Ingredients
Drink
- 30 mlcoconut rum
- 30 mldark Bahamian rum
- 15 mlapricot brandy
- 60 mlpineapple juice
- 30 mlorange juice
- a dash of lemon juice
Optional
- a dash of grenadine
Garnish
- 1pineapple wedge
- 1cocktail cherry
- ice
Directions
- What follows is the standard bar version. The original, poured at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar on Green Turtle Cay, was created by Emily Cooper and the exact formula has never been published; her family still keeps it.
- Fill a shaker right up with ice, because a half-empty tin waters the drink down instead of chilling it.
- Add the coconut rum, dark rum, apricot brandy, pineapple juice, orange juice and lemon juice.
- Shake hard for 15 seconds, until the tin frosts.
- Shake it properly rather than stirring. The pineapple juice needs the aeration, and the drink should arrive with a light foam across the top.
- Pour it unstrained into a tall glass, ice and all.
- If you want the sunset layer, trickle the grenadine down the inside of the glass and leave it unstirred.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry.
- Treat it with respect. There are two rums and a brandy under all that juice and it tastes like none of them, which is precisely how the drink got its reputation.
Technique
- Apricot brandy is what separates it from a generic rum punch. Leave it out and you have something else.
- Bahamian dark rum if you can get it, and coconut rum rather than coconut cream. This is not a piña colada.
- It takes its name from the goombay drum and the Junkanoo music that goes with it.
Substitutions
- Overproof rum in place of the dark, which is closer to how it is poured on Abaco.
- Mango juice instead of orange.
Variations
- Blended with ice as a frozen version.
- Batched in a pitcher, which is how it is served at a party.
- Bahama Mama, the close relative that takes coffee liqueur.
History
Created by Emily Cooper at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar on Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, who kept the exact recipe a family secret.
Frequently asked questions
What is Goombay Smash?
Goombay Smash is a cocktail from Bahamas: coconut rum, pineapple and juices in a tall, deceptively strong glass. Created by Emily Cooper at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar on Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, who kept the exact recipe a family secret.
How long does Goombay Smash take to make?
Goombay Smash takes 5 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Goombay Smash?
Yes, within limits. Overproof rum in place of the dark, which is closer to how it is poured on Abaco. Mango juice instead of orange.
What is the most important thing to get right in Goombay Smash?
What follows is the standard bar version. The original, poured at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar on Green Turtle Cay, was created by Emily Cooper and the exact formula has never been published; her family still keeps it.
