 oz rum, the cream of coconut, the pineapple juice and 1 cup crushed ice and blend until smooth. Pour into the hurricane glass filled with Strawberry Daiquiri mix. Garnish with a pineapple slice. (Recipe Thanks to Liqour.com)
Four – Bahama Mama
Coming in at Number four is the Famous Bahama Mama! Also a melody that can easily get stuck in your head for hours upon end, the Bahama Mama is recognized throughout the world. The origin of this drink is of course the Bahamas but from there it’s debatable. Some folks say it was named after a famous dancer in the mid 1900’s while others claim it was invented during the prohibition. Regardless of when and who created it, the Bahama Mama is certainly a delectable treat!
Glass Type – Highball Glass
7 Ingredients
- 0.83 oz Malibu rum
- Top up Pineapple Juice
- 0.83 oz Lemon Juice
- 0.83 oz Dark Rum
- 0.42 oz Rum
- Dash Grenadine
- 0.42 oz Coffee Liqueur
How to Make a Bahama Mama – Shake all the ingredients except the grenadine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a highball glass with ice then pour the grenadine through the drink. It should settle at the bottom.
Three – Blue Hawaii (Not Blue Hawaiian)
Number Three comes from one of my favorite places on earth – Hawaii! Now, this popular drink or drinks is often mistaken for it’s counterpart with a similar name. There are both a Blue Hawaii and Blue Hawaiian Cocktails. The Blue Hawaii is a little bit more sour then the Blue Hawaiian. Most people compare the Blue Hawaiian to a Pina Colada. The origin of the Blue Hawaii dates back to 1957 when a bartender working at the Hilton in Waikiki mixed it up for the first time!
Glass Type – Cocktail Glass
5 Ingredients
- 0.67 oz Vodka
- 3 oz Pineapple Juice
- 0.67 oz White Rum
- 0.83 oz Sour Mix
- 0.42 oz Bols Blue Curacao
How to Make a Blue Hawaii – Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well for 10-15 seconds or until the outside of the shaker becomes frosted. Strain into cocktail glass.
Two – Vodka Soda Lime
Coming in at number two was a big surprise for me to see. A Very Basic Vodka Soda Lime Cocktail! Not that I have anything against the Classic Vodka Soda drink, but I wouldn’t have guessed that it would rank as the number two most popular travel beverage! This drink is known for it’s simplicity and is popular among those who want a refreshing cocktail that is low on calories.
Glass Type – Highball Glass
4 Ingredients
- 2 oz vodka
- club soda, to top
- 1/2 oz Lime Juice
- Garnish: Lime Wedges
How to Make a Vodka Soda Lime – In a Highball glass, add the vodka, fill with ice, top with the club soda, and add the lime juice. Garnish with a lime wedges.
One – Mojito
The Number One Travel Themed Cocktail based on our survey of readers is the Mojito! It’s origin story is up for debate like most of the famous drinks on this list. We know for sure that Havana Cuba where this sweet and minty mix first appeared. What’s unique about the Mojito is that it has many sources of popularity. Being used for Medicinal Benefits to Earnest Hemingway and James Bond. This Number One Travel Drink has been around for 500 years and I’m positive it will be around for many more!
Glass Type – Highball Glass
6 Ingredients
- 0.83 oz Lime Juice
- 6 Mint Leaves
- 1.67 oz White Rum
- Top up Soda Water
- Teaspoon Sugar Syrup
- Dash Angostura Bitter
How to Make a Mojito – Muddle the mint leaves with the sugar syrup and lime juice to release the oils from the mint leaves. Next fill up the glass with crushed ice and pour in the angostura bitter and the rum, top up with the soda water and give it a stir. The classic mojito loved the world over.
Basic Breakdown & Honorable Mentions
It was fun to see the Basic Travel Community vote for their Favorite Travel Inspired Drinks. A few Honorable Mentions that didn’t make the list include the Mai Tai, Hurricane, and a fan favorite the Pisco Sour. What to you think of the Top 10 Travel Drinks? I’d love to hear you thoughts down in the comments or in the 4,000+ Member Basic Travel Facebook Group!
