Queen's Park Swizzle: A Caribbean Classic

The Queen's Park Swizzle is a classic rum cocktail that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1920s. It is a prominent member of a genre of cocktails from the West Indies that likely started in the 19th century but has gained recent popularity in New York. Other drinks in this genre include the Bermuda Swizzle and the Barbados Red Rum Swizzle.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces demerara rum
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 4 dashes angostura bitters
• Garnish with a mint sprig

Directions

• In a Collins or hurricane glass, gently muddle the mint sprig with the simple syrup to release the mint's oils.
• Add the lime juice, rum and crushed or pebble ice.
• Swizzle with a swizzle stick or bar spoon until frost forms on the outside of the glass.

The Queen's Park Hotel

The drink's name comes from the Queen's Park Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad, where it was first created in the 1920s. Port of Spain was a thriving trade center and vacation destination among the wealthy. The Queen's Park Savannah neighborhood was its leisure center of eating, drinking, and dancing, and the Queen's Park Hotel was the main attraction. The hotel opened on January 15, 1895.

During Prohibition in the United States, many well-to-do Americans left the country on weekend trips to the Caribbean where they could legally drink. The Queen's Park Hotel was one of the grandest hotel bars at the time. Bartenders were asked to concoct a signature drink, and they modified a popular drink of the era, the Daiquiri, by adding mint and locally made Angostura bitters. The Queen's Park Swizzle enjoyed many years of popularity, and Trader Vic's even named it “the most delightful form of anesthesia given out today” in 1946.

The Swizzle Stick

These drinks are “swizzled” with a swizzle stick, traditionally made from a tree native to the Caribbean called Quararibea turbinate, locally known as the swizzle stick tree. However, although there are wooden swizzle sticks in addition to metal and plastic ones today, they are usually not from the original tree.

Give it a twirl, and you'll understand why Tiki legend Trader Vic declared it “the most delightful form of anesthesia given out today.”

Best in warm weather, from afternoon refreshment into early-evening service. 🍹☀️🌴