Ask what to drink in St. Maarten and you’ll hear two answers. Visitors will say rum punch, and they’re right: it’s the drink you’ll see in nearly every hand on the beach. Locals will also point you to guavaberry, the island’s own liqueur. Here’s what goes into each, how to make a classic rum punch at home, and where to try both with your toes in the sand.

The short answer

The signature drink of St. Maarten is rum punch, a mix of lime, sugar, rum and juice that’s poured in beach bars all over the Caribbean. Most bars on the island make their own house version, and on a hot day a lot of them serve it frozen.

The island’s traditional drink is guavaberry liqueur. It’s made from a small wild berry that grows in St. Maarten’s hills, blended with rum, and it’s often called Sint Maarten’s national liqueur. If you only try one drink you can’t easily get back home, make it guavaberry.

What’s in a Caribbean rum punch

There’s an old West Indian rhyme for making it:

One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.

Here’s what each part means:

One of sour: fresh lime juice.
Two of sweet: sugar syrup (some people use grenadine or a fruit syrup for part of it).
Three of strong: rum. Gold or dark rum gives it more depth, and white rum keeps it light.
Four of weak: water, ice or fruit juice. Pineapple and orange are popular.

Finish it with a few dashes of aromatic bitters and a grating of fresh nutmeg on top. That nutmeg is the part people forget, and it’s what makes a rum punch smell like the Caribbean.

Every bar tweaks the formula, so no two rum punches taste quite the same.

Classic home rum punch (a traditional recipe)

This is a generic, old-school recipe built on the rhyme. It is not the Thirsty Pirate’s recipe. Ours is a house recipe, and you’ll have to come taste it on the boardwalk.

Makes about 10 drinks

1 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated until the sugar dissolves, then cooled)
3 cups rum (gold or dark, or a mix)
4 cups cold water or fruit juice (pineapple, orange, or both)
Aromatic bitters, to taste
Whole nutmeg, for grating

Stir the lime juice, syrup, rum and water or juice together in a big pitcher.
Add a few dashes of bitters, taste, and adjust. Too sharp? Add a splash more syrup. Too sweet? More lime.
Chill well, then pour over plenty of ice.
Grate a little nutmeg over each glass.

The traditional amount of syrup is sweet, so feel free to cut it back a bit.

Frozen rum punch: made for a beach day

Walk the Philipsburg boardwalk at midday and you’ll understand why frozen rum punch is so popular here. It’s hot, you’re in the sun, and a drink over ice turns watery in about ten minutes. Blend it instead and it stays cold, thick and slushy for as long as it takes to finish.

Blending also softens the rum, so a frozen punch tastes bright and fruity rather than boozy. That also means it goes down fast. Sip it, don’t race it.

Guavaberry: St. Maarten’s own liqueur

Guavaberry is the drink that really belongs to this island. It’s made from the fruit of Myrciaria floribunda, a shrub or small tree that grows wild in the hills of St. Maarten. The berries are small and round, and depending on the tree they ripen to orange or a deep, dark red.

To make guavaberry liqueur, the fruit is typically steeped with rum, sugar and spices, which gives you a sweet, fruity, slightly woody drink. Families have their own recipes, and it’s been made on the island for generations.

Guavaberry is closely tied to Christmas in St. Maarten. The tradition was to go house to house during the holidays singing guavaberry songs, and to be welcomed in with a glass of guavaberry. You’ll still hear those songs around the island at Christmastime.

The easiest way for a visitor to try it is a guavaberry colada, which mixes the liqueur with the usual colada ingredients. It’s sweet, creamy and tropical, and the berry flavor still comes through. We serve one at the Thirsty Pirate, so if rum punch is your first drink, a guavaberry colada makes a good second.

Other island drinks worth trying

If you’re sampling your way down the boardwalk, a few others to know:

Cold Carib beer: Carib is a Caribbean lager and the go-to beach beer in St. Maarten. Light, cold and easy in the heat.
Fresh fruit daiquiris: strawberry, mango and banana daiquiris, blended frozen, are a boardwalk staple.
Bushwhacker: a creamy, frozen, dessert-style cocktail with a chocolate and coffee edge. Think milkshake with a kick.

Where to drink rum punch on the Philipsburg boardwalk

Frozen rum punch is what the Thirsty Pirate is known for. The sign out front on the boardwalk says it plainly: “Frozen Rum Punch — Voted #1 in the Caribbean.” That’s our own slogan, and we’re sticking to it. Come try one and make up your own mind.

You’ll find us at 69C Front St, right on the Philipsburg boardwalk on Great Bay Beach, steps from where the water taxi from the cruise pier drops you off. Grab a frozen rum punch, a guavaberry colada or a bucket of Carib, pull up a beach chair and look out over Great Bay. The menu also lists a Thirsty Pirate Rum Punch cocktail made with dark rum, light rum, lime, pineapple, orange juice and grenadine. You can see the full drinks and food menu here.

We’re open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM, which lines up nicely with a cruise day. If you’re coming off a ship, our cruise passenger page has the details for your visit. And if you’re hungry too, here’s where to eat on the Philipsburg boardwalk.

Drink smart on a port day

A few rum punches on the beach is a great way to spend the day, as long as you still make it back to the ship. Some easy habits:

Drink water between drinks. Sun, heat and rum dehydrate you faster than you’d think.
Eat something. A plate of food off the grill goes a long way.
Find some shade. Get an umbrella with your beach chair and reapply sunscreen.
Know your all-aboard time. Set a phone alarm and leave a good buffer to get back to the pier.
Swim first. Save the rum punch for when you’re done in the water.

Planning the rest of your day? Our guide to things to do in St. Maarten on a cruise port day has the beaches, shopping and timing covered.

Rum punch FAQ

What is the signature drink of St. Maarten?

Rum punch is the drink most visitors think of, and nearly every beach bar on the island serves its own version. Guavaberry liqueur, made from a wild local berry and rum, is the island’s traditional drink and is often called its national liqueur.

What is in a Caribbean rum punch?

A classic Caribbean rum punch follows the rhyme “one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak”: lime juice, sugar syrup, rum and water or juice. It’s usually finished with bitters and freshly grated nutmeg.

What does guavaberry taste like?

Guavaberry liqueur is sweet and fruity, with a slightly spicy, woody finish from the rum and spices it’s made with. A guavaberry colada is an easy way to try it for the first time.

Is frozen rum punch stronger than regular rum punch?

Not necessarily. It depends on how each bar makes it. Blending with ice can make the rum taste softer, so it’s easy to drink quickly, which is a good reason to pace yourself.

Where can I get rum punch near the St. Maarten cruise port?

The Philipsburg boardwalk on Great Bay Beach is lined with beach bars, a short water taxi ride from the cruise pier. The Thirsty Pirate at 69C Front St serves frozen rum punch daily from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Why is guavaberry linked to Christmas in St. Maarten?

Guavaberry has long been part of holiday celebrations on the island. The tradition was to go from house to house at Christmas singing guavaberry songs and sharing a glass of guavaberry.

Rum Punch and Guavaberry: What to Drink in St. Maarten