Status Updates From Beachbum Berry's Potions of...

Eek. Pretty consistent saga of capitalism-fed colonialism through the centuries. Spiked pineapple juice and slushies replace the homegrown rum punch ☹️

Joe Scialom and his graceful fade into obscurity humbly compliment his standout cocktail creations. His daughter does a good job of portraying him as someone who liked being in the mix but didn’t need to be the center of attention

Shoot. I suppose I’m missing the point if I don’t buckle down and figure out how to buy these ingredients / figure out what they are: agricole vieux, falernum, Pernod, pimento dram, Cointreau

These recipes by Constante of La Florida all look delicious, especially with crushed or blended ice. Oh the bliss of being a tortured, alcoholic novelist slumming it in the Caribbean 🍹

Didn’t know Agnostura bitters was from Trinidad (by way of Venezuela)! The Rise of Havana and Sloppy Joe’s amidst US Prohibition was pretty hilarious

Yea no one’s liked heat & humidity throughout history. Though the context is brutal - 90:1 slave to free ratio in Martinique! - I do sympathize with the indulgence in the middle of the day of lounging around with a cool cocktail. Didn’t know the history behind Madeira wine in the region; some things apparently do get better via long, hot, storm-tossed voyage

Cool that the name Caribbean is an adaptation of the Kalinago tribe’s name. And the Dread Pirate Roberts was real! Other highlights include French royals cited as, “drinking hot chocolate like a party drug,” and the main perk of piracy: “drinking punch wherever and whenever you wanted.”