Summer Drink Recipe: Flora-Bama Rum Punch

Certain cocktails have an immediate sense of place. Martinis should be sipped in old hotel bars, French rosé at alfresco lunches, and rum punch on the beach. There’s no better place to drink the latter than the Flora-Bama, a rough and rowdy, multi-tiered labyrinth of live music, picnic tables, and booze that straddles the border of Florida and Alabama. It’s my kind of place — you can dig your toes into the sand, or perch yourself on a patio and shotgun a beer with a view of the Gulf. You can even go to church there on Sunday (I’m not making that up).
When I’m at a beach bar, I immediately slip into vacation mode, and I shamelessly love the let’s-get-a-buzz-going-quick fix of a fruity rum punch. This is the Flora-Bama’s version (complete with their rum preferences) — feel free to change up the rum to suit your taste. Use freshly squeezed citrus juice for the best flavor.
1/2 ounce Bacardi light rum
1/2 ounce Captain Morgan Original
Spiced Rum
1/4 ounce Malibu rum
Splash of orange juice
Splash of pineapple juice
Splash of grenadine
Maraschino cherry
Orange slice
Combine all rums, the juices, and grenadine in a tall glass (or plastic cup). Add ice, stir to combine, and garnish with the maraschino cherry and orange slice.
– Donald Link excerpted from Down South: Bourbon, Pork, Gulf Shrimp & Second Helpings of Everything with Paula Disbrowe, Photography by Chris Granger (Clarkson Potter)
– DELTAMagazine.com