It can’t just be me that has increased their drinking during this pandemic! Drinking travel agent-style has taken on new meaning this past month during a bleak time of collective vacation cancellations among the abrupt and sudden disruption to travel plans because of this Covid-19 virus. With no known end in sight to when people can begin travelling again, drinking at home, alone in isolation, might sound like a sad life. Virtual quarantine happy hours with my (tipsy) travel agent colleagues have brought comfort and joy during this isolation time.

So while we can’t travel the world right now, we can certainly bring forth a bit of extra fun and joy by drinking around the world instead!

Here is a quick round-up of quarantine-worthy favourites collected by travel advisor colleagues that are easy to make and can instantly transport you to another place!

Pina Coladas

Inspired by this Disney Cruise Line cocktail glass (from my first Disney Cruise vacation to Alaska), my favourite is the Easy Peasy Pina Colada. Within the first sip, the tropical vibes instantly conjure up a sunnier disposition from 3 simple ingredients.

– 1 cup pineapple + 1 cup of ice
(or can use 2 cups of frozen pineapple)
– 1-2 oz. Malibu Rum
– 2 oz. coconut milk

And speaking of Disney Cruises, I happened to come across an old blog post from that very first cruise where I took notes during our Mixology class onboard and shared all the fun details in this post! Lots of great ideas here too!

Dark n’ Stormy ™

Over at Connections Family Travel, Donna McGougan’s tropical beverage of choice is not necessarily what comes to mind as a tropical drink but rather invokes the rough waters of the Caribbean with a Dark n’ Stormy™. As she describes in her post,

I first had this cocktail on a trip to Bermuda 14 years ago and it still reminds me of the beautiful pink sand beaches and warm island breeze. This drink says “summer” to me.

(A little side P.S.A. A Dark n’ Stormy™ can only be called as such when using Gosling’s Black Seal Rum!)

Scotch on the Rocks

Head across the pond to drink Scotch with Scottish lassie, Anna Aitchinson who takes you to her home village.

“Clynelish is a single malt scotch whiskey, distilled in the very village I grew up in and I must say, you haven’t tried a scotch until you’ve tried a Clynelish! Ask anyone in Scotland and I bet they too would say it’s liquid gold in a glass! Slange!! (Gaelic for cheers)”

Kir Royale

Vacation always starts with bubbly when you escape with Oksana Travels! Oksana Mashchuk travels around the world and shares the Kir Royale cocktail, originated in France but now embraced by the world and many of her favourite Caribbean resorts. Drown your sorrows of cancelled vacations with this tropical favourite, Oksana-tried and tested!

Margarita

And where would we be if we didn’t include the Margarita! With alcohol supplies “in-transit” Kristen Hoogendoorn of KMH Travels, shares her margarita with a view as she waits for her “supplies” to arrive from the LCBO! So, when can we enjoy those views again?? Wouldn’t we all love to know?!

Would love to know which drink you are going to try first and share your favourites with me so we can continue to drink around the world and build up our library of quarantine cocktails! Cheers!