Bermuda Is Fun. Sometimes.

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Bermuda Is Fun. Sometimes.

Feb 07, 2022

On a 90 minute flight, you can arrive at an azure water paradise (that’s of course if you live in New York). The self-governing British territory of Bermuda is a tropical blip out in the North Atlantic Ocean that feels like it should be in the Caribbean seas with Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. The island is best known for its pink sandy beaches + its titular role in the Bermuda Triangle.

I went to Bermuda years ago for my 30th birthday and had such an interesting time there. We rode on a moped through the island + got exceptionally sunburned by day 2. We couldn’t go into the water some days because of severe Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish infestations and were taken aback by how folks actually wore Bermuda shorts as a part of a three-piece suit for work. Man, what an island.

Before getting the worst sunburn of our lives! 😆

At a public park going through my Solange phase. IYKYK.

Bermuda is well known for its Goslings brand rum and ginger beer which is used for the popular cocktail Dark ‘n Stormy. Another Bermudan cocktail that also uses Goslings rum, but isn’t as well known is Swizzle. The drink that sounds like the name of a rapper is actually considered to be Bermuda’s national drink and the name comes from what folks use to mix the drink which is a swizzle stick that comes from the Quararibea turbinata tree. Recipes vary from place to place on the island and from person to person. It’s said that many Bermudan families have their own secret recipe for how Swizzle should be made.

The main ingredients are light and dark rum, orange and pineapple juice, falernum (syrup liqueur or non-alcoholic syrup from the Caribbean), and aromatic bitters. It is the perfect drink to have on the beach as you slather aloe on your sunburn and refrain from entering the sting-filled waters. My recipe uses grenadine instead of falernum + I forgot to add my bitters in the cocktail video. I suggest using whatever you find and as always you can adjust my recipe to your liking. Let me know if you try it out!