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Easy Drinks and Eats for Sailors
by Sue and Larry

Cooking onboard can be a source of entertainment and joy and what's better than sharing that with friends?

“Hey, there’s Scalliwag!” Larry cried out as Serengeti made the swing into the harbor at Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas. We hadn’t seen this salty looking Dudley Dix 39 for two or three years. What a nice surprise. Onboard were our South African friends Shawna and Trevor and their ever entertaining ship’s cat Scupper. I immediately hailed them on the radio and invited them to join us for Happy Hour.

Impromptu Happy Hours are one of the most fun aspects of the cruising life. With each corner turned, we never know who we are going to meet next or run into again, and much of the getting to know each other is done during these aptly named Happy Hours. Locations may change from a dock party in Chicago, IL to a faraway anchorage in the Fiji Islands, but the main ingredients stay the same; food, drink and good conversation.

As Shawna climbed aboard, she immediately asked, “OK Sue, what treats have you whipped up to eat this time?” Several years back, I got her in trouble with her husband when they came over for dinner the first time. Self-admittedly, Shawna wasn’t much of a cook and often just opened a “tin of soup” for meals rather than make up something from scratch. Trevor was in heaven that night when he was offered homemade “pasties”, a delicious British meat pie. She knew that I liked to make something other than the ordinary even for Happy Hours.

"We’ve found that just because you’re on a boat, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little higher level of cuisine."

No one wants to be a slave to the galley when in such a relaxed environment so it’s understandable that the usual fare served on boats at Happy Hours is chips with salsa or just plain cheese and crackers. For drinks, beer and wine are the easiest and therefore the most common also. Well, we’ve found that just because you’re on a boat, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little higher level of cuisine.

With minimal extra effort, you can impress your friends and give your own taste buds a treat at just a moments notice. At the end of this article are a few of our favorite “boat friendly” recipes which use ingredients that are easy to store and keep on a boat.

A warning though; what you serve won’t change the typical Happy Hour conversations. The men will still inevitably compete for honors in the worst blocked head escapade while the women relay the latest episode of “why I can’t learn to sail from my husband.” And everyone who truly loves the boat life will dream about what it would be like to just pick up and leave now and sail to some exotic location. Wherever your Happy Hour conversations take you, they’re bound to be a place that builds warm and lasting friendships.

You don't have to be a masterbartender to mix great drinks--a little inspiration goes a long way.

As your entertaining continues past the setting of the sun, don’t forget to pull out some candles or a kerosene lamp to add to the already magical atmosphere. The flickering lights in the cockpit combined with the twinkling star and shimmering water will simply fuel the happy, free-flowing conversation that is what onboard Happy Hours are all about.

Following are a few of our favorite recipes that utilize ingredients that are easy to carry and store on a sailboat. For Larry and me, these simple homemade concoctions make impromptu entertaining just a little more special.

Boat Eats

Curried Orange Almond Chicken Pate

  • 1 - 10oz can Chicken Breast
  • 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise*
  • 1 Tbsp Orange Marmalade
  • ¼ cup Sliced Almonds
  • 1 tsp Curry Powder
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

    Drain chicken then mix all ingredients together. Serve on crackers.

    *Mayonnaise can be kept on your boat unrefrigerated as long as you always use a clean spoon or knife when dipping out of the jar to avoid contamination.

    Savory Flatbread Wedges

  • 1 package flour tortillas (any flavor – plain, spinach, sundried tomatoes, etc.)
  • Margarine spread
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Optional seasonings – Garlic salt, dried onion flakes, sesame seeds, nacho powder, Mrs. Dash, …… basically, anything you like.
  • (If you have fresh garlic on board, this chopped up and mixed in with the margarine is wonderful.)

    Mix in the parmesan cheese and any and all combinations of seasonings you like with the margarine. Spread on one side of each flour tortilla. (This stage can be done in advance of company.) Quickly brown each side of the tortillas on medium high heat in a non-stick frying pan. Immediately cut into pie shaped wedges with a pair of scissors and serve.

    Quesadillas

  • 4 - 12 inch flour tortillas (any flavor)
  • 1 can re-fried beans
  • 10 oz grated cheese
  • 1 hot chilli pepper (optional)
  • Margarine

    Lightly spread margarine on one side of each tortilla. Spread refried beans onto two of the tortillas. Add finely chopped hot chilli pepper on top of beans. Sprinkle cheese over beans and cover with another tortilla. Using a nonstick pan, place your quesadilla in a non-stick pan and heat on medium temperature until tortilla is lightly browned and cheese has started to melt. Flip and brown other side. Remove from pan and use scissors or pizza cutter to cut into wedges before serving. If sour cream is available on board, serve with a dollop on each piece.

    Garlic Citron Hummus

  • 2 can (15 oz) Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)
  • 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
  • 1 small Jalapeno Pepper finely chopped
  • 2 tsp Lemon Rind (yellow part only, finely chopped)
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • ½ Cup Olive Oil.

    Drain garbanzo beans. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash with a potato masher still well blended. If you have a small food processor onboard (many cruising boats do, believe it or not) place the ingredients in the processing bowl and process still smooth. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, pita wedges or even fresh cut vegetables like carrots and celery.

    Nuts with a Kick

    Add a little taste booster to the nuts served onboard. Choose the flavor you like best and whip these up in no time flat.

  • 1 cup nuts (peanuts, whole almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, etc.)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder For hot nuts:
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper For curried nuts:
  • 1 tsp curry powder

    Mix desired ingredients and place in non-stick pan on high heat. Stir often and heat until nuts begin to brown lightly. Serve immediately.

    Boat Drinks

    Margaritas

    Per drink recipe:

  • Juice from 1 ½ fresh limes (Key Limes if available or 2 oz other lime juice from a bottle)
  • 1 oz Tequila
  • 1 ½ oz Triple Sec
  • 3-4 oz beer
  • Ice
  • Margarita salt

    Salt rim of glass with the margarita salt. Fill glass with ice. Add each ingredient and stir. The beer may seem an unusual ingredient here, but it does a wonderful job of cutting the acidity prone to many Margaritas.

    Rum Punch

    To make a pitcher:

  • 16 oz rum (our favorite is Bermuda’s Black Seal)
  • 10 oz orange juice
  • 5 oz pineapple juice
  • 5 oz grapefruit juice
  • 1 - 8 oz can crushed pinapple
  • 1 – 11 oz can mandarin oranges
  • fresh cut slices of lime, lemon and orange with rind left on.
  • Marachino cherries
  • (optional dilute with 7-up or soda water)

    Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Pour into tall glass filled with ice and garnished with a maraschino cherry and fresh slices of fruit if available. The above juices and fruits are all available in small cans that store well on the boat. Before adding the fresh fruit slices, squeeze the juice into each glass.

    Sangria

    To make a pitcher:

  • 1 - 750 ml bottle cheap red wine
  • 2 cups canned orange juice
  • 1 - 5 oz can grapefruit juice
  • 2 - 12 oz cans of 7-up (if you like things less sweet, use soda water)
  • (Optional – add a couple of ounces of blackberry brandy, or plain brandy)
  • Slices of fresh oranges and or limes

    Mix all together in pitcher with ice and serve

    GROG

    And for Happy Hours in the colder climes, here’s a quick recipe steeping in nautical tradition to keep your guests happy.

  • 1 Shot rum
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Squeeze of lime
  • Cinnamon stick
  • Boiling water - Stir all ingredients and add boiling water to fill mug.
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