Mixology 101 – Drink of the Week

In search of this week’s drink of the week, I decided to travel to the tropics. No, I did not make the trip out of Cape May County. I simply made the drive to North Wildwood’s own tropical paradise and home to a lively bunch of pirates, Coconut Cove. After a short stroll through the bar and restaurant’s sand flooring, I was ready for a frozen fruity cocktail to complete the island vibe. Thirstier than usual and unwilling to leave my perch at the waterfront dockside bar, my Coconut Cove quest resulted in an unprecedented three-way drink of the week tie.

After requesting that he surprise me, bartender Charlie first blended the “One Love”. A similar hue to a piña colada, it tasted like the perfect dessert treat. Suspicious that I was in fact sipping on a milkshake, I questioned Charlie on the One Love’s contents. Kahlua, Bailey’s, Ice Cream Flavored Cocktail Mix, and Vanilla Vodka blend beautifully to mask this tropical treat’s alcoholic ingredients, making it too good to resist.

In yet another tribute to the great reggae master Bob Marley, Charlie then blended a “We Be Jammin’”. A slight shade darker than the “One Love”, I expected to taste a similar flavor combination. I could not have been more wrong…The “We Be Jammin’”, blended with more Kahlua, Bailey’s, Crème de Cacao Light, and pina colada mix, tasted more fruity, equally sweet, less vanilla, and more chocolatey than my previous “One Love” cocktail. Charlie explained that the Crème de Cacao Light adds a slight hint of chocolate flavor without overwhelming the other ingredients and without the overly sweet, syrupy tendency of most chocolate liqueur.

Last but certainly not least, Charlie set the “Berrrrried Treasure” before me. Black cherry rum, Cruzan, Strawberry Daiquiri mix, and a hint of amaretto to “set these cherry and strawberry flavors off” resulted in this refreshing, berrylicious frozen cocktail and my ultimate tropical ecstasy.

By Megan Kummer