In collaboration with Aruba Tourism.
Good morning from the sunny Caribbean!
It’s currently 6:30 in the morning here in Aruba, and I’m just so excited to share this recipe with you that I couldn’t wait until I got home to blog it!
I arrived on the tiny island of Aruba late Wednesday afternoon after a very pleasant 10-hour trans-Atlantic flight with KLM, and, after a wonderfully restful sleep in the Renaissance Aruba Beach Resort, found myself early Thursday morning walking through mangroves at Mangel Halto, on the southeast coast of the island, waiting to meet a local forager – Frank Kelly.
Standing in the shade of a beach hut with the powdery white sand of the beach beneath our feet and Venezuela visible on the horizon, we met Frankie as he climbed out of the sea in his wetsuit with a handful of edible seaweed clutched in his hand.
What a character Frankie is! A natural born story-teller, he learned the old ways of foraging from his grandmother who taught him the medicinal properties of local plants while he was growing up.
Now, Frankie has teamed up with local restaurant White Modern Cuisine, supplying them with freshly picked flowers, petals, buds and seaweed to incorporate into their seasonal menu, ingredients we for to taste test on the beach ourselves. There will be more about that later as I ended up dining twice at that restaurant on my first full day in the Caribbean.
It was quite remarkable how flavoursome the flowers were – from incredibly sweet to bitter and sour, and even salty in some cases.
Afterwards, Frank served up one of his popular rum cocktails which he’s named Abaco, after a local colourful green parakeet. A deliciously refreshing drink with white Caribbean rum, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and, unusually, pureed avocado! It’s very much like an avocado daiquiri, but Frank’s put his own twist on the drink by adding some fresh wild basil leaves to the mixture and topping it with a wildflower petal.
After our drinks, Frank dished up one of his specialities for us to taste test: octopus he’d caught just off the coast yesterday served with a fried pumpkin and polenta cake. Served with a dollop of sauce he’d made it was a rather delicious experience under the hot sun.
This is the first time I have ever been to the Caribbean, and I have to say it truly is paradise. A few observations already: the sun rises and sets at very nearly 6:30 am and pm every day as we are so close to the equator. It comes straight up, across the sky and straight down with a very short, but stunningly beautiful, period of twilight.
The wildlife is amazing! More photographs and blog posts will follow, but I’ve seen pelicans, frigate birds and all manner of other birds I couldn’t identify. And the lizards! They’re everywhere, remnants of their dinosaur ancestors keeping their place on this little bit of paradise.
It’s just a short blog post today folks, for now I must go and get ready to spend the day on a luxury cruise and visit Renaissance Island to feed the flamingos!
Do follow me on Instagram, if you’re not already, as I’ll be regularly sharing photos there.
Frankie's Abaco Avocado & Rum Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 0.5 avocado
- 45 ml lime juice freshly squeezed
- 90 ml white Caribbean rum
- 4 wild basil leaves
- 2 cups ice cubes plus extra, to serve
- 2 Caribbean flower petals to garnish
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Instructions
- Place ice in a blender and crush.
- Add the avocado, lime juice, rum and basil and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a glass filled with ice cubes and garnish with a wild Caribbean flower petal.
Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary is a guest of Aruba Tourism.
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Oh what a stunning place! This sounds delicious, so summery. Kaz x
What a wonderful place to visit and the cocktail sounds great too.
This looks absolutely amazing there and the food and drinks looks delicious. Enjoy everything!
wow just look at those scenes ,i would certainly need a refreshing drink like that if i were there
Oh wow please take me with you next time it looks like absolute paradise. I love rum and while I would have never thought of pairing avocado with rum I know that you know your stuff so I am certain it would taste amazing x
Ooo this sounds really interesting! I’m not usually an avocado gal but I am definitely a rum gal!!
Yum, this looks refreshing! Is there a non-alcoholic version?
Oh gosh two of my favourite things in a cocktail together! I love the sound of this 🙂
So this is made with two of my favourite ingredients, we love rum and actually will drink it over gin anyday. And ever since having baby number two I crave avocado, I am not sure why as I didn’t in my pregnancy. But I always opt for it on a menu. I will so be trying this at home!
OMG, This looks surprisingly lovely. I actually want one now!
Oh I am so jealous of the sunshine and your delicious looking cocktails!
What a beautiful place. I am so jealous of the weather you are enjoying. The drink looks tasty.
It looks absolutely magical! Lovely cocktail, scenery, island – everything!
What an awesome and beautiful island! The octopus looks delicious as does your cocktail. I look forward to seeing more of your trip:-)
Oh that sounds like the perfect holiday cocktail, so refreshing x
Oh, poor you Elizabeth, it sound like you’re having a horrible time! 😀
Oh everything about this post makes me long to be there! Your photos are wonderful and so atmospheric. I guess we’ll have to make the cocktail and dream of being there for real!
Avocado and rum? that would be a winner winner chicken dinner for me
Oh, that looks interesting. I can’t say I would try it (I’m not the most adventurous). The octopus would have to be a definite no though as I’m not a seafood lover.
Oh wow it looks beautiful, I hope you are having the best time! Very jealous. The drink sounds so refreshing
Wow this looks wonderful!and the scenery too…i find the avocado idea totally great! can’t wait to try 🙂
I can’t believe that there is an avocado in this cocktail recipe, interesting recipe! Enjoy your holiday 🙂
I’m so glad you got this recipe for us. It is a must make and I never would have thought to use avocado. Yum!
I’m so jealous! I love the Caribbean! Your photos make me want to hop on a plane this instant! And this cocktail sounds fabulous. I’ve never heard of avocado in a cocktail, but I love the idea of it. Definitely can’t wait to try it!
Aruba looks like paradise on earth and that avo cocktail looks amazing, isn’t it a bit thick though? Enjoy your holiday! 🙂
It’s not thick at all – you blend it with loads of ice and it’s perfectly drinkable. 🙂
The secenery looks wonderful, and perfect for enjoying a good cocktail. I like the sound of the mix, not something I would think of, but sounds rather delicious.
I’d never thought of putting avocado in a cocktail either, but it totally works! This place is absolutely stunning – definitely, paradise!
It looks good but I am not sure about the Avocado. I don’t consume alcohol either but the drink looks very refreshing.
I was sceptical about the avocado too, but it really does work! I’m sure it could be made into a virgin cocktail too somehow. 🙂
My husband would LOVE this. I’m not a fan of rum or avocado but he loves both! I’ll have to make him one!
I’m sure he’d be very grateful! 🙂
Wow it sounds like you’re having a great time!! That avo cocktail sounds delicious – as do those edible flowers!
I am having the most amazing time! This is truly paradise – I can’t wait to share more photos on the blog! 🙂
uh…….hello no!!! *LOL* I can’t even pretend,an avocado cocktail? I want to see a video of you drinking one of these …you are a lot braver then I am.
Haha, I was very sceptical too but it really does work! It’s quite sweet, smooth and delicious and tastes nothing like avocado – it’s quite fruity!
Wow what an absolute adventure, the cocktail sounds amazing and how fresh is that octopus, I have to admit however I’m not sure I would be brave enough to try it.
I’ll give almost anything a go, once. I even ate shrimps the other day and I’m not usually a fan of such things. I was even licking my fingers they were so good!
Oh wow what a beautiful place, you must never want to leave! I would never even have thought of eating flowers and their petals, but of course why not? I would definitely have tried that cocktail.
I think i’m going to really struggle to go back to the winter weather in Shetland, that’s for sure! I wonder why we don’t eat flowers more – they have such a wonderful variety of taste and textures.