The Caribbean Connection

Drink by John Oldcastle The rhythm and spirit of Latin culture are what's happening in a lot of hot new restaurants. Pumped up to the music of Jon Secada and Gloria Estefan, establishments such as Patria in New York, Bossa Nova in Chicago, Coco Loco in Washington, D.C. and Café Marimba in San Francisco are making news with a glamorous Caribbean style that features dazzling decor and colorful cocktails. Americans who have never tried the potent Brazilian sugarcane liquor called cachaca, for example, are finding how tasty it is in a caipirinha cocktail (recipe follows). Cooling the fire of spicy foods is a terrific reason to try the array of fine rums and tequilas punched up by fresh tropical fruits such as mango, guava and passion fruit. Of course, classic Caribbean cocktails such as the piña colada and the daiquiri are still being served. But thanks to the recent importation of new fruit juices, nectars, concentrates and liqueurs, these drinks now offer a wider range of flavors. Following are drinks from some of the hippest Stateside tropical restaurants.

Patria

250 Park Avenue South New York 212-777-6211

Patria is famous for such Cuban creations as sugarcane tuna and cashew-crusted flan. Both are best with chef Douglas Rodriguez' signature drink--the mojito (which means "a little wet").

[recipe_title]Mojito[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 teaspoon sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ounces light run[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 or 5 mint leaves[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Splash of Seven-Up[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Sugarcane stick or lime wedge[/drinkRecipe]

Place sugar, rum and mint in a cocktail shaker and shake or stir until sugar dissolves. Add Seven-Up. Pour over crushed ice in a tall glass and garnish with sugarcane or lime.

[recipe_title]Patria Colada[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup frozen passion-fruit concentrate[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup Coco Lopez[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 cup light rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce Captain Morgan Spiced Rum Shaved coconut[/drinkRecipe]

Combine passion-fruit concentrate, Coco Lopez and light rum in a chilled blender container and blend until smooth. Pour into a hurricane glass and float Captain Morgan Spiced Rum on top. Garnish with shaved coconut.

[recipe_title]Lola[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]30 West 22nd Street[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]New York 212--675--6700[/drinkRecipe]

Known for its spiced chicken and a great bar scene, Lola keeps the heat at bay with its frozen mango martini.

[recipe_title]Frozen Mango Martini[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]2 ounces Smirnoff vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce triple sec[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ounces mango juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Dash of lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lime garnish[/drinkRecipe]

Pour vodka, triple sec and juices into a blender with a scoop of crushed ice. Blend until slushy and serve in a chilled martini glass with lime.

Coco Loco, 810 7th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 202--289--2626

Coco Loco is the place to go for both Mexican food and succulent South American roasted meats. Many of the cocktails served--including the caipirinha--are made with cachaca, a Brazilian sugarcane liquor.

[recipe_title]Caipirinha[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]Juice of one lime[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 tablespoons sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ounces cachaca[/drinkRecipe]

Muddle lime juice and sugar to make a thin paste. Pour into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and cachaca. Shake until cold. Serve in an old fashioned glass.

Max's South Beach, 764 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 305--532--0070

Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada, Sylvester Stallone and Madonna have been spotted at this hip Miami Beach eatery. Sink your fangs into the atmosphere while sipping a vampire.

[recipe_title]Vampire[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce Finlandia vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce Chambord[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce Rose's lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce cranberry juice[/drinkRecipe]

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and shake until cold. Strain into a tall cocktail glass.

Shabeen Cookshack, 1200 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida, 305--673--8373

As funky as a setting in an Elmore Leonard novel, this Jamaica-inspired establishment serves red-hot finger food and cocktails that go down easily.

[recipe_title]Smooth Sailing[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce light rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce dark rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 ounce grenadine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce each of cranberry, orange, grapefruit and pineapple juices Maraschino cherry[/drinkRecipe]

Combine rums, grenadine and juices with cracked ice in a cocktail shaker and shake until very cold. Strain into a collins glass with ice cubes. Garnish with a cherry.

Mark's Las Olas, 1032 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 305--463--1000

The tightest skirts in Florida crowd the bar at this new restaurant. Try a Brazilian daiquiri while waiting to sample chef Mark Militello's new Caribbean cooking.

[recipe_title]Brazilian Daiquiri[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce Bacardi light rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce Bacardi dark rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce Myers dark rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 pineapple slices[/drinkRecipe]

Let all ingredients except pineapple slices steep in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Buzz ingredients in a blender until smooth and pour into a tall glass. Garnish with pineapple slices.

Americas, 1800 Post Oak Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 713--961--1492

With its tropical decor, long-legged waitresses and Latin American delicacies, Americas packs them in at the bar--a great spot to try one of chef Michael Cordua's Caribbean cocktails.

[recipe_title]Mangorita[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]2 ounces mango nectar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ounces lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ounces Jose Cuervo tequila[/drinkRecipe]

Combine ingredients in a chilled blender container and blend at high speed just until smooth. Serve in a martini glass.

Natura Cafe, 2909 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, Texas, 214--855--5483

Natura Cafe's commitment to all-natural ingredients extends to the purified water and the organic fruits used in its cocktails.

[recipe_title]Natura Cool Breeze[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ounces Malibu rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ounces orange juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ounces pineapple juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 ounce cranberry juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Pineapple slice[/drinkRecipe]

Combine rum and juices with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake until cold. Strain into a glass with ice cubes and garnish with pineapple.

Nola, 534 St. Louis Street, New Orleans, 504--522--6652

Nowhere in New Orleans do they let the good times roll more than at Nola, where celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse creates terrific Caribbean-inspired creole-cajun dishes.

[recipe_title]Nola Mardi Gras[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]3 ounces Finlandia vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 ounce Chambord[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lemon twist[/drinkRecipe]

Shake vodka with ice in a cocktail shaker until very cold. Pour Chambord into a martini glass and swirl to coat. Pour out excess. Strain vodka into the glass and garnish with lemon twist.

Mike's on the Avenue, 628 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, 504--523--1709

Mike Fennelly is an artist first and a chef second, so expect the unexpected--New (concluded on page 150) Caribbean Connection (continued from page 100) Age cuisine and signature drinks served in a dining room decorated with his own paintings.

[recipe_title]Tropical Bellini Breeze[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 scoop peach sorbet[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4-1/2 ounces Moët-Chandon Brut Champagne[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 ounce peach brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Mango slice[/drinkRecipe]

Combine all ingredients except mango in a chilled blender container and blend at high speed until smooth. Pour into a large wine goblet and garnish with a slice of mango.

Bossa Nova, 1960 North Clybourn Avenue, Chicago, 312--248--4800

Sexy and glamorous with a conga line likely to start at any minute, Bossa Nova serves exceptional Latin dishes accompanied by great Caribbean drinks.

[recipe_title]Samba[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ounces Bacardi Silver rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 ounce triple sec[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/4 ounce grenadine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Orange juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Pineapple juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Orange slice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Lime slice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Maraschino cherry[/drinkRecipe]

Pour rum, triple sec and grenadine over ice in a highball glass and stir. Top off with equal parts orange juice and pineapple juice. Garnish with an orange slice, a lime slice and a cherry.

Café Marimba, 2317 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, 415--776--1506

This is a place for aficionados of regional Mexican food. Two dozen or so tequilas and unique cocktails based on tropical fruit juices (called batidas) make for a lively bar scene.

[recipe_title]Pineapple-Ginger Sling Batida[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 ounces Bacardi dark rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ounces sugar syrup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ounces water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 slices fresh ginger, minced[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Pineapple slice[/drinkRecipe]

Combine first five ingredients in a chilled blender container with 1-1/2 cups crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Serve in a tall glass and garnish with a pineapple slice.