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Beachcomber

beachcomberThe beachcomber is a fun and simple rum cocktail that offers an interesting mix of flavours which are most enjoyable on summer evenings. This drink is best described as a maraschino-flavoured daiquiri. Despite only using a small amount of maraschino liqueur, the dry cherry taste comes to the forefront of this otherwise transparent drink, giving it a nice, lively touch. The original beachcomber was printed in "Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide" (1947). That recipe called for the blended cocktail with more lime and less maraschino. This shaken version is Gary "Gaz" Regan's reinterpretation of the drink from his book, "The Joy of Mixology." Since most beachcomber variations use the same ingredients, it's fun to discover which you like best or revise it yourself to suit your taste.

2 oz light rum
1 oz triple sec
¼ oz maraschino liqueur
½ oz lime juice, freshly squeezed

In a cocktail shaker, pour the rum, triple sec, maraschino, and lime juice.

Fill with ice, and shake well.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Makes 1 cocktail.

Cook's Notes:

  • Be sure to choose a premium rum for this cocktail because the drink's light flavours will not mask any impurities in the spirit. You want to enhance the fruits with the rum, not bring them down.
  • Likewise, it's best to invest a little more money into a quality triple sec. Many of the cheapest options are too syrupy or have an artificial orange flavour that will not work well in this drink. Besides that, triple sec is one of the most used liqueurs in the bar and an upgrade will improve all of your daiquiris and margaritas.
  • Fresh lime juice is highly recommended to create the best-tasting beachcomber. You should get enough juice from one lime for one or two drinks.
  • Serving the beachcomber in a chilled glass will keep the drink colder to the very last sip.

Variations:

  • The beachcomber is such a popular cocktail that it has been remade many times over the years. Beyond the frozen cocktail option, there are other flavours that you can add to the drink.
  • One frozen version of this drink uses 2 oz light rum, ¾ oz each triple sec and lime juice, and 2 dashes of maraschino liqueur. Blend it with 1 cup of ice and ¼ tsp. simple syrup if desired.
  • A common variation is to replace the light rum with equal parts of coconut rum and vodka. You could also keep the light rum and split it with coconut vodka (Cîroc makes a fabulous one).
  • Add a splash of banana liqueur if you like.
  • Cherry brandy, Cherry Heering, and other cherry-flavoured liqueurs are often used as substitutes for the maraschino. Each of these options will result in a slightly sweeter drink and it will be best to skip the optional syrup.