Rum Therapy, Author at Rum Therapy

July 17, 2014June 24, 2021

Habitation Clément, Martinique

Habitation Clément, Martinique – a guest post by author Laura Albritton

If you like rum – no, make that love rum – and lush, green Caribbean islands with soft sand beaches, it’s worth sailing or flying into the French Antillean paradise of Martinique. Connoisseurs know that Martinican rum ranks among the best; one of my favorites, the award-winning Rhum Clément, will make your taste buds sing.

Habitation Clement - Martinique — Clément Rhum Agricole

Photo Credit: Zickie Allgrove

My husband, daughter, and I recently made the pilgrimage to the historic Habitation Clément estate, in Le François on the eastern side of this gorgeous tropical island. Fortunately, they offer a self-guided audio tour in English.

This isn’t just a little rum factory: you’ve got a veritable Garden of Eden with scarlet, purple, and hot pink flowers and beautiful trees to wander through. (The audio tells you what you’re seeing.)

Photo Credits: Zickie Allgrove

Then there’s the “maison de maître” or the master’s house, where the land-owning family once dwelled. Although full of West Indian antiques, hand-crafted in the islands, the house itself is endearingly homey rather than grand.

Habitation Clément, Martinique — The maison de maître or master’s house

Photo Credit: Zickie Allgrove

Photo Credit: Laura Albritton

My mechanically-minded husband really dug the vintage factory with its steam powered equipment, while I oohed and ahhed in their two art galleries, including Fondation Clément, with world-class paintings and sculpture.

Photo Credit: Zickie Allgrove

But the real Rum Therapy reward was saved ‘til last – the tasting room. Here the staff wasn’t stingy with samples – even of the expensive stuff. We had to try the 10 year-old Rhum Agricole, a beautifully golden sipping rum.

Unlike most rum, which is produced from molasses, rhum agricole is made using freshly-pressed sugarcane juice. The result: sublimely delicious. During our tour I discovered that Homère Clément, the Martinican gentleman who bought the property in 1887, is credited with developing this unusually fine type of tipple.

Photo Credit: Zickie Allgrove

In the tasting room, there’s also fiery white rum to a make ‘Ti Punch (the traditional cocktail with squeezed lime and sugar). And finally, flavored punches that you can drink without mixing: Punch Coco with coconut, Punch Passion with passion fruit, and even Punch Café with a hint of coffee.

After tasting these delicious elixirs, of course I bought a few bottles. Although we weren’t lounging on the beach with the Caribbean lapping at our toes, Habitation Clément was definitely one of our favorite stops on enchanting Martinique.

A special thanks to Laura Albritton for sharing some of her wonderful Martinique travel experiences with us. Laura writes about travel, books, and art for publications like The Miami Herald, Sculpture magazine, Harvard Review, and The Florida Keys Weekly. Check out her new guidebook Miami for Families on her website and her new blog, Island Runaways.

July 15, 2014June 6, 2019

Sailing the British Virgin Islands on a Crewed Charter, Part 2

One of the best things about a crewed charter is that you can just sit back , relax and enjoy the experience. No cooking, no cleaning – just sailing, enjoying the view and soaking in the sunshine…

We awoke the first morning in the Bight of Norman Island to the smell of fresh coffee prepared by our wonderful crew. I threw on a swimsuit and cover-up (pretty much the attire for the week!), grabbed a book and made my way to the deck. It was 8:00am and the day was already gorgeous – the water sparkled in the sunshine and there was just a slight warm breeze. I grabbed a cup of coffee and settled in to a comfy seat in the sun on the front of the boat, attempting to get into the story in front of me – but my eyes kept wandering to the beautiful view around me.

copyright Rum Therapy — View of The Bight Bay, Norman Island from in front of Pirate’s Bight Bar/Restaurant

Map of our crewed charter sailing route Day 1-3

The black line indicates our approximate sailing route and the white lines point out just a few of the places we stopped along the way.

Day 2
After a light breakfast, we motored around to The Caves of Norman Island where we spent some time snorkeling (check out that crystal clear water!) kayaking and attempting good form (or just to stand up) on the stand up paddle board. The Festiva catamarans come equipped with a SUP board, a kayak and snorkeling equipment – so you can try it all!

copyright Tum Therapy — Snorkeling at The Caves, Norman Island

A delicious lunch on board the boat…

…and then we made our way to The Indians for another great snorkel.

We’d had a full morning of playing in the water and were sun and salt-water drenched, and really enjoyed relaxing on the beautiful sail around Tortola to Cane Garden Bay where we anchored for the night.

The rest of Day 2 was spent exploring beautiful Cane Garden Bay (See What to See and Do in Cane Garden Bay) until sunset,

…then back on board we spent the evening sipping on some really tasty rum punch while listening to the sound of music from Quito’s waft over the calm bay.

Day 3
Day 3 started our with a visit to one of my favorite little islands, Sandy Spit, where we snorkeled, swam and walked the entire island (it takes approximately 10 minutes if you walk slow!)
(Find out more about Sandy Spit)

Then, just around the corner, we made a stop at the new B-Line Beach Bar on Little Jost to check it out, play a little cornhole in the sand and try one of their specialties – the Passion Confusion.

From there we sailed over to the fabulous White, Bay, Jost Van Dyke where our captain anchored for the afternoon.

After a graceful entry into the waters of White Bay, we swam to shore with our soggy dollars to check out as many of the beach bars on White Bay as possible, including One Love, Soggy Dollar and Ivan’s.

(See Barhopping on Jost Van Dyke)

Later that evening we motored over to Great Harbour for the night, enjoyed a sunset dinner on board, then dinghied to shore for some music and dancing at Foxy’s.

Once again exhausted from a great day of exploring Jost Van Dyke, we retired to the nets to chat with our boatmates and relive the experiences of the day.

In case you missed it: Sailing the British Virgin Islands on a Crewed Charter Part 1

Stay tuned for Sailing the British Virgin Islands on a Crewed Charter Part 3, where we’ll cover our stops at Leverick Bay, Virgin Gorda, a sail to Anegada and much more!

To find out more about a Crewed Charter Sailing Vacation with Festiva, contact them through their website:
Festiva Sailing Vacations

And follow them on Facebook:
Festiva Sailing Vacations

Copyright©Rum Therapy 2014
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

July 13, 2014January 15, 2020

What to See and Do in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

I hear it gets better, that’s what they say
As soon as we sail on to Cane Garden Bay ~ Jimmy Buffett

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Many of the structures featured below were damaged or destroyed during the hurricanes of 2017. Although the businesses on the beach have been rebuilt, the information is not current. We hope to update the post with new information and photos soon. Callwood Rum Distillery is now open again.

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Cane Garden Bay is a gorgeous sheltered bay on the north side of Tortola fringed by a long and beautiful light sand beach. It’s a popular anchorage for boaters and if you’re lucky enough to visit, either by boat or while staying on-island, there are plenty of things to see and do.

We’ve had the pleasure of visiting Cane Garden Bay on multiple occasions and just can’t get enough. Cane Garden Bay is Tortola at it’s best – friendly people, great live music, delicious food, a beautiful beach and a totally laid back vibe. Here’s just a few things you should be sure to enjoy while visiting Cane Garden Bay – besides just walking the beautiful beach, floating in the calm water and enjoying a stellar BVI sunset! If you’re looking for fancy resorts and high dollar accommodations and restaurants, don’t bother visiting Cane Garden Bay. What you will find here is a place to chill, relax and enjoy real island time.

We visited Cane Garden Bay most recently on our BVI Sail and had a day to explore. We’ll start from where we entered – the dinghy dock next to Ole Works Inn and Quito’s.

We dinghied into Cane Garden Bay from our boat anchored a short way into the bay. Once we got to the end of the dock we took a right and walked past Quito’s Gazebo.

Quito Rymer is one of the British Virgin Islands most famous internationally known musicians, who plays solo several nights a week and with his group “The Edge” on Friday nights.

Next stop after Quito’s – Paradise Bar & Grill, or Big Banana. When we talked to friends who are frequent visitors to Cane Garden Bay, they talked of enjoying breakfasts at Big Banana. Speaking from experience, the Big Banana house drink is delicious – rum, Bailey’s, coconut cream and banana – a Big Banana BBC?

Right past the Paradise Club, is Rhymer’s – Beach hotel and beach bar. When we visited Cane Garden Bay in 2006, we enjoyed lunch at Rhymers – even with the chickens and their young un’s walking right under our feet! Rhymer’s also offers several modest rooms to rent just steps from the beautiful beach.

After Rhymer’s, you’ll come across Elm Beach Bar & Suites, offering rooms, a restaurant, beach bar and a shop offering colorful island apparel.

Moving down the beach you’ll stumble on Tony’s Welcome Bar. All info we could find said this was “Stanley’s” Welcome Bar, but the sign says Tony’s(??). Regardless – this was the busiest bar on the beach while we were there and looked like a great place to chill and enjoy a beverage or two.

Last stop for us on the beach was Myett’s. Myett’s offers accommodations and spa, a fun beach bar, and a scenic restaurant.

We walked behind Myett’s to get to Green VI, a glass studio manufacturing handmade treasures from recycled glass.

Definitely worth a stop to check out the beautiful recycled glass ornaments, glasses and treasures that you can purchase and bring home.

We took a right at Green VI Glass Studio and headed down the street to the Callwood Rum Distillery.

If you have a chance to visit Callwood’s Rum Distillery, you should. Callwood’s has been producing quality rum since at least the 1800’s. Spend the money to take the distillery tour (only $2 per person). It’s not a very long or extensive tour but it gives you some insight into the operations, island history, and an opportunity to ask questions and take pictures without paying a picture fee. Take home a bottle of the panty remover…

All rummed up, we headed back to the beach to catch the spectacular sunset.

One of the best we’ve enjoyed in the BVI.

What do you like to do when visiting Cane Garden Bay?

To see more posts on Tortola and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

July 10, 2014July 10, 2014

National Mojito Day

Wow – what a rumtastic week! Yesterday was National Piña Colada Day and today is National Mojito Day! Don’t know who picks these special days, but we intend to mix up a cold, minty Mojito tonight to celebrate!

Cuban in origin, the classic Mojito consists of white rum, sugar, lime, club soda and mint, however, there are a multitude of tasty, fruity variations to experiment with.

Here are links to the classic Mojito Recipe (The Perfect Mojito) followed by some not so ordinary Mojito versions. So pick yourself up some fresh mint and give one a try! Enjoy!

The Perfect Mojito Recipe

Melon Mojito Recipe

Strawberry Mojito Recipe

Zesty Orange Mojito Recipe

Pear Mojito Recipe

Apple Mojito Recipe

Mango Mojito Recipe

Mojito Jello Shot Recipe

For more delicious rum recipes, visit our Rum Recipe Picture Directory
or Rum Recipes by Category

For suggestions on what rum to use in your mojito, check out our
Rum Therapy Reader’s Choice Rum Picks

copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2014
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

July 10, 2014July 10, 2015

National Piña Colada Day

Happy National Piña Colada Day! July 10 is a day set aside to celebrate one of the best known tropical rum cocktails – a cocktail sure to bring back memories of time on a beautiful Caribbean beach.

The Piña Colada originated in Puerto Rico. The name means strained pineapple and a traditional recipe calls for pineapple juice, white rum and coconut cream. We’ve posted a traditional Piña Colada recipe below, as well as a recipe for Piña Colada cupcakes! Yet another way to enjoy this favorable concoction. Have a great Piña Colada Day! Cheers!

Piña Colada
(makes 2)

4 oz. pineapple juice
4 oz. Coco Lopez cream of coconut
3 oz. light rum
2 c. crushed ice
fresh nutmeg
Pour pineapple juice, cream of coconut and rum into a blender with the crushed ice and blend until smooth. Add more ice if needed to thicken. Pour into a glass, sprinkle with nutmeg and garnish with a slice of orange or pineapple.

Piña Colada Cupcakes
(makes 24 cupcakes)

1/4 c. coconut rum (we used Cruzan Coconut)
1/2 c. cream of coconut
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple

Preheat the oven to 350`F. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the rum, coconut cream, pineapple with its juice, and vanilla.

In another small mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a medium mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating as you go.

While you’re mixing slowly add the rum mixture to the butter and sugar mixture.

Then add the flour mixture slowly until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Fill cupcake wrappers 3/4 full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until tops are starting to turn lightly golden brown.

Let the cupcakes cool then ice them with the Coconut Cream Frosting below.

Coconut Cream Frosting

16 oz cream cheese
1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
4 tbs cream of coconut
(optional) shredded coconut for garnish, pineapple chunks, cherries

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and coconut cream with a mixer.

Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until it is completely incorporated.

Ice cooled cupcakes and garnish with shredded coconut, pineapple chunks and cherries, if desired.

Find more rum recipes here:

Rum Recipe Picture Directory

Rum Recipes by Category

Copyright©2013, 2014 Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

July 8, 2014June 6, 2019

Sailing the British Virgin Islands on a Crewed Charter

Ever wondered what it’s like to take a crewed sailing vacation through the beautiful British Virgin Islands? Follow along in this series as we describe our boat, the experience and the places we visited along the way!

Imagine…

Skimming over the Caribbean waters watching the colors change from deep blue to turquoise then back in your own private catamaran charter. Water so clear you feel like could just reach down to the bottom of the sea and touch the sand. Spending a week exploring some of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean while being pampered by your very own captain and cook…

We began our love affair with sailing in the Caribbean in 2006 when we embarked on our first sail with our friend Guy, who had his own sailboat and spent months at a time sailing through the islands. Prior to this trip we’d only navigated the waters of the Caribbean on a cruise liner, and had not yet been to the BVI. As you can imagine, by the end of the first day on that first sail trip, we were hooked.

We got home from that trip already longing to do it again. Unfortunately, being landlocked most of our lives, we have not learned to sail our own vessel – yet. So, we began looking at crewed charter options. After much research, we found a company that offered a fully crewed charter (captain and a cook) and pricing that included almost everything, including food and beverage. We talked some good friends into coming with us and booked our sail. The company we booked with was Festiva Sailing Vacations.

Fast forward a few years and we recently completed our 4th sail with Festiva – the latest one in the British Virgin Islands. Each one has been very different depending on itinerary, crew and the guests on the boat, yet each one has been wonderful in its own way.

For this sail, we elected to book one of Festiva’s new Lagoon 450 catamarans. Our prior Festiva sails were on the just slightly smaller 440 catamaran which offered plenty of room for 3 couples, but we had 4 couples this time and opted for the 450 because it has one additional guest cabin. There are a few other differences as well, such as slightly bigger bathrooms in each cabin – complete with small shower stalls.

The front lounge area by the nets is a little more spacious; there is a lounge area (cushions – kind of like a day bed) just in front of the steering wheel and a few changes including more room in the outdoor dining area. See boat configuration here:

We were to board our Festiva catamaran at 5:00p.m. Saturday in Hodges Creek Marina on Tortola (see our Tortola Map for location). Hodges Creek is not far from Beef Island Airport (EIS), and although we have flown in to Beef Island in the past, this time we got a much lower fare flying into St. Thomas (STT) and took the ferry to Road Town, Tortola. Note: when determining the best price for your flight into the BVI, be sure to take into account the taxi and ferry fees from St. Thomas to Tortola, which can add up and, and whether or not you will have to book a hotel room the night before you sail.

After a day of playing on Water Island, we caught a 3:30p.m. ferry over to Road Town where a Festiva van was waiting to shuttle us and others to our boats in Hodges Creek. Upon arrival at Hodges, Festiva dock crew helped us move our luggage to our beautiful sailing home for the week.

Once boarded, we were introduced to our lovely crew, ushered to our respective cabins, given a quick introduction on where everything was and how to use it (especially the bathroom!) and then we all met up top for a welcome drink prepared by our wonderful cook.

We were given the choice of spending that first night in the marina, relaxing, enjoying drinks and conversation as we had done on past sails, or to get the party started and head to Norman Island before it got dark.

The vote was a unanimous “Sail to Norman”!

We had a lovely sunset sail, anchored that first night in The Bight at Norman Island, enjoyed a delicious dinner on board and spent the remainder of our first evening at Willy T’s for a shot-ski or two and a little rambunctiousness.

We returned to our boat, laid in the nets up front for a while admiring the million stars twinkling in the skies overhead, then made our way to our cabins. Totally spent, we slept like babies that night, gently rocked to the rhythm of the ocean…

Stay tuned for Sailing the British Virgin Islands on a Crewed Charter Part 2, where we’ll cover our stops at Cane Garden Bay, Jost Van Dyke and much more!

To find out more about a sailing vacation with Festiva, contact them through their website:
Festiva Sailing Vacations

And follow them on Facebook:
Festiva Sailing Vacations

Copyright©Rum Therapy 2014
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

June 26, 2014November 6, 2020

Watermelon Daiquiri

Summer is in full swing and that means watermelon season! If you’re a fan of watermelon, you’ll probably love the taste of this cool rum drink with a touch of sweetness and a little added tartness. Add a little more sugar for a sweeter drink or a little more lime juice to tarten it up! Enjoy the taste of summer!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

For more delicious Watermelon and Rum Recipes, check out the links below the recipe.

Print Recipe

Watermelon Daiquiri

If you’re a fan of watermelon, you’ll probably love the taste of this cool rum drink with a touch of sweetness and a little added tartness.

Course: Drinks

Servings:

Ingredients

1 c. Watermelon
3/4 c. Ice
1-1 1/2 oz. White Rum
1 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Lime Juice
1/8 c. Coconut Milk

Instructions

Cute watermelon into cubes.
Blend all ingredients until smooth, pour into sugar rimmed glass.
Garnish with a wedge of watermelon.

You might also enjoy these other delicious Watermelon and Rum Drinks!

Watermelon Rum Punch

Watermelon Rum Freeze

And for even more delicious rum recipes, visit our Rum Recipe Picture Directory

June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Friends Foto’s – Sunset in the Tropics

We knew we’d get to see some great photo’s with this weeks theme and we weren’t disappointed. After looking at these photo’s from our tropic loving FB friends, you might just be ready to book your next tropical vacation!

Thanks to all who submitted pictures for our 4 Friend’s Foto’s posts. We wish we could have posted them all, but certainly enjoyed looking at every one of them. In case you missed the other themes, they were:

Great Meal in a Tropical Location
Tropical Selfies
A Drink in the Tropics

Now, sit back and enjoy some wonderful photos of Sunsets in the Tropics!

photo: Noelle Campbell
I took a quick trip to St John in May 2013 and didn’t have a good sunset until my last night there. I came back to Cruz Bay from Cinnamon Bay at the perfect time to catch this amazing sunset. The beach to my left was full of people, as were the bars that line the beach. I love how people stop what they’re doing to watch the sunset in the islands.

photo: Jerrod and Tracy Reed
Watching the sunset over Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
This was from our trip last February. Love going to the friendly island!

Jason Williams — Sunset in Cane Garden Bay by Jason Wilson

photo: Jason Wilson
Here is one of my sunset pics from Cane Garden Bay in November 2011. My fiancee and I stayed there at Agape Cottages for a few days before we headed over to Jost for our wedding! Ivan was the “flower girl” and an official witness to the wedding. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting for the ceremony.

photo: Karen Schneider
This was taken in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic…The best vacation ever! Going back this year!

photo: Tod Olczak
My wife and I decided not to fight the crowds at Mallory Square for our first Key West sunset, so we opted for a sunset cruise. It was a great way to watch the show without having to fight the crowds.

photo: Michelle Remice
Reduit beach from Bay Gardens Bar in St Lucia

photo: Lynn Mohamad
The photo is of the landmark Buttonwood Tree overlooking Frenchman’s Bay in Treasure Beach.

photo: Anne Olsen
I went to St John with friends this past April for the first time. This was the sunset as we were having dinner at the Waterfront Bistro. It is so beautiful there. We had the most amazing time!

photo: Natalie Trimm
West Bay Beach, Roatan 2014
Tourists taking in one of may of Roatan’s amaaaaaaazing sunsets.

photo: Catherine Hackert
Sunset and storm at Bradenton Beach, Florida

Thanks again to ALL who submitted photos!

Pamela and John
Rum Therapy

June 18, 2014April 19, 2021

Swimming with the Turtles of Tobago Cays

Turtles are not uncommon to see while snorkeling in the Caribbean, although every time I see one I still get a little excited. But this snorkel was different.

We had some time to explore the southeastern shore of Baradal – one of the small islands in the beautiful chain of islands in the Grenadines known as the Tobago Cays. There is a turtle reserve in the clear shallow waters here and we were told that you almost always will see turtles – green turtles and hawksbill turtles- feeding on sea grass there.

The area is phenomenal for snorkeling period, with it’s ultra clear water and abundant sea life and we were anxious to look below the surface.

Almost immediately I spotted several turtles, one quite close! Now I’m not one to feverishly swim after underwater wildlife (except for that one time that I chased a barracuda while snorkeling – not knowing what it was…NOW I DO.), so I stayed put, calmly just floating in the clearest water I’d ever seen. Both turtles swam away, probably searching for just the right patch of succulent sea grass. But suddenly, one of them turned around and came back my way.

As I floated there over his feeding ground, he swam right up to me! At first I wasn’t sure if I should be a little nervous or what. I’ve never heard of a green turtle attack on anyone so I continued to watch in amazement. He swam around me and under me – did I look different than other snorkelers?

He was so close that I could even hear him yanking the sea grass out of the ocean floor.

After what seemed to be quite a long time (it was probably just a few minutes!) my new turtle friend swam off to re-join the others.

Sure enjoyed my close encounter of the turtle kind. Sure nice of him to share his space with me.

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

June 17, 2014June 17, 2014

Friends Foto’s – A Drink in the Tropics

This weeks Friends Foto submissions left us thirsty and longing for time on a beautiful beach. It’s been so much fun seeing the tropics through your eyes. Thank you all for sharing your great pics.

Not only did we have the usual trouble of choosing which pictures to post (if we add too many, you wouldn’t be able to open the post!), but we also had a heck of a time picking the one to use for the cover. In the end we chose the one we did, not only ’cause it’s a great picture, but we kinda liked the explanation too :)

photo: Cari Rioux
My name is Cari Rioux and I took this picture when we arrived to our destination in Treasure Cay, Abaco. We had a Goombay Punch, Pina Colada and a Bahama Mama! The first of many different Rum Therapy’s on many different Cay’s.

The next two photos are from Carol Rocco who sent in 6 stunning photos of Drinks in the Tropics. When I asked about them, she said, “a year of living in the Caribbean makes for 10,000 awesome pics”. She and her husband had just returned from living on St. John for a year. You can check out their fun blog on their year in the Caribbean here: roccosinparadise.com

We picked two of Carol’s photos for this theme, although if we had room, we would have added them all!

photo: Carol Rocco
Stoli/Grapefruit – Made with fresh grapefruit picked right off the tree in Dominica!

photo: Carol Rocco
Cruzan infinity pool view on St John

Rum Punch served in coconuts in Grand Bahama by Tony Dupuy

photo: Toni Dupuy
I took this pic at Paradise Cove, Grand Bahama. We had rum punch served right in the coconuts and drank them at this quaint little beach shack in the Bahamas! Elvis cut the coconuts fresh while we watched and mixed the rum punch himself.

The next two photos are from Carol Lassiter who also sent in a number of great shots. We especially like the first one, ’cause that’s the same look we have when we get a taste of our first rum drink on vacation!

photo: Colleen Lassiter

photo: Michelle Tarbush
Location: Cozumel Mexico
Why it’s special: We are from Dallas and a part of a group called “Lot 12”. Who get together for big Country/Tropical concerts (Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown, etc) and tailgate. We missed the biggest concert of our time yesterday for George Strait’s Cowboy Rides Away concert with many artists. We ended up taking our Lot 12 koozie with us to the beach to take a picture and remind our Lot 12 Family we were thinking of them.

photo: Kristi Landis
Painkillers (happy hour) at The Beach Bar on St. John

photo: Lynn Mohamad

This Rum Punch photo was taken in Cruz Bay, St. John.

Sitting and relaxing in one of the beach bars on the waterfront in Cruz Bay is always a special experience: great views, delicious tropical drinks, waves lapping on the beach a few feet away and beautiful sunsets.

photo: Joe O’Sullivan
It isn’t a great rum drink (the Goombay Smashes came later that week) but it was a great beer in Nassau at Christmas time.

Mark-Webb- — Great Mudslide at Iggies at Bolongo Bay, St. Thomas by Mark and Terry Webb

photo: Mark and Terry Webb
My family and I travel to the US and BVI as often as possible from 1 to 3 trips a yr. We have a ritual of stopping as soon as we get the car rental to stop at a different location for a welcome to the Islands beverage. It is so much fun!!! We love the Islands!! And the mudslides!!!

Thanks again for ALL submissions!

Watch for the last Friends Foto Theme to be announced this coming Sunday!