Canned Drinks That Capture the Refreshing Taste of the Caribbean

You’ve just returned from your way-too-short vacation in the Caribbean and miss the sun, the fun, and the overall refreshing atmosphere. What can you do to keep the spirit of the Caribbean with you a little longer besides looking at pictures and videos?

The answer is simple: have a delicious beverage that captures the refreshing taste of the islands! 

Even better, you can find lots of canned beverages that taste like the tropics at your local store. And if you want something fancier and more unique, you can make your own delicious Caribbean-like beverages. 

We put together a short list of delicious canned beverages you can try, and for those who’d like to try creating their own beverage, we have a few interesting tips. So stay tuned!

Popular Beverages in the Caribbean

The taste of the Caribbean is an explosion of spicy, savory, and sweet flavors. Key characteristics include fresh fruits such as mangoes, pineapples, coconuts, and oranges. Also, alcoholic beverages have specific and unique notes you can’t find anywhere else.

So, if you’re at your local store, here’s what to look for:

Beverages that Taste Like Rum

The Caribbean is not just a place where you go to get uniquely-flavored rum. It’s the very birthplace of this delicious alcoholic beverage, and each island has unique rum-making traditions. 

Authentic rum is hard to come by and quite pricey, but you can find lots of canned beverages that have rum flavor. If you’re looking for something a bit more interesting, look for beverages that actually contain rum. 

Coconut Water

In all fairness, canned coconut water at your local supermarket doesn’t taste like the original Caribbean recipe, but it’s still delicious. Plus, you can use it to make scrumptious cocktails for your friends and family. 

Caribbean Beer

Caribbean beer has a crisp, light to medium-body flavor profile, which is generally very refined and easy to drink. The flavor can range from mildly sweet to a dry bitterness depending on the specific brand and style. 

Speaking of brands, some of the most popular ones are Banks, Kubuli, and Blackbeard Ale (to name a few). 

Fruit Juice & Tea

The easiest way to teleport yourself back to the Caribbean is to make yourself a glass of fresh tropical fruit juice. And for those times when you’re feeling fancy, we recommend a cup of Caribbean tea.

In all fairness, you can find both the juice and the tea in supermarkets, but if you have fruits and tea bags at home, it’s best to enjoy them freshly made.

Cocktails in a Can

Besides gorgeous beaches and fun times in the water, the Caribbeans’ other promise is delicious and colorful cocktails. The islands have an abundance of unique boozy concoctions (most based on rum and fruits) that will keep you in a state of happiness and bewilderment throughout your entire vacation. 

The offer is so diverse that you could try a new cocktail every day for the span of your stay. From classics like Pina Colada and Cuba Libre to more exotic options like Goombay Smash and Blue Curaçao. 

Now, the best part is that you can continue your exploration of Caribbean cocktails even after your vacation is over and the memories of the sun and beach are starting to fade. 

Most stores nowadays have a variety of canned cocktails on their offer, and the taste is decent. Sure, a canned cocktail doesn’t have the same fragrance and punch as a freshly made one, but it’s a great way to remind yourself of the fun days you spent in the Caribbean.

Make Your Own Caribbean-Themed Beverage

If you’re a brewer or like mixing cocktails, you have the skills to bottle (or can) the Caribbean taste in a way that’s uniquely yours.

Create a Refreshing Beer

Caribbean beer is amazing, but if you could add to it, what would that be?

We recommend trying to create a citrusy beer with a hint of hoppy bitterness. Classic Caribbean beer doesn’t feature a fruity profile, but you can find a wide range of independently produced lagers that capture the wild diversity of tropical fruits.

Quick tip: Thiolized yeast plays a vital role in adding that hoppy bitterness to beers with strong citrusy and tropical fruit flavors. This type of yeast is usually used to create intensely hop-forward styles like American IPA with exotic aromas like grapefruit, passion fruit, and guava.

Mix a Unique Cocktail

Creating Caribbean-inspired cocktails is all about incorporating the flavors of the islands, such as fruits, spices, and, of course, rum. You also must have grenadine, which is a sweet, red syrup made from pomegranate seeds that can add both sweetness and beautiful color to your drink.

Another must-have is bitters, which are water and alcohol infused with botanicals, which impart mild bitterness that helps to balance out the sweetness of the sugar cane syrup (try to find raw Demerara Sugar Syrup).

If you’re looking for an easy-to-make Caribbean classic, you can’t ignore the Mojito. Originally from Havana, Cuba, this crisp and cool drink contains 4 ingredients available in most households and white rum. Once you learn how to make it, you can play with the flavors and quantities to create your own special mojitos.

Enjoy the Caribbean to Its Fullest!

The Caribbean is much more than a place for fun and relaxation; it’s a location that sparks inspiration and joy every time you think about it. And now, you can continue to enjoy it through your choice of beverages (canned or homemade).