One of the most famous tropical drinks of all time, the Piña Colada as we know it emerged in the late 1950s and early '60s in Puerto Rico, though close antecedents had existed before. This is Molly Gajdosik's excellent recipe, which they say was inspired by Garret Richard's spec. It's complicated but so worth it!

I had never heard of this drink before researching this month’s theme, but I really like the combination of coffee and banana in this milkshake-like frozen treat from the Caribbean resorts of the late twentieth century. Layers of different rums, spices, and vanilla go beautifully with the two star flavors.

Drinks traveling under the "Bahama Mama" name have existed since at least the early 1960s, but known formulas date to the 1970s. Usually a combination of rums, lemon or lime, pineapple or and/or orange, grenadine, coconut in some form, and coffee liqueur, the drink in various forms has been popular from Caribbean resorts to chain restaurants for over fifty years.

Planter’s Punch is a centuries-old Caribbean recipe and was the basis for Donn Beach’s earliest “Rum Rhapsodies.” St. John Frizell and his bar staff at Gage & Tollner serve this excellent rendition of the classic, which appeared on the G&T cocktail list in the 1940s, and likely before.