The next to best Bushwacker Recipe

There is a place in Clearlake Texas that makes Bushwackers and they gave me the ingredients, but not the amount, I had to play around with it, and came up with the below;

This is for a blender

1 1/2 shots of Banana Liquor-importunate ingredient, but do it to taste,
1 shot of Kahlua or chocolate liquor
2 Shots of Rum, you can use dark rum but does make it sweeter, you can also use as much rum as you want and even once poured into glasses, top it off with any kind of rum you want.
3 scoops of fat free vanilla ice cream or yogurt, I like fat free, sugerfree yogurt, less sweet-the bars use an frozen bar ice mix that is vanilla, but you cannot find it in the stores
2 scoops of coco Lopez-coconut mix

lots of Ice, and blend.

This is the recipe I use and the blend is perfect for my taste buds, but you can vary it however you want. I played with a few batches before putting together this recipe.

Where in Clear Lake? We're in League City and would love to try it out.

The original recipe as developed and named by Angie Conigliaro and myself, Tom Brokamp, at the Ship’s Store Pub in Sapphire Village in the Spring of 1975.

The Bushwacker
1 ½ ounces Vodka
¾ ounce Kahlua
¾ ounce Dark Crème De Cocoa
2 ounces whole milk or half and half
1 ounce Coco Lopez cream of coconut
1 splash triple sec

Blend with ice and top with sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg.

The History
The Ship’s Store was owned by Rudy Thompson and Dick Holmberg.
I was the manager of the Ship’s Store at the time and Angie was a bartender.
With a tip of my hat towards nepotism, I am Dick Holmberg’s nephew and first cousin to the Humbugs of sailing fame. Angie is (was?) a first cousin to the Conigliaros of Boston Red Sox Fame. The restaurant still operates today under different ownership as the Grapevine Grill.

The concoction was originally thrown together by Angie at my suggestion as a tropical variation to the White Russian. Together we tweaked it, the Crème de Cocoa was substituted as a cost saving measure only, Kahlua was used exclusively during development.
Had it not been for Angie’s single handed efforts the drink would have soon been forgotten in a blurry hangover. Not yet earning a name, Angie pushed it on anyone and everyone for weeks as a creamy, kick butt sort of Pina Colada drink.
After the final recipe was decided upon a few weeks later and during a particularly slow evening two gentlemen wondered into the bar together with their large dog. At least one of the men was a flight attendant based in N.Y. They were flamboyant and very proud of their pet which I believe was a pure bred Afghan Hound. It was odd to see such a large dog visiting the islands for such a short stay (3 nights) however I’ve always supposed that the flight attendant status allowed the dog to travel for a reduced or free rate. These two fellows immediately fell in love with Angie’s concoction and the few people in Sapphire Village at the time fell in love with the dog. The dog’s name was Bushwack and Angie suggested that the new drink share his name.

I understand that there have been more then a few bartenders who have claimed its invention over the years, shame on them. There is one particular bartender who works at some ritzy establishment who claims it as his own. He also claims he invented it using Baily’s Irish Cream. He’d have to have lived in Ireland to do that however since Baily’s was not invented until 1974 and if memory serves me it was not introduced to the V.I. Until 1978. A letter explaining this false claim was sent to the manager of said ritzy establishment about a year ago and as yet has gone unanswered.

There was another popular Sapphire Beach bartender who claimed the Bushwacker as his own however he conceded my claim after we had a man-to-man conversation.

Many people are unaware there is a festival named in the beverages honor that occurs each August in Pensacola, Florida. The Bushwacker was introduced to Pensacola in 1975 by the then owner of the Sandshaker Lounge. More information can be found at
http://www.sandshakerlounge.com just click on the History link in the left column.

As for Angie’s where-abouts I have no clue, the last time I saw her was at Carnival Village in 1979. I always imagined she returned to Boston but if any of you readers can locate her please give her my regards.
As for me, I left the Ship’s Store in 1978. I continued living and working in the VI until 1980. I own a restaurant in the Blue Ridge Mountains (we don’t sell Bushwackers) and I have two children with my wife, a gal I met at the Ship’s Store in 1978. I return to the V.I. on a regular basis.

I also know the drink has been tweaked continually over the years especially and that is just fine. However you enjoy it is what is most important.

Taint nothing but the truth.
Tom

Tom: That is an interesting story. But whoever tweaked Angie's recipe to the all-alcohol version deserves the credit. 😉

I just came back from St. Thomas and got the kit for the original Bushwacker, it has Lopez coconut creme, creme de cacao, amaretto, cruzan spiced rum, baileys original, gordon's vodka, and kahlua. Add ice and blend. Top with whipped creme, a cherry, and fresh ground nutmeg.

This is the recipe that Skinny Legs in Coray Bay on St.John gave to me. Fill a glass with:

1/4 vodka
1/4 light rum
1/4 Bailey's Irish Cream
1/8 kahlua
1/8 amaretto

This is our friend's favorite. My favorite is a painkiller from Skinny Legs.

Can't wait to get back there this May.

The recipe on the website for paradise point is missing one ingredient. We just got back from St Thomas less than a week ago, I had taken a picture of my husband at the bar at the top of the sky ride, in the background is the recipe! It does not give measurements but ingredients and guessing by the flavor and having been a bartender I am certain the following will satisfy you. I could have sat up there all day drinking these! 6 oz baileys, 3 oz kahlua, 3 oz creme de cacoa, 2 oz dark rum, 2 oz amaretto, 2 oz vodka, AND 2 oz coconut creme. Now that last ingredient is the only thing not booze! Not sure where they get it but a guy on our cruise said it is a smoothie mix. You blend all together in a blender with the right amount of ice and you are good to go! I am guessing about 2 cups of ice. Good luck!

Bushwhacker Recipe

Ingredients:
4 oz cream of coconut
2 oz Kahlúa® coffee liqueur
1 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Dark Crème de Cacao
4 oz milk

Directions:
Combine ingredients with two cups of ice in a blender.

Blend until smooth, and serve up in two 12 oz Hurricane glasses.

Raise glass and toast.

Morgans Mango makes a fantastic Bushwacker as does The Beach Bar. Vodka, Coconut Rum, Baileys, Tia Maria, Frangelica, Amaretto equal parts blended with ice. This was the recipe that I got from Morgans Mango. So smooth and more than one you will have trouble getting around. I have never seen so many women have too many of this drink as they think it has no alcohol to speak of and are they in for a surprise.

You mentioned there was a Pain Killer that was a shot of 151 floating on top. Was this floating on top of the Bushwhacker? OH Bushwhackers are fabulous. I'm certain the recipes reported will be slightly different by everyone depending on what area of the islands they were in when they first tasted this awesome drink. I've only been there twice but I'd go back in a split second!

The original recipe, as told to me by the owner of the Ship's Shore at Sapphire....
.5 oz Vodka
.5 oz Light Rum
.5 oz Kahlua
.5 oz Amaretto
.5 oz Creme de Cacao
.5 oz Bailey
1 oz Coconut Cream
Blend well until you see a small bubble in middle
Shave nutmeg on top
Get smashed!!!!

PS. If you go heavy on the cacao and bailey's, it makes it the greatest drink you have ever had 🙂