Blog | Page 39 of 63 | Rum Therapy

October 7, 2013May 29, 2019

Mamajuana from the Dominican Republic

Rumored to have medicinal as well as aphrodisiac properties, we set out to find out more about Mamajuana during our recent visit to the Dominican Republic. We had actually heard, and even sampled Mamajuana at the Mt. Pellier Domino Club on St. Croix, where Norma is famous for her batches of Mamajuana, but apparently it actually originated from the Taino Indians in the Dominican Republic and is considered a native drink of the DR. Regardless, it is widely available in the DR and we sampled a good amount of it while there – for research purposes, of course…

Mamajuana is pronounced mama-whan-a, not mama-joo-whan-a as we were corrected numerous times! This powerful elixir is a mixture of red wine, honey and rum that is soaked in a bottle with twigs, bark, leaves and herbs. Different spices are sometimes used as well. Each bottle tastes a bit different, depending on the mixture and the amount of time spent soaking together.

Mamajuana is commonly consumed as a shot, but we also sampled several beverages made with Mamajuana, such as a Mamajuana Mojito and a Motokoncho (Mamajuana, DR Rum, vodka and cherries). Many Dominican Republic natives believe Mamajuana can cure many ailments, from the common cold and flu to more serious conditions and is widely touted as an aphrodisiac. We were told it was probably best to sample Mamajuana at our resort or a restaurant and not just a roadside stand to be safe.

We brought a bottle back with us, to enjoy a little more of the taste of the DR at home and to try to create some Mamjuana of our own. With proper care, the twigs, herbs and leaves found in the bottle can be re-used for a number of years to create more batches of Mamjuana.

Just wish we could have brought a little of this back with us as well…

Beautiful beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Have you tried Mamajuana?

To see more posts like this, check out our Island Blog Directory

Rum Recipes

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

October 1, 2013June 24, 2021

Great Fall Rum Recipes

Most of us probably prefer to enjoy our rum on a gorgeous warm and sandy beach somewhere in the tropics, but when the leaves AND temperatures begin to fall, we can still cook up some rumlicious recipes to warm us up on the inside. Enjoy the tastes of fall…and rum!

Gingerbread Rum Latte

Pumpkin and Spiced Rum Cupcakes

Rum Glazed Caramel Corn

Pumpkin Spiced Rum Cocktail

Pumpkin Rum Pie with Rum Flavored Whipped Cream

More Rum Recipes

Need suggestions on what rum to use? Check out our Rum Therapy Reader’s Choice Rum Picks!

September 30, 2013June 24, 2021

Apple Mojito

Yet another good way to use those delicious fresh apples this fall – make Apple Mojitos! Brown sugar tastes so good with apples and we preferred lemon juice over lime (which is normally used for mojitos).
Mmmm…enjoy the taste of fall!

Jump to Recipe

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Print Recipe

Apple Mojito

Another delicious way to use all those Fall apples!

Course: Drinks

Servings:

Ingredients

2 oz. Gold Rum
2 tsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
6-8 Mint Leaves
4 oz. Apple Juice
3 slices Apple
Club Soda

Instructions

Put brown sugar, mint, lemon juice and one slice of apple in a tall glass and muddle.
Add the rum and stir.
Fill a the glass with crushed ice and add the apple juice, stir.
Top it off with a few splashes of club soda to fill and garnish with the remaining apple slices.

Notes

This recipe calls for a tall glass, but we sure love our mason jars!!

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

Survey Says….

We had such a great response to our recent Rum Therapy Survey and you gave us some fantastic feedback and suggestions – which will be very helpful as Rum Therapy continues to evolve! We thought we’d just highlight a few comments and answer a few of the questions asked.

1. Would like to see more on the Western Caribbean and Cuba, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Belize, Florida. etc.
We agree! Though we’ve visited many of these places already, our visits took place before digital pictures (and Rum Therapy) and we’d like to re-visit, re-photograph and make sure the information is fairly current before posting. So…it may be a while before we have them all covered – that is, of course, unless we get contacted by a travel company to partner with them….(hint!hint!)

2. “More out of the way places.” “Just keep including the out of the way and hidden gems”
These are our favorite kind of places, so we will definitely continue to try and discover and feature them, along with some of the areas that are more popular that people may want to check out.

3. Just keep the recipes coming and I’m all in!
No problem!

4. Not yet just waiting for more, you can’t do it all at once or it would be over, And I don’t want that to happen!
Kinda like those vacations that we all plan so hard for and look forward to!

5. I believe you cover a bit of everything a true rum bum needs to know regarding adult beverages and tropical locations that serve great adult beverages. :-)
Oh good! Thank you!

6. I think it will be cool if there was a place people could share their experiences at the places you guys suggest on your website!
Hmmm. That would be a good idea…

7. Be sure to add historical and legend information and context where you can. It adds color to already colorful destinations.
O.k. We’ll try to add more of that info when possible.

8. Restaurants and Shopping
We usually cover the bar/restaurant type of establishments, but will certainly cover other restaurants and shopping areas as we visit them.

9. “The Shop area…love to see more clothing & accessories.” “A bigger variety of merchandise in the store. You can never have too much Rum Therapy!” “Larger sizes for women”
We’ll be launching some brand new products soon – just in time for the holiday season!!

10. Maybe expand a little on Charter opportunities/companies so that folks can get around to all these beach bars and sample all the Rum!
We’ll definitely have more info for you on this after the Rum Therapy flotilla!

11. More local businesses…help promote the people who make the islands unique and support the culture.
Definitely.

12. Maybe add a resort that would take a percent off their price if we mention your site.
Resorts, hotels, condos, villas – contact us if you’d like to participate in a program like this. I think it’s a great idea!!

13 Excellent resource for our travel needs, daily therapy…
Yeah!! That’s what we like to hear!

14. Maybe showcasing bartenders at some of the awesome beach bars. They always seem to have interesting stories.
Fabulous. I think that would be a great addition to our “Making Your Tropical Obsession Your Profession” series. Know of a bartender with a great story about how they ended up at a tropical beach bar? Let us know!

15. Cant think of anything that you have overlooked, maybe some stories or info on the history of Rum and its production.
Yes, that would be good info to cover from time to time!

Even though the survey is over, we are always open to your ideas and suggestions. Contact us anytime to let us know what’s on your mind!

Cheers!

September 26, 2013December 30, 2025

Dominican Coco Loco

Since we will be visiting the Dominican Republic very soon, we started looking for rum drinks and cocktails from the area to try while we’re there. One that we’ve run across a few times is the Coco Loco. Although there are several versions floating around the internet, this one was identified as a Dominican Coco Loco. We’ll do a little research while down there and let you know if this is close. Even if we nailed the recipe though, I have a sneaky suspicion it may just taste even better served in a coconut on a beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic sunshine…

Update – it definitely tastes better served in a coconut on a beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic, but this recipe will suffice for a little daydreaming!

Print Recipe

Dominican Coco Loco

Servings:

Ingredients

2 oz White Rum
.5 oz Amaretto
1 oz Cream of Coconut
1 tsp Grenadine
4 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Milk
1/2 c Ice
1 Maraschino Cherry or Pineapple slice for Garnish

Instructions

Pour the rum, Amaretto, cream of coconut, grenadine, milk and ice into a blender and blend until smooth.
Add the pineapple juice and continue to blend until smooth.
Pour into a glass, then garnish with a cherry or a slice of pineapple.

Find more rum recipes here:

Rum Recipe Picture Directory

Rum Recipes by Category

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

September 24, 2013April 21, 2021

Sandy Island, Carriacou

Spending time on a deserted tropical island has always held a certain allure to me. Not long enough to name a volleyball (or coconut) Wilson, but long enough to forget the noise of the everyday hustle and bustle and to hear yourself think again. No cell phone service, just the sound of the water lapping the shore…

With the ease of travel nowadays and the popularity of the Caribbean and other tropical locations, it isn’t always easy to find a deserted spot anymore. During two different sails to the Grenadines, we ran across a few islands that we were lucky enough to have to ourselves for a day, or at least a few hours and loved every quiet minute of it.

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Petit Tabac and Mopion were two deserted and uninhabited islands that we visited during a week long catamaran sail in the Grenadines, and we spent time on Sandy Island, off the shores of Carriacou, during our sail with Island Windjammers.

Sandy Island is not easy to get to (perhaps this is why you can still spend time alone on the island) and is little more than a spit of sand on a cay off of – what I believe is the largest of the Grenadine islands, Carriacou.

Those who sail in the Grenadines have found this little gem, and during high season you might actually share Sandy Island with a few other island loving friends.

Even though our sail was during high season, we enjoyed an afternoon on Sandy Island with just a few of our boatmates, swimming, snorkeling in the clear and abundant water, exploring the tiny island and soaking in the sun (o.k – and a little rum!).

Makeshift hammock on Sandy Island

Floatin’ in the clear water taking pictures of the shore

Leaving a couple of footprints in the gorgeous soft, white sand.

Checking out the coral, shell and driftwood sculptures left by other visitors.

And adding a small piece of driftwood on top of a cairn as a remembrance to the time we got to spend on beautiful Sandy Island, Carriacou.

We spent a few minutes making a video to remember the sights and sounds of Sandy Island, then reluctantly left the little slice of deserted island paradise….

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

September 23, 2013June 24, 2021

Mojito Jello Shots

I’ve been wanting to try this recipe from A Beautiful Mess for a while now, but well, it looked like work and I thought it might make a not so beautiful mess in our kitchen. I had some free time last week so I thought I’d give it a shot (yes, intended).

I’m glad I did, ’cause it looked kinda cool and would be great to make for parties, but to be truthful, unless you need to amaze someone with a really cool looking shot for an adult get-together, you can also just put ’em in the little plastic shot glasses for the same taste with a lot less work!

Print Recipe

Mojito Jello Shots in Lime Wedges

Amazing jello shot presentation!

Course: Drinks

Ingredients

1 c. Water
1 c. Sugar
3 envelopes Unflavored Gelatin
3/4 c. Lime Juice
3-4 stems Mint Leaves
1 c. White Rum
15 Limes

Instructions

Combine water and sugar over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin. (Hint: we added all 3 packs at one time and it clumped terribly. Next time I will try adding one pack at a time and stirring each until it dissolves completely.)
Add the lime juice and two stems of mint with the leaves. Let sit for 15 minutes. Remove the mint and stir in the rum.
Cut the limes in half and remove the pulp, being careful not to poke a hole in the rind ( I did on a couple of them and the jello leaked right through). I removed the pulp by taking a sharp knife and cutting around the edges, then using a melon baller to scoop the pulp out. It’s not easy, but the lime shells don’t need to look perfect. Believe me…
Pour jello into the lime shells. If wanted, take the remaining mint leaves and break them into small pieces. Sprinkle them sparsely on top of the jello and lime halves. Refrigerate the lime halves for at least 3 hours, then cut each half into half again, marvel at the way they look and serve.
As I mentioned before, you can also forgo the lime shells and pour the Mojito Jello into 2 oz. plastic shot glasses (like these: 2 oz Plastic Jello Shot Cups with Lids- 125ct) for an equally good taste. The presentation is not quite as cool, but it’s much easier :)

As I mentioned before, you can also forgo the lime shells and pour the Mojito Jello into 2 oz. plastic shot glasses (like these: 2 oz Plastic Jello Shot Cups with Lids- 125ct) for an equally good taste. The presentation is not quite as cool, but it’s much easier.

copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

September 17, 2013September 17, 2013

Rum Therapy Reader’s Choice – Rum Picks

RUM.

We usually shy away from giving our recommendations on the “best” rums for mixing and the “best” rums for sipping, because, well, we’re simply not rum experts. We know what we like, but that doesn’t mean it’s “the best” for anything – we just like it! Although there are definitely better rums than others, rum tastes are still pretty subjective.

That being said, it is good to have some suggestions or options to begin with – especially when considering a purchase of an entire bottle that you’d like to be reasonably assured that you will want to finish! Recently we polled our wonderful Rum Therapy Facebook Friends on their favorite rums in 3 categories; light mixing, gold mixing and sipping. We figured it would be good to have a sampling of answers from a bunch of rum lovers and the following list is a compilation of those answers, which, as you can imagine, are all over the board! Are your favorites on the list?

For more advice, be sure to check out the websites of some of the wonderful rum experts out there, such as our friend Dave Russell of Rum Gallery or Robert Burr’s Rum Guide.

Cheers!

White Mixing Rums
Bacardi Superior
Cruzan Aged Light Rum
Mount Gay Silver
Blue Chair Bay White Rum
Don Q Cristal
Shellback Silver Rum
Siesta Key Silver
Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum
Havana Club 3 Años
Brugal Especial Extra Dry
Appleton White
Tommy Bahama White Sands
Margaritaville Silver Rum
Castillo Silver
Whaler’s Great White Rum
Coral Bay White Rum
Naked Turtle White Rum

Gold Mixing Rums
Mount Gay Eclipse
Bacardi Gold
Appleton V/X, Reserve or 12 Year
Cruzan Aged
Gosling’s Gold
Old Mill Gold Rum

Sipping Rums
Mount Gay Extra Old
Dos Maderas 5+3 and 5+5
Thomas Tew
Zaya
Brugal Anejo or Extra Viejo
Appleton 21 Year
Santa Teresa 1796
Prichard’s Fine Rum
Oronoco
Gosling’s Old Rum
Arundel 10 Year
Chairman’s Reserve – The Forgotten Cask
Shellback Spiced Rum
Rhum Barbancourt Five Star or Estate Reserve
Seven Fathoms
Pyrat XO Reserve
Sebastian’s
Ron Anejo Pampero Aniversario
Kirk and Sweeney 12 year
Ron Zacapa XO or 23
Flor de Caña Centenario 18 or 25
Ron del Barrilito 3 Star
El Dorado 15
Bacardi Oakheart
Sailor Jerry
Pusser’s
Captain Morgan Private Stock
Kraken
Bones
Seven Fathoms
RedRum

Need some rum cocktail recipes?

Rum Recipe Directory

Rum Recipes by Pictures

September 16, 2013May 29, 2019

Pinel Island, St. Martin

In the northern part of Orient Bay on the French side of St. Martin and just off the town of Cul de Sac, lies a small island called Pinel. Depending on who you talk to or the travel guide you read, Pinel Island can also be called Isle Pinel, Ilet Pinel, or Ile de Pinel.

We visited Pinel Island last year during a sail around St. Maarten/ St. Martin, but if staying on or visiting St. Martin, Pinel Island is very easily accessed by ferry from the town of Cul de Sac.

The day we visited, Pinel Island was very busy and the beach was much more crowded than we normally like and we hear that is really pretty normal for the small island – and many people obviously don’t mind the crowds! Even though we’d probably rather spend the day at a quieter beach somewhere, we still had fun and recommend a visit for the following reasons:

Pinel Island main beach has lovely soft sand and the water is clear and very calm. It’s a great area to bring the family to play in the water. You can also kayak over from St. Martin.

A short hike from the beach you can find a snorkel trail with decent snorkeling and we were told that snorkel equipment can be rented there.

If you continue up the trail from the snorkel trail and you’ll be treated to fantastic views of St. Martin and Orient Beach.

At the top of the trail you get a good look at the island of Tintamarre and if you look south, you may even catch a glimpse of St. Barths.

There are also a couple of more deserted beaches on Pinel that you can reach and explore via a short hike.

Umbrellas and chairs on the beach in front of Up on the Key Beach Bar/Restaurant

After your hike, you might want to head back down to sit under a beach umbrella and enjoy a frosty beverage. At the time of our visit, there were three beach bars/restaurants on Pinel: Karabuni, Up on the Key and Yellow Beach.

Karabuni Beach Bar/Restaurant. Known for it’s fresh Lobster

Yellow Beach Bar/Restaurant (located under the thatched roofs)

While writing this article, I found a FB link for Up on the Key that said the beach bar/restaurant was razed this past July amid some controversy (see article in The Daily Herald), so as of this writing, it looks as if Up on the Key is no longer located on Pinel Island. For those of you that have been there, it was the two story structure in between Karabundi and Yellow Beach. Too bad – they served up some good rum drinks and friendly conversation and I’m sure the beach looks quite different now.

Just a few more colorful images from our day of sun, fun and rum at Pinel Island, St. Martin…

Find Pinel Island on our St. Maarten/St. Martin Map

To find more posts on St. Martin and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

September 14, 2013May 29, 2019

Colombier Beach, St. Barths

We haven’t gotten to visit all of the beaches on St. Barts…yet, but we were certainly impressed with a beautiful, hard to get to beach on the islands northwest tip called Colombier Beach. Accessible only by boat or by one of two challenging trails, this gorgeous beach is well worth the effort to get there.

Known by boaters for its calm anchorage and beautiful blue water, you may encounter a few boats (and yachts) at anchor, but probably very few people on the beach.

Colombier Beach is still called Rockefeller Beach by some because the land around it was for many years owned by David Rockefeller.

Besides the challenge of getting to Colombier Beach, one of the things that makes it different from the other beautiful St. Barts beaches is the unusual rock formations found on either end of the beach. Although rocky on either end, the middle of the beach is excellent for swimming with a nice bottom.

The way the water weaves in and around the rocks makes for some beautiful pictures. Snorkeling in the water around these rocks can be very good when the surf is calm.

We arrived by boat, so we thought we’d take the path partway to Flamands Beach to see what it was like.

The path was rugged and hugged the coast overlooking the north side of St. Barths. You can see Flamands in the picture below in the distance.

We turned around when the path got too steep and rocky to be crossed with our flip flops and headed back to Colombier Beach for more of this….

Colombier Beach has no amenities and very little shade (unless you find a pocket of shade among the rocks), so be sure to bring some food, drink (plenty of water) and sunscreen.

As the sun wore one, the color of the sand seemed to turn a beautiful gold color which was breathtaking against the vibrant blue water.

We left just a few more footprints in the sand, then dinghied back to the boat having enjoyed our day of seclusion and beauty on Colombier Beach.

Find Colombier Beach on our St. Barths Map

To see more posts on St. Barths and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC