Blithe Spirit

One dreary Sunday afternoon in the Pines on Fire Island quite a few years ago, a friend and I wandered into The Blue Whale to seek respite from the rain and quite frankly, a little hair of the dog. We longed for something tropical, so I suggested the bartender pour us some coconut rum with a restorative dose of OJ and further thought to add a little Rose's lime juice for good measure.

Et voila, in the spirit of Noel Coward's wondrous work, and his Jamaica, as much as our own hangovers, the Blithe Spirit came into being with delicious magic. Now whenever I serve the drink to my guests, I add a maraschino cherry for color and a fragrant mint sprig, rife with summer. Also, try drizzling some of the cherry juice into the cocktail--it sinks to the bottom of the glass like a gorgeous summer sunset.

So cheers then to The Master himself, that indomitable, incredibly blithe spirit.

Blithe Spirit
3 oz. Malibu coconut rum
2 oz. orange juice
A splash or two of Rose's lime juice to taste

Stir all the ingredients in a shaker with ice
Strain the mixture into a highball glass filled with crushed ice
Garnish with mint or some tropical fruit, or both!


First published in part in Next magazine.