Tropicalia, your field guide to paradise, is now old enough to drink

If Tropicalia’s birthday last year inspired some soul searching, this year’s calls for some celebration. Your Field Guide to Paradise just turned 21, after all, so this year, if it wants to slip a little rum (or tequila or cointreau) into its umbrella drink, it can go right ahead.

And speaking of inspiration, remember what St. Thomas the Illuminator used to say about the inspiration/perspiration ratio? If, as he quipped, it's 1 percent of the former and 99 percent of the latter, this region has to be one of the nation’s most inspiring places, especially as we dig out after a hurricane.

Over the years, this magazine has celebrated plenty of thirst-quenchers, both with and without alcohol. (In fact, Tropicalia’s eponymous cocktail, created the year of its birth is every bit as nice without a shot of rum.)

More:After 20 years of Tropicalia, I'll let you in on a little secret

More:Sometimes, surprise endings are the best ... or at least, the sweetest

More:Remembering the birth of the Tropicalia and rediscovering a boozy old friend

Another of my favorites is a recipe shared by native son Byron Stout, the dean of Southwest Florida outdoor writers. Instead of un-sweet tea, he drinks un-sweetened lemonade with a bit of salt (the recipe follows) that he promises is just the thing for hot, sweaty days.

But if that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea … or lemonade, here are 21 others you can try as part of our 21-drink toast to this magazine, to all of its contributors over the years, and to all of you in the Tropicalia Nation.

Cheers!

Want to throw a tropical cocktail party?

Don't have it in the backyard... unless you want to hand out umbrellas as party favors. (Though come to think of it, a Martha Stewart-type could have some fun painting them to resemble tiki bar cocktail umbrellas.)

Speaking of visuals, there are plenty of easy ways to give your place an exotic feel:

Here are some more tips for pulling off a smooth summer cocktail soiree:

FIGURE HOW MUCH BOOZE YOU'LL USE

Assuming that most adults can process one standard drink per hour, plan on three drinks per person for a three-hour party.

A 750-milliliter bottle of distilled spirits will yield about 18 drinks. A bottle of wine holds five glasses.

Figure that each guest will consume two non-alcoholic drinks, though stock extra for the designated drivers and non-drinkers.

COUNTDOWN TO THE PARTY

10 DAYS BEFORE:

1 WEEK BEFORE:

3 DAYS BEFORE:

2 DAYS BEFORE:

1 DAY BEFORE:

MORNING OF:

1 HOUR BEFORE:

10 MINUTES BEFORE:

5 MINUTES BEFORE:

– The News-Press archives

DRINK UP

Byron's Un-sweet Lemonade

1 pint water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Stir together and serve cold.

Tropical Sparkling Sangria

2 limes, sliced thin

2 small carambolas (star fruit) thinly sliced crosswise

1 mango, peeled and cut in chunks

Juice of 1 passion fruit

1 chilled 750-ml bottle dry white wine

1 chilled 12-ounce can ginger ale

1 chilled 750-ml bottle Champagne

Reserve some of the lime and carambola slices for garnish. In a large pitcher, stir together the white wine, the mango, the passion fruit juice and the remaining lime and carambola slices. The sangría may be prepared up to this point one day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Just before serving, stir in the ginger ale, the champagne and ice cubes, and serve the sangria garnished with the reserved lime and carambola slices. Makes about 2 1/2 quarts.

Lemon drop

2 ounces vodka

Sugar

1 lemon, cut in half

1 ounce honey simple syrup

Honeyed lemon for garnish

Make honeyed lemon: Slice long thin strips of peel from 1 lemon half. Boil in 1 part water/1 part honey about 15 minutes. Lay boiled pieces out to dry 24 hours; roll or dip in sugar.

Make honey simple syrup: Mix 4 parts honey to 1 part hot water and stir until mixed.

Rim a martini glass with sugar. Combine honey simple syrup, vodka, lemon (squeeze, then drop into mixing tin) and ice. Lightly muddle. Strain into a glass laced with honey and use a piece of honeyed lemon for garnish.

Lemon Berry Punch

1 quart lemonade

1 cup cran-raspberry juice

1 pint blueberries

1 pint strawberries

1 1/2 cups lemon-lime soda

Combine lemonade, cran-raspberry juice and berries in a large pitcher, and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, add soda. Makes 8 servings.

Southern Iced Tea Punch

2 family-size tea bags

1/2 cup granulated sugar

6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate

12-ounce can pineapple-orange concentrate

1 lemon or orange, sliced, optional

2 mint sprigs, optional

Bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add tea bags; steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour the tea into a gallon pitcher. Add the concentrates, stir and chill, as long as 24 hours in advance. Before serving, fill the rest of the pitcher with ice cubes, and add fruit slices and mint sprigs. Makes 16 servings.

Sangria

2 gallons full-bodied red wine

1 cup brandy

2 quarts orange juice

2 cups lemon juice

1 cup sugar

12 to 16 ice cubes

2 quarts chilled club soda

3 oranges, thinly sliced

3 lemons, thinly sliced

Thoroughly chill all ingredients. Pour the wine and brandy into a large punch bowl. Stir orange and lemon juice with the sugar until sugar has dissolved. Then add to bowl and stir to blend. Add ice cubes and soda and garnish with fruit slices. Serve in 4-ounce punch glasses or wineglasses.

White Sangria

1 small lemon, sliced thin

1 small orange, sliced thin

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 peach, peeled, sliced thin

1/4 cup peach schnapps

1 bottle white wine, chilled

Strawberries and kiwi fruit for garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a pitcher. Stir the sangria until the sugar is dissolved. Chill for 1 hour. Strain the sangria into wineglasses and garnish with strawberries and sliced kiwi fruit.

Sweet Tea

3 cups water

2 family-size tea bags

1/2 to 1 cup sugar

7 cups cold water

Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a teakettle. Place tea bags in a 4-quart measure and pour hot water over tea bags. Cover and steep 10 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Add desired amount of sugar, stirring until dissolved. Pour into a 2-quart pitcher and add cold water to fill. Serve over ice.

Fresh Fruit Lemonade

1 cup sliced ripe strawberries, whole raspberries or blueberries

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (6 lemons per cup)

1 cup sugar

4 cups cold water

1 fresh lemon, unpeeled, cut in cartwheel slices

Ice cubes

In blender or food processor, combine berries, lemon juice and sugar; blend until smooth. Pour into large pitcher. Add cold water, lemon cartwheel slices and ice; stir well. Garnish each serving with additional fruit and/or fresh mint leaves, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Old-fashioned Lemonade

6 lemons, juiced

1 cup sugar, or to taste

4 cups cold water

1 lemon, cut into cartwheel slices

Ice cubes

In a large pitcher, combine lemon juice and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients, and blend well. Makes 6 servings.

Agave Margarita

2 ounces silver tequila

1/2 ounce Triple Sec

1 squeeze of agave nectar

4 limes, juiced

Salt the rim of a rocks glass and fill with ice. In a shaker, vigorously shake tequila, triple sec, lime juice and agave with ice. Strain into glass and serve.

Key Lime Martini

2 ounces Stolichnaya Limonnaya vodka

3 ounces KeKe liqueur

Squeeze of Key lime juice

Dash of Midori melon liqueur

Key lime slice for garnish

Chill a martini glass; shake together other ingredients and garnish with the lime slice.

Tropical Cooler

2 ounces each orange, pineapple and passionfruit juice

Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

1 teaspoon grenadine.

Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into a highball glass filled with ice.

Rum Runner

1 ounce rum

1/2 ounce each: blackberry brandy and creme de banana

Splash of pineapple juice and orange juice

Dash of grenadine

Shake and serve on the rocks in tall glass

Pina Colada

2 ounces light rum

5 ounces pineapple juice

2 ounces coconut cream

1 cup crushed ice

Cherry and pineapple for garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed. Pour into a Collins glass and garnish with fruits.

Tea-Ki Torch

2 parts DeKuyper Luscious Tropical Mango Liqueur

1 part Absolut Vodka

3 part sweet tea

Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass.

Coquito

1 12-ounce can of evaporated milk

1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

1 15-ounce can cream of coconut

Half-gallon of vanilla ice cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 teaspoons cinnamon

White rum to taste

Mix all the ingredients and add the rum. Chill before serving.

Sunsine Cooler

1 fresh lemon wedge

Ice

3/4 ounce Chambord black raspberry liqueur or other black raspberry liqueur

1/2 ounce Tuaca Italian liqueur or other vanilla/citrus liqueur

1/2 ounce vodka

1-1/2 ounces fresh orange juice

1 ounce soda water

1 lime wedge for garnish

Squeeze the lemon wedge and drop it into a shaker. Fill shaker with ice. Pour in remaining ingredients except for the lime wedge. Cap and shake. Pour into tall narrow glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

The Tropicalia

1 cup peeled and pitted mango

1 cup fresh pineapple

1/3 cup grenadine

1/2 cup Key lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh grated or 3 nickel-sized pieces crystallized ginger

1/2 cup white rum

1 cup ice

Whip everything except the rum together in a blender. Taste. Adjust proportions if necessary, since fruit can vary in flavor and sweetness. Add the rum, give it all one more whirl and pour into tall glasses.

Bahamian Sunset

1 ounce Amaretto

1 ounce cranberry juice

1 ounce pineapple juice

1 ounce coconut liqueur

Stir together and pour over ice

Strawberry Pisco

10 ounces pisco

6 ounces lime juice, freshly squeezed

6 ounces strawberry-rose syrup*

1 egg white

Add pisco, lime juice and the strawberry-rose syrup into a blender with two scoops of ice. Blend for 20 seconds. Add egg white and blend again for five to 10 seconds. Strain through a coarse strainer into glasses.

*Strawberry-rose syrup: In a saucepan over low heat, dissolve 1 cup white sugar in 1 cup water. Add 1 cup of strawberries, finely chopped, and 1/4 ounce rose water. Bring to a low boil, then allow to cool and strain into a glass jar. The syrup will keep, tightly covered and refrigerated, for up to one month.

Tezón Blossom

2 parts Tequila Tezón Blanco

.5 part SOHO Lychee Liqueur

1 part pomegranate juice

1 part orange juice

Spoonful of sugar

Method: Mix together and serve over ice in a rocks glass filled with fruit pieces pre-marinated in lime juice and Malibu Passion Fruit Rum.

– The News-Press archive contributed to this story