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"The addition of coffee liqueur elevates this cocktail without overpowering it and makes it a unique and delicious tiki drink and a great inclusion for a rum-based or tiki-style bar hire.."
How to make ...
Bahama Mamma
The Bahama Mama is a unique, tiki-styled mixture of dark, overproof and coconut rum, coffee liqueur, grenadine, and lime, pineapple and orange juice.
Method
Take your Boston glass or small tin and, using your jigger to measure, add the rum, Kahlua and juice to the shaker.
Using your Mexican elbow and a jigger to measure, squeeze 25ml of lime juice and add to the shaker.
Using your bar spoon (5ml), measure 5ml of grenadine and add to the shaker with a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters.
Fill your shaker with cubed ice and seal, before shaking vigorously for 10-15 seconds or until your tin is very cold.
Using your Hawthorne strainer, strain the drink into a tall glass filled with fresh cubed ice.
Garnish with a cocktail cherry and an orange slice.
Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Shaker
Bar spoon
Jigger/Measure
Hawthorne Strainer
Mexican Elbow
Cubed Ice
History
Like many tiki cocktails, the recipe for a Bahama Mama is pretty open to interpretation. Various cocktail books and websites list recipes for this classic drink which vary hugely from publication to publication. Whilst almost all recipes specify coconut liqueur, coffee liqueur or a combination of the two, some omit both these ingredients entirely, opting for more of a Hurricane-style rum punch.
One generally agreed upon fact is that this cocktail takes its name from Caribbean dancer and performer Dottie Lee Anderson who also performed under the stage name ‘Bahama Mama’ and even featured on the US Billboard charts during the 1950s. There were also a number of Goombay and Junkanoo (native music styles of the Bahamas) songs named Bahama Mama throughout the 50s that may have inspired the name.
Some theorise that the cocktail’s creation and popularity can be attributed to the Bahamas’ use as a port for smuggling rum during Prohibition, which ironically was a catalyst for many innovations in the world of cocktails and drinking culture.
With such widespread popularity and a variety of recipes, it’s surprising that there isn’t much controversy surrounding this classic tiki drink. With no original or official recipe agreed upon there doesn’t appear to be any set rules to making the Bahama Mama.
Whilst Bahamian bartender Oswald ‘Slade’ Greenslade, claims to have invented the drink—with seemingly little to no evidence to back this up—there doesn’t seem to be any disputes to his claim, despite the first appearances of the drink being only 10 years after his birth in 1943. Perhaps he was a child prodigy.
Allergens
No common allergens to be found, although, since every body is different, we advise you check out this recipe's ingredients list just to be sure!Ingredients
15ml Dark Rum
10ml Overproof Rum
15ml Coconut Rum
15ml Kahlua
25ml Orange Juice
25ml Pineapple Juice
25ml Lime Juice
5ml Grenadine
1-2 Dash Angostura Bitters
Cocktail Cherry and Orange Slice to Garnish
Times:
Prep: 2 Minutes
Make: 30 Seconds
Total: 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds
Calories:
227 Calories
Servings:
Serves 1
Method
Take your Boston glass or small tin and, using your jigger to measure, add the rum, Kahlua and juice to the shaker.
Using your Mexican elbow and a jigger to measure, squeeze 25ml of lime juice and add to the shaker.
Using your bar spoon (5ml), measure 5ml of grenadine and add to the shaker with a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters.
Fill your shaker with cubed ice and seal, before shaking vigorously for 10-15 seconds or until your tin is very cold.
Using your Hawthorne strainer, strain the drink into a tall glass filled with fresh cubed ice.
Garnish with a cocktail cherry and an orange slice.
Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Shaker
Bar spoon
Jigger/Measure
Hawthorne Strainer
Mexican Elbow
Cubed Ice
History
Like many tiki cocktails, the recipe for a Bahama Mama is pretty open to interpretation. Various cocktail books and websites list recipes for this classic drink which vary hugely from publication to publication. Whilst almost all recipes specify coconut liqueur, coffee liqueur or a combination of the two, some omit both these ingredients entirely, opting for more of a Hurricane-style rum punch.
One generally agreed upon fact is that this cocktail takes its name from Caribbean dancer and performer Dottie Lee Anderson who also performed under the stage name ‘Bahama Mama’ and even featured on the US Billboard charts during the 1950s. There were also a number of Goombay and Junkanoo (native music styles of the Bahamas) songs named Bahama Mama throughout the 50s that may have inspired the name.
Some theorise that the cocktail’s creation and popularity can be attributed to the Bahamas’ use as a port for smuggling rum during Prohibition, which ironically was a catalyst for many innovations in the world of cocktails and drinking culture.
With such widespread popularity and a variety of recipes, it’s surprising that there isn’t much controversy surrounding this classic tiki drink. With no original or official recipe agreed upon there doesn’t appear to be any set rules to making the Bahama Mama.
Whilst Bahamian bartender Oswald ‘Slade’ Greenslade, claims to have invented the drink—with seemingly little to no evidence to back this up—there doesn’t seem to be any disputes to his claim, despite the first appearances of the drink being only 10 years after his birth in 1943. Perhaps he was a child prodigy.
Allergens
No common allergens to be found, although, since every body is different, we advise you check out this recipe's ingredients list just to be sure!Recommended
The Bahama Mama is a pretty run-of-the-mill, tropical-fruit-and-rum, tiki cocktail, except for the inclusion of a drop of coffee liqueur which provides extra warmth, depth and richness and an almost chocolatey sweetness.
The addition of coffee liqueur elevates this cocktail without overpowering it and makes it a unique and delicious tiki drink and a great inclusion for a rum-based or tiki-style bar hire.
Unlike many of its tiki cousins, the Bahama Mama is not a hugely potent cocktail, whilst it still calls for a combination of rums as well as the all-important coffee liqueur, the relatively small measurements of liquor and high volume of juice when compared to other tiki cocktails, make this a good lower ABV choice to round out a powerful tiki menu.
Those planning a rum-based menu may want to serve a range of sweet and dry cocktails, like many tiki drinks the Bahama Mama is quite a sweet cocktail. To suit the tastes of those guests who prefer a stronger, dryer cocktail you may want to think about pairing this with some more classic rum drinks like the Mojito or the classic Daiquiri.
The Bahama Mama has a lot of ingredients which makes it a fairly complex cocktail to make and it could prove a little slower to serve than other drinks. Those wanting to include the Bahama Mama on their menu may want to include some simpler cocktails to help regulate speed of service; Dark & Stormys are a great quick rum drink with enough balance to suit all palates.
If you’re planning on featuring the Bahama Mama on your menu and want to know more about what drinks may be good to serve alongside it, be sure to speak to your event organiser about your options, or check out some other rum-based, tropical and tiki-style cocktails from our list.
