Sometimes a girl's got to get away. Who knew the
Turks & Caicos is just a 3 hour jaunt from NYC?
It's hot in the Turks & Caicos. One might consider bottled water, but we eschewed H2O for Rum Punch hydration. You may only have a small fire escape from which to enjoy it, but here's an easy recipe to make at home:
Rum Punch
1 cup Bacardi 151
1/2 cup Myer's dark rum
1/4 cup Malibu coconut rum
2 cups each orange and pineapple juices
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons grenadine syrup
Mix all ingredients together in a (hopefully tropical-looking) punch bowl. Pour over ice cubes in any type of glass. We went for plastic (pictured) since it's safer for drunken dancing on the beach. Serves 1 very thirsty individual but makes quite a few drinks.
Wondering what the local island specialty is in the Turks & Caicos?
Really, it's all about conch. You can have it fried, frittered, curried or made into chowder. You can take it as a shot, some say it's an aphrodisiac, but isn't the whole island kind of one? Eat that versatile conch with rice and plantain fries. YUM.
And while every hotel offers conch in some variation, you simply must go to
Da Conch Shack. Sure, it's a bit out of the way (near the airport) but you'll be watching your conch get pulled from the turquoise sea with your toes in the sand. Check out all the conch shells below!
If you've had too much punch, sober up with a locally made Turk's head lager. Cheers!
