Stay Cool This Summer With Daiquiris And Other Frozen Treats In Nassau & Paradise Island
We don’t have to convince you that it’s hot here in The Bahamas, especially during the summer months. While our famous crystalline beaches are great way to beat the heat, we recommend a tasty alternative to cool-off: frozen drinks and delectable treats! Luckily, Nassau is stocked with restaurants, specialty boutiques, beach stalls, and roadside stands that serve up some of the coolest beverages and ice creams, so you’re never empty-handed. Here are some of our favourite places to find daiquiris, pina coladas, soft serves, and more in downtown Nassau and Paradise Island!
Twin Brothers
Credit: Fried Chicken Lips
What started off as a family-run establishment has now turned in a famous Bahamian franchise, but no matter where Twin Brothers goes, their most popular product will always be their daiquiris. Their most popular and convenient location is at in Arawak Cay (also known as the Fish Fry), and it’s here that Twin Brothers serves up their world-famous daiquiris. Because the daiquiris are in such high demand, Twin Brothers has a colorful little shack dedicated to their alone, and blenders are always buzzing with life as mixologists churn out delicious cold beverages like Guava, Coconut, Banana, and Pineapple Daiquiris. By far, their best flavor is the Miami Vice, a layered daiquiri of Pineapple-Coconut and Strawberry. You can get these frozen drinks loaded or unloaded at $1-5 a cup, so the entire family can beat the heat at the beach with a tall, tropical Bahamian beverage!
Must Haves: Miami Vice, Pineapple, Mango, Guava
Restaurant Locations: Arawak Cay, Downtown Nassau / Potters’ Cay Dock, East Bay Street
Hours: Mon-Sun, 11:00am – 12:00am
More Info: Website | Facebook
John Watling’s
Credit: John Watling’s
Of course, the best way to enjoy a tropical drink is with some rum. How about throwing in a bit of history and pomp with that drink? Take a step into the cool, crisp history of rum here in Nassau by taking a seat at the John Watling’s Distillery! The distillery is settled on the hallowed ground of Buena Vista, a luxurious 18th century mansion with an elaborate past, and even more elaborate drinks. After touring the facility to learn all about how they make their rum at the distillery, you can head on over to try them out for yourself to stave off that heat. Utilizing their own award-winning rum, the bartenders at John Watling’s are known for mixing their drinks to achieve the most amazing frozen rum cocktails, including a wonderful frozen mojito with their Pale Rum, and a Pina Colada with their Amber Rum you will simply lavish over! You can choose to sip your refreshing local drinks inside or out, but we recommend taking the drinks outside to take in the views!
Must Haves: Pina Colada, Frozen Mojito, Mango Daiquiri
Location: Delancey Street, Downtown Nassau
Hours: Sat-Thurs, 10:00am – 6:00pm / Fri, 10:00am – 9:00pm
More Info: Website | Facebook
Daiquiri Shack
Credit: Journal of Curious Things
You don’t need to go to a fancy restaurant to find great service and exceptional drinks here in Nassau. Instead of dressing to the nines, you can grab your flip-flops and take a seat at the Daiquiri Shack at Marina VIllage on Paradise Island to enjoy a tall frozen tropical drink! This refreshingly uncomplicated bar is just steps from Atlantis, and remains one of the more popular daiquiri virtuosos on the island. While at the Shack, you can choose from a wide variety of local ingredients to create a flavor just for you. What’s even better is that the mixologists only use natural fruits, popping bananas off the stem and chopping pineapples right in front of you to ensure you’re only getting the freshest ingredients in your frozen beverage. You can get your drinks loaded or unloaded, but we warn you, there’s no shortage of rum at the Daiquiri Shack! One of their most famous daiquiri concoctions is the Atlantis’ Dirty Banana Daiquiri, but if you’re feeling a little adventurous, do as one blogger did and try the Guava & Pina Colada mixed together!
Must Haves: Rum Runner Slushy, Dirty Banana Daiquiri
Location: Marina Village, Atlantis, Paradise Island
Hours: Mon-Sun, 11:00am – 11:00pm
More Info: Website | Facebook | Instagram
The Green Parrot
Credit: Tru Bahamian Food Tours
Since you’re looking for a place to stay cool, you might as well do it at The Green Parrot, a delightful watering hole with some amazingly boozy ways to cool down no matter what time of year you’re here. The Green Parrot is a great place to grab traditional Bahamian and American foodie classics, but it’s their frozen drinks that keep the people coming! The bartenders here are more than willing to take your favorite alcoholic beverage and blending it with ise, but one of their specialties that we recommend is Green Parrot’s infamous Mudslide, a cool, creamy mixture of Kahlua Liqueur and Bailey’s. It’s more like a chocolatey frozen dessert that can be slurped through a straw, but that’s half the fun of eating dessert before dinner, right? This drink is most commonly ordered on Sundays by boaters who drive up to Hurricane Hole and Bay Street Marina after a day of beaching, but it can be enjoyed at anytime! FYI- if you’re tastebuds are tingling right this very second from our delicious description, try Bailey’s official recipe that is pretty similar to Green Parrot’s recipe, but if you’re going to be in Nassau at any time, you’ve got to try Green Parrot’s twist!
Must Haves: Mudslide, Frozen Mojito, Frozen Margarita
Restaurant Locations: Hurricane Hole, Paradise Island / East Bay Street, Nassau
Hours: Mon-Sun, 11:30am – 12:00am
More Info: Website | Facebook
The Drawbridge
Credit: Tru Bahamian Food Tours
The latest addition to both Graycliff and Downtown Nassau’s sweet scene, the gelato and sorbets here are as delicious as they are surprising to find in The Bahamas. Graycliff’s Drawbridge Patisserie & Gelateria has taken an Italian favorite and turned it into a soon-to-be Bahamian classic, offering daily specials using Bahamian ingredients like guava, soursop, banana, key lime, and coconut. Drawbridge Patisserie uses seasonal ingredients, so the flavors change depending on the time of year, but the frozen treats are always bound to be delicious. Even if fruit is not your thing, Drawbridge Patisserie serves traditional gelato favorites like chocolate, strawberry, and hazelnut as well, along with Bahamian and Italian baked goods that will knock your socks off (but of course you won’t have any on because it’s so hot!). It’s the perfect place to grab a snack to cool off with, that’s why we had to include it as a tasting on our Bites of Nassau Food Tour!
Must Haves: Banana Gelato, Key Lime Sorbet, Mango Gelato, Guava Gelato
Location: West Hill Street, Downtown Nassau
Hours: Mon-Sat, 9:00am – 5:00pm
More Info: Website
Sun & Ice
Credit: Sun & Ice
Hello gelato! Another recent addition to Atlantis Resort’s fun dining options, Sun & Ice is a delightfully colorful establishment specializing in unconventional Bahamian flavors. Offering one-of-a-kind fruit, herb and spiced gelato and ice creams, Sun & Ice has quickly become a popular destination for families to find something sweet to cool down with while perusing Atlantis’ near by Marina Village or pools. Sun & Ice offers flavors that include tropical favorites like coconut and pineapple, but we also recommend their signature fusions, like the ‘Yea Bey’ (soursop and caramelized sugar banana) named after a Bahamian vernacular to express enthusiasm. This unique parlor even serves its seasonal flavors in trendy charcoal cones, so make a point to snap a pic of these frozen treats before you venture out into the hot Bahama sun!
Must Haves: Sea Grape, Sapodilla, Benny Cake, Thyme
Location: Coral Towers Lobby Lounge, Atlantis, Paradise Island
Hours: Mon-Sun, 11:30am – 10:30pm
More Info: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Pop Stop
Credit: Pop Stop
Can you think of anything more satisfying than a cold popsicle on a hot, sunny day? How about gourmet popsicles with all-natural tropical fruit? If you’re looking to level up on a childhood favorite, then Pop Stop is a must stop when you’re in Downtown Nassau. Pop Stop serves a variety of gourmet popsicles, incorporating local ingredients in interesting new ways to create flavors so good, you’ll be going back for seconds, then thirds! Located in Pompey Square along the Prince George Wharf, Pop Stop offers tasty frozen treats with flavors like Mango Lemonade and Beached Kiwi, all with chunks of fresh fruit frozen in the mix. They also serve more decadent fusions like Coco Loco, which includes coconut, caramel and sea salt, breakfast mixes with oatmeal, and Boozy Pops, popsicles with a shot of rum for a little extra kick. Grab a popsicle at Pop Stop and stay cool!
Must Have: Soursop, Dilly, Junkanoo Pop, Mango Lemonade
Location: Pompey Square, Downtown Nassau
Hours: Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun, 11:00am – 5:00pm
More Info: Facebook