Bahama Mama

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (80 ratings)

Photographed in

Libbey Tiki 13.5oz

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Tiki mug or collins glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of pineapple wedge, Luxardo Maraschino Cherry & mint sprigs bouquet.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  4. STRAIN into ice-filled glass.
Ingredients:
1/2 fl oz Jamaican aged blended rum with funk
1/4 fl oz Jamaican-style overproof aged pot still rum
1/4 fl oz Coconut rum liqueur (35-40% alc./vol.)
1/4 fl oz Coconut liqueur (under 35% alc./vol.)
1/4 fl oz Galliano Espresso Coffee liqueur
1/2 fl oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
3 fl oz Pineapple juice
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Review:

The holy trinity of rum, coconut and pineapple served in a well-balanced, not overly sweet Tiki-style cocktail.

History:

The bartender most associated with this cocktail is Oswald "Slade" Greenslade, who was born in the Bahamas and worked at the Pink Elephant nightclub. This is where he claims to have created this cocktail in 1963 for three women at his bar who wanted something fruity they'd never had before.

Some question Slade's claims, saying the cocktail appeared on menus in the 1940s-50s, although I've not yet seen evidence of such a menu. However, in September 2024, Slade sent us his original recipe and the story of his Bahama Mama.

Oswald Greenslade's Bahama Mama recipe
1¼ oz Dark Bacardi
1¼ oz Coconut Rum
1 oz Grendene
2 oz Pineapple juice
2 oz Orange juice
4 oz Cracked ice
Shake well and pour into a 12 oz cocktail glass.
Garnish with pineapple, orange slice and cherry.

Working at a nightclub called the Pink Elephant as a bartender in 1963, three tourists sat at my bar and asked me to make them a unique, fruity cocktail. So, I decided to take them up on the challenge and came up with the recipe above. They tasted the cocktail and exclaimed that it tasted good. And, they asked me, what was the name of the cocktail and I told them that I didn't know. A short while later, a Bahamian calypso singer named Morene Duvalier, with the stage name Bahama Mama, came into the bar. I immediately said let's name the cocktail after her stage name. Later, I was informed that the tourist went to the Ministry of Tourism and spoke highly of the cocktail that I created. The Ministry of Tourism told me that they will promote the drink as something for tourists to try when coming to The Bahamas. And, the rest, as they say, is history.

Oswald Greenslade, 2024

Nutrition:

155 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 0.9 standard drinks
  • 8.4% alc./vol. (16.8° proof)
  • 12.6 grams of pure alcohol
Difford's Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Repeal Day image

Repeal Day

The Noble Experiment – US Prohibition – came to an end on this day in 1933 when the House of Representatives passed the Twenty-first Amendment to the

National Brownie Day image

National Brownie Day

Rich, cakey squares of chocolatey deliciousness. The brownie is the baked good that we all love and today, on National Brownie Day, we get to celebrate

National Screwdriver Day image

National Screwdriver Day

According to some National Screwdriver Day was actually yesterday on the 13th. Screw them! Others we respect say it's the 14th. A Screwdriver made with

Christmas Eve image

Christmas Eve

Today is, of course, Christmas Eve and it's also, rather splendidly, the anniversary of the first time men orbited the moon.

A Very Merry Christmas image

A Very Merry Christmas

Today is, allegedly, Jesus' birthday, the day he was born in the stable of Bethlehem, and a chance for families around the world to come together and over-indulge

New Year's Eve image

New Year's Eve

Tonight the world will be celebrating the New Year. In New York, it's all about the ball drop; in Sydney, Hong Kong and London, fireworks rule; in London

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