Bahama Mama

This Bahama Mama recipe is a fruity beach drink full of coconut and pineapple flavor! Serve frozen or over ice.

Need a drink that’s refreshing, frosty, and utterly tropical in flavor? We have one with your name on it: the Bahama mom! This beach drink stands for a carefree mood, but you don’t join in from them Rums with pineapple and lime juice. An unexpected gesture gives it a rosy color: grenadine syrup! Drink it straight from the rocks or our favorite way: mixed into ice-cold porridge. Our version is perfectly balanced: not too sweet and silky to drink.

What is a Bahamas mom?

Bahama Mama is a tropical beach drink made with coconut rum and pineapple juice. The drink’s history is unclear, but most sources agree that it dates back to the 1950s. It’s a bulk drink that has several variations: you can serve it over ice or in the form of a frozen mixed drink. A popular version uses grenadine to give it a rosy hue, which is often added to the bottom of the glass to create a gradient like Tequila Sunrise or Malibu Sunset. Another version uses coffee liqueur (aka Kahlua).

While many cocktails have a “right way,” the Bahama Mama is the bartender’s choice! The following recipe is how we like it: For the grenadine iced drink, keep the coffee liqueur. (Save the Kahlua for a Bushwacker.) Here’s what you need:

• Dark rum
• coconut rum
• pineapple juice
• lime juice
• grenadine
• Ice

Freeze Bahama Mama Drink

Why do we prefer the frozen and blended Bahama Mama drink over ice? Here’s what we think:

• The icy texture makes slurping even more fun. The beach vibe of a Bahama Mama pairs perfectly with a mixed drink.
• It’s easier to drink more slowly than a glass served over ice. A tropical drink served on ice is always gone far too quickly! (You can’t polish a blue Hawaiian to anything flat.)
• It’s easy to make 4 drinks at once. Mix up a large frozen pitcher from a Bahama Mama for a crowd!

Or serve it on the rocks with a gradient finish

It’s also fun to serve a Bahama Mama on the rocks. You can use crushed ice or solid ice and it creates a nice gradient effect like a Malibu sunset. Here’s what you need to know about making “Sunrise” paint:

• Mix the drink in the glass with ice. You don’t even have to shake it in a shaker.
• Pour the grenadine into the center of the drink. It settles to the bottom as it is denser than other liquids.

Do you want to get even simpler? Just do a Malibu and a pineapple! It’s easy and just as delicious.

Mandatory for a Bahama Mama: coconut rum!

There are many options with the Bahama Mama drink, but one thing is for sure. A Bahama Mama must have coconut rum. Coconut is the key to tropical flavor. Here’s what you should know about coconut rum:

• Most coconut rums are actually coconut flavored liqueurs made with rum. Why is it a liqueur and not a spirit? It has a lot of added sugar and a low alcohol content (20-30% vol.). In contrast, rum has no sugar and 40% vol.
• Malibu Rum Coconut is the most popular brand, but there are many more to choose from. Malibu is very cute and has 21% ABV.

When we made this Bahama Mama we used Malibu because it’s the easiest to find. With the grenadine and pineapple juice, it sweetens the drink just enough! We hope you find this Bahama Mama delicately drinkable and not overly sweet. Want more Malibu drinks? Check out Malibu Sunset or Malibu and Pineappe.

A few notes on grenadine

If you’re an avid cocktail drinker, have grenadine as part of your typical bar setup. Otherwise it’s worth buying! This cocktail syrup is used in many grenadine drinks to give it a beautiful pink color. Here are a few things to note about this syrup:

• Many store-bought grenadine syrups contain artificial colors and flavors. This is the only way to get the very bright red.
• Or make all-natural homemade grenadine! If you choose to do this, be sure to use our pomegranate syrup recipe and use fresh pomegranate juice! Store-bought juice gives a dark cloudy color.

More drinks on the beach

Bahama Mama is part of a range of delicious beach drinks that combine tropical flavors to create zesty, easy-to-sip cocktails! Here are some other beach drinks we love: