Friday Happy Hour: Enjoying a Sweet Cruzan Breeze at Carambola
To kick off my 40th birthday celebration here in St. Croix, I had originally planned to start today doing something fun and active that I’d never done before. Horseback riding in the rainforest, hiking the nature trail on Buck Island, or getting an initial scuba lesson were all under consideration.
Then I ran into this guy, and all bets were off.
This is a Cruzan Breeze. I came to know him about an hour ago at the Carambola Beach Resort on St. Croix’s north shore, located just a ways down the road from Eat @ Cane Bay, where the celebration is set to REALLY get going later this afternoon. You may already know my new friend – there’s a recipe printed right on the Cruzan Rum website – but according to the bartender here at Carambola, you probably don’t know the drink’s origin story.
The bartender in question is named Mark. He’s originally from Quebec City, Canada, but has been a fixture here at Carambola for four years. Always friendly, calm and easy going, Mark mixes drinks just the way you want ’em, and always with a smile that keeps you coming back for more.
According to Mark, he was instructed in the finer points of mixing a Cruzan Breeze from the former chef at Lobster Reef, a nice little seaside restaurant just a few miles up the shore. The chef passed away several years ago, but Mark carried on the recipe tradition to the delight of Carambola guests.
- 1-1/2 oz Cruzan Pineapple Rum
- 1-1/2 oz Cruzan Banana Rum
- 1-1/2 oz Cruzan Coconut Rum
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
- 1 oz Orange Juice
- 1 oz Cranberry Juice
Eventually, the folks at Cruzan Rum got wind of the recipe and started using it in the promotional materials. This, of course, was a wise decision as the drink employs not one, not two, but three different types of flavored Cruzan Rums in its construction!
If you like sweet, refreshing and easy to mix cocktails that are big on fruit flavor, then this is the drink for you! Here’s how you make it…
Grab your shaker and combine your pineapple, banana and coconut rums. Next, add equal amounts of pineapple, cranberry and orange juices. Mix and pour over ice. That’s it!
Simplicity, though, is not the only thing that’s great about this tropical cocktail. Take it from Mark:
The great thing about this drink is its flexibility. If you don’t like pineapple, banana or coconut, you can always substitute any of the other flavored Cruzan Rums to suit your taste.
Sitting here right now on a sizzling hot day at Carambola, I can also add that it’s very refreshing, and probably going down a bit too smoothly for what we’ve got planned later tonight.
Oh well, you only turn 40 once, right? I, for one, aim to enjoy it to the fullest!
Cheers!
