Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The trademark Bahamian dessert is guava duff, a boiled jellyroll filled with sweetened
guava paste and topped with guava butter or rum-infused cream sauce. Another yummy fa-
vorite is coconut tart, a thin baked pie with a sweetened shredded coconut filling. Banana
bread, coconut bread, cassava cake and carrot cake are staples of local bakery cases. On
Eleuthera, look out for sweet, tangy pineapple tarts and good-enough-to-eat-with-a-spoon
pineapple jam. Rum cakes, often sold in decorative tins, are a popular souvenir. Around
Christmas, a liquor-soaked fruit cake called black cake is a holiday treat.
Drinks
The Bahamian beer Kalik (say 'Ka-LICK') is fantastic, with golden bubbles and a sharp
flavor. Sands, a newer brew, is also wildly popular, comparable to light Mexican beers like
Corona. The national Bahamian cocktail could be the Goombay Smash, a lethally easy-to-
drink fruit juice and rum cocktail (see also
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)
, although the Bahama Mama is bet-
ter known. At the fish fry, locals suck down Sky Juice, a high-octane blend of gin, coconut
water and nutmeg.
Bahamas Best Bars
» Nipper's Beach Bar & Grill, Great Guana Cay, Abaco
» Blue Bar, Harbour Island, Eleuthera
» Margaritaville Sandbar, Grand Bahama
» Dune, Paradise Island
The infamous rum that bottoms up local cocktails is simply called 151, as it is 151 proof.
There is an excellent range of duty-free quality rums available in Nassau, including the Ba-
cardi line. Rums flavored with coconut, mango or pineapple are also popular.
Wine is widely sold, but costly. Be aware that some bottles will have been exposed to the
heat. Wine connoisseurs should head to the Graycliff Hotel in Nassau, with 250,000 bottles
of the rarest and finest vintages in a jaw-dropping cellar.
Non-alcoholic potables include Goombay Punch, a teeth-judderingly sweet fruit
punch-flavored soda; Goombay Junkanoo, a lemon-flavored version of the same; and Vit-
amalt, a malt-flavored soft drink. Canned coconut water is popular as well, and fresh pine-
apple and mango juices are common in higher-end hotels.
BAHAMA MAMA
Here is the makings of a classic Bahamian cocktail.
» ½ fl oz (15ml) dark rum
» ½ fl oz (15ml) coconut liqueur
» ¼ fl oz (8ml) 151%-proof rum
