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Ask A Chicago Bartender: Your Best Tropical Drink Recipe

Tropical drinks are fun, beautiful, and tend to appeal to those who are looking for something sweet and fruity rather than the burn of whisky or the filling quality of beer.  They bring to mind visions of lying on a sun-drenched beach, or sitting with one's feet bobbing softly in a crystal clear swimming pool. With hundreds of different recipes to choose from, choosing one to sip on can be a feat unto itself. Luckily we've done the leg work for you and tracked down a few tropical drink recipes that create a party in a glass.
Wild Goose
(Photo Credit: wildgoosebar.com)

Brittney Randolph
Wild Goose - Bar and Grill
4265 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 281-7112
www.wildgoosebar.com

Having recently joined the Wild Goose team, bartender and server Brittney Randolph serves drinks with a warmth and humor one can only hope to find when visiting his favorite watering hole. With 10 years experience serving and seven bartending, Randolph is also putting herself through college and working on a degree in Elementary Education. When asked about crafting tropical drinks for her clientele, Randolph commented on why they're so much more fun than simply pouring a standard spirit or beverage: "What's great about it is seeing the look on the person's face as you're making it for them. And then when they taste it, you feel so accomplished. I love making fancy drinks for customers and I love hearing compliments and praise even more for it." [laughs] "I like making these drinks because I can put my own flare into it. Way different the pouring wine or a beer. Even though I can explain to people what type of wine or beer they're getting it's nice to whip up something from scratch. It's almost like cooking for someone."

Related: Best Bottomless Mimosas For Brunch In Chicago

Bahama Mama

Randolph describes the Bahama Mama as a "nice and strong drink [that] looks beautiful, too," and enjoys adding her own personal touch at times by using straight rum like Bacardi or Captain Morgan to make it a little stronger, and by adding coconut flavoring and a hint of fresh like juice. "Lime juice gives everything that extra kick," adds Randolph.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh orange juice
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 cup simple syrup
1 cup coconut-flavored rum
1 cup 151 proof rum
1/2 cup grenadine syrup
1/2 cup fruit-flavored rum liqueur
8 cups shaved ice
8 maraschino cherries for garnish
8 orange slices for garnish

Directions:

Stir the orange juice, pineapple juice, coconut-flavored rum, 151 proof rum, grenadine syrup, and fruit-flavored liqeur together in a 2-quart or larger pitcher. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Place 1 cup of crushed ice in each of eight 12-ounce glasses. Pour about 1 cup of the rum mixture into each glass, and garnish each with a maraschino cherry and an orange slice.

Miami Vice

"It's basically a strawberry daiquiri married to a piña colada," explains Randolph.

Ingredients:

5 oz Cuban rum
1 package frozen pina colada mix
1 package frozen daiquiri mix

Directions:

Mix pina colada with 2.5 oz. of rum with ice and then set aside.

Mix daiquiri with 2.5 oz. of rum with ice. While frozen, add pina colada mix to a cocktail glass. Add the daiquiri mix on top, keeping it separated from the pina colada mix.

Related: Best Margaritas In Chicago

Soon after earning her BA in journalism, Melanie Falina began writing about one of the loves of her life - music. Since then, she's covered some of the biggest names in music, in addition to writing on an array of other topics as well. She has written for Black Belt magazine, KISS: The Official Authorized Quarterly Magazine, Examiner, AXS.com, Yahoo Voices, and more, and was editor for Don Lemmon's KNOW HOW Book Three, Refuse To Fail. Melanie is also a poet with five published collections of poetry available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and various establishments.
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