Aruba Ariba

The Aruba Ariba is the island's signature cocktail, a fruity, potent, brightly coloured drink invented on Aruba and poured in beach bars and restaurants across the island. There are many house variations, but the classic build layers white and dark rum with vodka and a fruity local liqueur, lengthened with fruit juices such as orange, pineapple, and cranberry, and often finished with a float of a coloured liqueur and a fruit garnish for a tropical, sunset look.

The drink is meant to taste of holiday. It is sweet, fruity, and easy to sip, which masks a fairly generous measure of spirits, so it goes down dangerously easily on a warm afternoon. The name is a play on 'arriba,' a cheerful toast, and the cocktail has become a kind of unofficial island welcome drink, the thing visitors order to mark their first evening on One Happy Island.

How it is served

The Aruba Ariba is served tall over ice, garnished with tropical fruit and sometimes a paper umbrella, and it is best enjoyed at sunset with a sea view.

• Recipes vary by bar, so each version has its own twist on the fruit juices and liqueurs.
• Order one at a beach bar on Palm Beach or after a sunset catamaran cruise for the full effect.

For a sweet, celebratory start to an evening on the island, order an Aruba Ariba at sunset. It is the cocktail that says you have arrived.