Over the course of his 13 years at the Coral Reef Club, Dale Jordan has worked his way up from House Man to Bar Man to Assistant Bartender and now to Head Bartender.

The exquisite 12-acre resort property built in the 1950s by the O’Hara family boasts one of the most beautiful beachfront patios on Barbados’ West Coast, with an elegant coral stone, dark wicker and mahogany bamboo design recently updated by the family.

The bar menu, like the property, has stood the test of time, with small updates from Jordan and his experienced team. “We’ve tried to step up our game a bit”, he says, referring to this refreshingly sweet-and-tart martini that’s making its debut on his cocktail list this year. Jordan’s goal when creating it was to match the bar’s relaxed, sexy beach vibe. “It’s smooth and very pleasant. You can relax and just sip”, he says.

His other bestsellers include a traditional rum punch with fresh nutmeg and an exceptional margarita. “One guest loved my margaritas so much that she wrote me a note after she left to tell me she missed them and that while she was here she wouldn’t order them on the nights when I wasn’t working”, he says. Best to get to the Coral Reef Club for a margarita, then, or for this Platinum Martini, which we think might merit as strong a following.

Platinum Martini
Makes 1 cocktail

1 ¼ oz. Grey Goose vodka
1 ¼ oz. Malibu rum
⅛ oz. dry vermouth
3 oz. pineapple juice
1 tbsp. honey and 2 tbsp. cane sugar
for the rim, optional
1 wedge of fresh pineapple and 1 sprig
of mint, to garnish

Instructions

1. Measure the vodka, rum, vermouth and pineapple juice into a cocktail shaker.

2. Make a cane sugar rim, spread the honey on a small plate and the cane sugar on another. Dip the edge of a martini glass into the honey followed by the sugar.

3. Fill the shaker with ice and shake to combine.

4. Strain into the martini glass and garnish with the pineapple wedge and mint.

1. Chill your martini glass by filling it with ice and cold water while you make the drink. Pour out the ice before making the sugar cane rim.

2. Have the sugar rim ready before shaking the drink; otherwise your martini will become diluted.

Spa Cocktail Menu

In addition to its speciality cocktail menu, Jordan and his team at the Coral Reef Club also offer a page-long “Spa Cocktail” menu featuring low-alcohol and no-alcohol drinks, including the popular non-alcoholic Flamboyant, a smoothie of watermelon, mango, pawpaw and strawberry, blended to order.