The Bahama Mama is a mid-century tropical cocktail made up of coconut rum, dark overproof rum, coffee liqueur, and pineapple juice and lemon juice.
Little is known about the cocktail’s origins, but it’s believed to have been created in the Bahamas around the 1950s. The cocktail’s name is often linked to calypso performer and Nassau native Dorothy “Dottie” Lee Anderson, who regularly performed in Miami nightclubs using the stage name “Bahama Mama.” However, the first known pop culture reference to “Bahama Mama” dates to 1932, when the song of the same name was released.
Nassau’s British Colonial Hotel helped to popularize the drink as a vacation cocktail once it debuted on their menu in 1956.
Nassau Beach Hotel bartender, Oswald “Slade” Greenslade, is most often associated with the creation of the Bahama Mama. Greenslade claimed to have come up with the concoction for three tourists at the bar looking for something new and “fruity.” This origin is disputed, however. The later 1963 date, and Greenslade’s ingredients omitting the crucial coffee liqueur, don’t match up with the Bahama Mama cocktail we are most familiar with today.
Why the Bahama Mama works
A coffee ingredient may seem like an unlikely match with tropical flavors, but can work surprisingly well when combined. Coffee’s natural bitter qualities help to balance out the natural sweetness of fruit like pineapple and lend layers of depth and complexity.
Despite the seemingly fruit-forward nature of this drink, the Bahama Mama hews fairly dry compared to many classic tropical cocktails. Though coconut rum is generally sweet and coffee liqueur adds sweetness to the drink, there aren’t any syrups or sweeteners added. And the bright, acidic hit of lemon juice further dries out the profile.
A dark overproof rum is necessary to create a robust body and bold foundation to the drink, while echoing some of the rich, coffee-like flavors.
Dining and Cooking