What do you get when you hand three top Puerto Rican mixologists a mystery fruit, local rum, and just three minutes? Bold, original cocktails that tell a story through their ingredients, names, and the personalities behind them. Nicole "Nicky" Fas, bar lead at Pantera in Caguas; Giovanni Budet, mixologist at Antiguo 26 in Old San Juan; and Carlos Borges, owner of BarMuseo in Coamo, faced off in the 3-minute Boricua Twist Cocktail Challenge.
Under pressure, they created flavorful cocktails that capture Puerto Rico’s tropical vibes—refreshing and vibrant enough to transport you to paradise with every sip. Through these cocktails, they invite you to experience the Island. Whether you're sipping them in their bars for a limited time or mixing the ingredients at your kitchen, each drink evokes the Boricua essence. Read on to discover the recipes that came out of the challenge; you won’t want to miss a single drop!
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Del Palo blends tangy tamarindo with smooth Crab Island Rum.
Del Palo
Bar: Pantera
Location: Caguas
“Del Palo,” named by Nicky Fas after a common Puerto Rican saying that refers to fruit picked straight from the tree, is a tropical cocktail that blends the local flavors of tamarindo (tamarind) with Crab Island Rum, crafted in the island municipality of Vieques. One sip and you’re instantly transported to Puerto Rico’s endless sunshine and tropical breeze.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Crab Island Rum
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz diluted honey
- Carbonated tamarind juice
Directions:
Mix the rum, lime juice, and honey and shake with ice. Strain into a highball glass, top with carbonated tamarind juice, and garnish with a lime wheel or tamarind stick for extra flair.
Hijos de Quintón—mango, honey, and hometown spirit from BarMuseo.
Hijos de Quintón
Bar: BarMuseo
Location: Coamo
Self-taught and passionate about bartending, Carlos Borges created “Hijos de Quintón” as a tribute to his hometown of Coamo and his bar’s location on Quintón Street. This cocktail blends mango with ingredients such as honey to create a drink you won’t want to put down.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Tres Clavos Rum
- ¾ oz citric sour
- ¾ oz mango purée
- ¼ oz honey infusion
- 2 drops sodium saline
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- Ginger foam (to top)
Directions:
Shake all ingredients (except foam) with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Top with ginger foam. Garnish with a dehydrated mango slice or aromatic herbs.
Herbal, citrus, tropical—Flor del Caribe captures the flavors of Puerto Rico in one sip.
Flor del Caribe
Bar: Antiguo 26
Location: Old San Juan
With a sophisticated balance of herbal, citrus, and tropical notes, Giovanni Budet elaborated “Flor del Caribe,” which highlights Puerto Rico’s diversity and distinctiveness within the Caribbean region by capturing flavors from guanábana (soursop) to sugarcane.
Ingredients:
- 1½ oz Ron del Barrilito 2 Star
- ½ oz acid solution
- ½ oz genepy (herbal liqueur)
- ½ oz rich cane syrup
- ¾ oz guanábana (soursop) purée
- Orange bitters
- CO₂ for carbonation
Directions:
Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Carbonate using CO₂, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an edible flower or citrus peel.