Green Turtle Cay in Abaco the Bahamas is where you will find Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar, home of the Bahamian National Drink, the Goombay Smash. Invented by Miss Emily in the 1960's, this famous cocktail is still a mainstay throughout the Bahamas and the rest of the Caribbean.
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| Miss Emily |
Miss Emily's Blue Bee Bar is currently being run by here Daughter Victoria, who maintains the Blue Bee Bar in the traditional manner of which her mother so successfully operated the place. Miss Emily opened her bar in 1957, and created the Goombay Smash in the 60's. She ran the bar until her passing in 1997. The Blue Bee Bar has been the "watering hole" for yachtsmen, pilots and celebrities for years and it has been visited by the likes of Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett though the years. Today they have added a dining room that features Caribbean food and plenty of the traditional Goombay Smash Cocktails.
Goombay Smash
- 1 oz. Coconut Rum
- 1 oz. Dark Rum
- 1/2 oz. Apricot Brandy
- 2 oz. Pineapple Juice
- 2 oz. Orange Juice
The Goombay Smash is one of the more popular cocktails that I make at the Rum Bar Key West for my customers because of it's natural sweetness and thirst quenching qualities. This becomes a favorite of all that taste it and usually find the customers coming back for seconds of Miss Emily's fabulous concoction of the 60's. ;o)
Bob, recipe is close, but not exact, only a handful of people including and not including her own relatives were shown the EXACT recipe. Her brothers, Alphonso, Bert and Edward did not even know the exact recipe to serve in their own bars. Plus she only served her Goombay from a gallon jug, so no one would could see her mix it in a single serve glass. She would shake her jug and toss it on ice and invite you to tack a buck on her wall. I was visiting her in 1988, and pretended to be loaded. Being one of only 2 people in the bar at the time, the other was in the restroom, She made a Batch in front of me, surely considering I would never remember the recipe. BUT, being the finest concoction ever. I needed to know for my backyard and family vacation fun time. This is what I saw, 1 large can of DOLE pineapple juice, 1 - 20oz cup of Mount Gay Rum, but I did see her use Myers on another occasion, 1 - 20 cup of MALIBU coconut rum, 1/2 - 20oz cup of orange juice, Apricot brandy was doused in the jug, the best I could determine was about 1/2 - 20oz cup, without using the cup. It seemed she was looking for color, not the amount. I guess after 25 years or so, she had it right.. She shook it up and dropped it the cooler. Also, never saw an Orange, only the cherry. Alphonso and the rest would use them, maybe Miss Emily was just out of Oranges. Please understand my passion, I took my wife, now of 28 years, on our second date to Green Turtle, Alphonso, Bert and Edward were friends of my now brother in law. I actually made Alphonso's monument for his grave in Green Turtle. As a matter of fact, the reason I made this comment is because I just made a batch of the GOOMBAY and was showing some friends here in Big Pine Key where they originated, when I came across your site. Hope you keep up the fabulous work and share my post. Oh and TRY THE REAL DEAL.
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