Boat Drinks Bring the Summer Vibe—Even If You’re Landlocked

IN 1979 the singer-songwriter and patron saint of island escapism, Jimmy Buffett, released a song called “Boat Drinks.” While it captures the deep-winter yearning to “go where there ain’t any snow,” the lyrics go into zero detail about just what goes into a boat drink.

We reached out to Mr. Buffett for insight. When he failed to respond, we turned to the next best source: Rob Crabtree, co-owner (though he prefers the title co-captain) of Boat Drinks, a St. Augustine, Fla., bar that opened in December 2019. (After closing during the pandemic, the bar reopened in September 2020.)

“Boat drinks are a state of mind,” Mr. Crabtree said. “Whatever you’re enjoying around the water, the pool, a boat, that’s a boat drink.”

Boat drinks are generally easy to make and easy to drink. Relatively low in alcohol, they’re “sessionable” in bartender parlance, Mr. Crabtree noted. More often than not, they’re made with rum or lightened with a bubbly mixer. Bonus points if the drink can be transported in a cooler.

“It’s something you can enjoy out in the sun,” Mr. Crabtree emphasized. “It’s not just downing Martinis or Old Fashioneds; they don’t go well with the sun and water.”