Food
Vacation Libations: 5 Island-Inspired Cocktails
From Greece to Sicily and Puerto Rico, these original mixologist-made cocktail recipes capture the essence of the islands from which they come
Whether you’re globetrotting this time of year or plotting your next escape, these cocktails will get you in the mood. Sip them on-site if you’re lucky, or mix them up at home for pure vacation inspiration.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
A tropical storm of delicious proportions, this recipe comes from the heart of Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico, specifically from El Batey Taverna, the city’s oldest continuously run establishment and most iconic watering hole. Mario Seijo Rivera, the talented brain behind it, has been at the helm of San Juan’s cocktail scene for years.
The drink puts a caffeinated twist on the classic piña colada with a kick of espresso, an homage to Puerto Rico’s rich coffee culture and history. Equal parts strong and smooth with faintly sweet aromas and a bright finish, Puerto Rican espresso and the sunny, creamy piña colada were basically born to be together.
[Copyright: Marian Vejcik/Getty Images]
Bistrea Batida: The Recipe
Courtesy of Mario Seijo Rivera, manager at El Batey Tavern
30 ml Planteray Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple-Infused Rum
30 ml Espresso coffee
60 ml Pineapple juice
30 oz Coconut cream
7 ml Maraschino liquor
Shake and serve on ice in a double rocks glass, and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
Ibiza, Spain
On this Balearic island, crystalline waters meet bohemian soul, and sunset rituals are a way of life. This cocktail captures Ibiza’s ethereal energy, elegance and mysticism, layering a clean base of vodka and sake with the delicate sweetness of pear and the floral notes of jasmine. A subtle palo santo incense infusion evokes the spiritual essence of the island’s sunset ceremonies, grounding the drink in a sensory experience. Finished with a whisper of basil oil, it’s a modern elixir born for the golden hour.
[Copyright: Natalie_magic/Gettyimages]
Epiphany: The Recipe
Courtesy of Aleix Masso Ibarra, bar manager at Juls Ibiza
20 ml Vanilla-infused vodka (Aleix prefers Belvedere)
15 ml Sake
35 ml Pear juice
7 ml Distilled jasmine*
5 ml Distilled palo santo*
3 drops basil oil to garnish
Stir and serve in a stemmed glass, for example, a Nick and Nora.
*Find these, or similar niche flavourings, in the natural essences section of your grocer.
Ragusa, Sicily
From brilliant blue waters to bustling waterfront cities, Sicily really does have it all. Before heading off for some island-hopping, hit the buzzing port area of Marina di Ragusa. Il Mercato del Porto serves up serious vibes: music, contemporary cuisine with ultra-local roots, a fabulous open kitchen, 300 wine labels, and a cocktail bar overlooking a stunning sea view. Start your aperitivo with this drink, inspired by the infamous local Modica chocolate, Sicilian citrus and the prickly pear that grows rampant on the hillsides.
[Copyright: bhofack2/Gettyimages]
Bivi: The Recipe
Courtesy of Cristian Aparo, bartender at Mercato del Porto
45 ml Modica chocolate-infused red vermouth (or chocolate-infused vermouth)
30 ml Prickly pear liqueur
4 dashes orange bitters
Stir the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and strain into a chilled coupette glass.
Salina Island, Italy
Salina, also known as l’isola verde, is a marvel of lush vegetation amid the Eolian archipelago, an island chain just north of Sicily formed by ancient volcanoes. Salina’s two peaks, Monte Fossa delle Felci and Monte dei Porri, soar to altitudes of nearly 1,000 metres above sea level. Caper plants and grape vines blanket the fertile slopes and the valley between them.
At Signum Hotel and Spa, rambling plant life exists in harmony with the grounds of a former home converted into a series of idyllic terraces, with a Michelin-star restaurant serving rigorously local cuisine sourced mere metres away. At Signum bar, Raffaele Caruso has created a menu of island-inspired cocktails bursting with capers, citrus and even mulberries plucked from a nearby shrub. Here, a savoury base of caper-infused vodka gets a sunny lemon juice and spicy liqueur uplift, topped off with cucumber and mint – a sea breeze you feel and taste while gazing at endless blue.
[Copyright: Giò Martorana/Gettyimages]
Spicy Capp: The Recipe
Courtesy of Raffaele Caruso, manager at the Signum Bar
45 ml vodka infused with Salina capers
15 ml fresh-squeezed lemon juice
25 ml pepperoncino liqueur (hot red pepper)
2 slices fresh cucumber
4 fresh mint leaves
Shake and double strain. Serve in a chilled martini glass.
Chios Island, Greece
Chios Island, located in the Northern Aegean, is also known as the Mastiha Island. Its southern end is the only place on earth where the mastic trees produce a particularly aromatic and almost magically healing resin called mastiha.
It’s meticulously cultivated, tapped and cleaned according to centuries-old tradition in a series of UNESCO heritage villages. The mastic resin is a quality-regulated PDO product and is labelled accordingly, so you know you’re getting the real deal with its utterly unique flavour somewhere between mint, eucalyptus, coconut and juniper.
While classically sweet, the below recipe uses AXIA Mastiha, a modern iteration of the distilled resin liquor made without added sugar for a crisp, clean botanical experience. In fact, it’s a great stand-in for gin, tequila blanco or even vodka. Your bottle won’t go to waste.
Our recipe comes straight from a Chios native and in-demand mixologist, Giannis Miliotis. When working behind the bar on the island, he integrates as many local ingredients as possible from Chios and the surrounding islands to pack them with quintessential Mediterranean freshness; mandarin oranges on Chios are known in particular for their intense, heady aromas.
Aegean Breeze: The Recipe
Courtesy of Giannis Miliotis, mixologist, brand manager, former bar manager of Oz Cocktail Bar and Oz Bay
40 ml Axia Mastiha Spirit
10 ml Mandarin cordial*
10 ml Red bitter aperitivo (eg. Campari)
120 ml Tonic water
Garnish in a highball with a big lemon wedge and a lemon peel.
*Chios Island is famous for its citrus groves, especially mandarin oranges. It’s easy to find mandarin cordial over there, but as long as you have access to the citrus, you can easily make it yourself.
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