Yo! Ho! Ho! And two bottles of rum, one blonde and one dark, to concoct these Gasparilla-themed drinks. Blow your hearties away with these jolly recipes featuring Papa’s Pilar—a fine spirit made in Florida and inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s sense of adventure.

Sassparilla Punch (Top and Bottom) Winter in Florida (Center); Photography by Jessie Preza

Winter in Florida

Serves one

• 1 1/2 ounces Papa’s Pilar Blonde
• 1 ounce pineapple juice
• 1 ounce Coco Lopez
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce sugar
• 2 fresh strawberries

PREPARATION: Put all of the ingredients together in blender and add a scoop of ice, blending until smooth. Serve in a gold-tipped glass and garnish with a fresh strawberry half, pineapple leaves or other edible greenery (mint works).

Sassparilla Punch

Serves a big group

•  10 1/2 ounces Papa’s Pilar Dark
• 7 ounces black tea, room temperature
• 5 1/4 ounces grapefruit shrub (recipe below)
• 3 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice
• 3 1/2 ounces orange blossom honey
• 1 3/4 ounces Root Liquor (or root beer syrup)

PREPARATION: Mix all ingredients in a big pitcher and stir with a long spoon to fully blend. Put ice in a pretty punch bowl and pour the mix over it. Ladle out individual glassfuls. Garnish with a dehydrated grapefruit or a fresh lemon peel and a cinnamon stick.

Grapefruit Shrub

• 1 peeled grapefruit, seeded and
  pith removed
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar in the raw

PREPARATION: Add all ingredients together in a Mason jar, seal the lid, then vigorously shake until the sugar dissolves. Let the mix ferment for at least 24 hours, then strain the pulp. You can make it up to 14 days prior.

Winter in Florida and Sassparilla Punch recipes by Joshua Gonzalez of The Bricks Ybor in Tampa; Grapefruit Shrub recipe by William J. Nicol of The Ice Plant in St. Augustine

WHIP UP THIS GASPARILLA PICADILLO