The Dunes Martini is a cocktail that can be found on Princess and P & O Cruise lines. This martini is slightly sweet and tropical, with hints of coconut, melon, and pineapple. My brother and I had the privilege of going on The Crown Princess for a transatlantic cruise in the spring before this whole mess started. The ship had a fantastic martini bar called Crooners. This bar in the central area of the atrium had a live piano player, and we found ourselves many an evening sitting down to listen to the music and to people watch. The menu had a catalog of martinis, including the classic, and my absolute favorite, the Vesper. On the menu was a cocktail called the Dunes Martini. My brother fell in love with this exciting green martini. Even though its name invokes thoughts of the dry, hot Sahara, it is actually a very tropical and surprisingly delightful drink. It is just slightly sweet and pretty refreshing. My brother has talked about it many times since we got back from that trip, and I decided to research and find the recipe to surprise him at a recently hosted dinner.
I started looking into the cocktail and found several completely different versions of The Dunes Martini out there. Some involved gin and watermelon, while others were rum-based. The one with gin in it is named after the famous Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, but that wasn’t the one my brother liked. I finally found one P & O cruise lines website. Princess and P & O are sister cruise lines, Princess being more American centric where P & O is geared towards the British market. Other than the obvious having a tea kettle in each room on a P & O ship, their ships are quite often the same design with similar amenities. I have often thought it would be fun to go on a P & O cruise to see the differences. This recipe may have been from P & O, but it is the same cocktail. The look on my brother’s face as he took one sip told me I had nailed it. He said it tasted just like the one we had had on our fabulous trip in 2019.
The Dunes Martini has several different spirits in it, though nothing that any liquor store would not have. It is a mixture of coconut rum, melon liqueur (such as Midori), banana liqueur, pineapple juice, and some sweet and sour mix, all shaken together to make a surprisingly balanced cocktail that is easy to sip. I served it not only to my brother, but to friends who don’t usually like fruity drinks, and they all liked it and eagerly finished their glasses. If you are looking for a fun cocktail that is beautifully green and summery, this is a perfect choice. I will say the name “Dunes” is not what I would have thought of since this cocktail is very tropical. But I’m not the originator of this concoction. However, I will be enjoying some of these, sipping them on my patio all summer.
That is all for this week. The Dunes Martini is a fantastic cocktail worth seeking out the ingredients for a lovely summer evening. So, things are looking hopeful out there. But we still have some work to do to get the world back to normal. Please think of others in your choices of what you do. We need to do this together. Have a great week.
- ¾ oz Coconut Rum
- ¾ oz Melon Liqueur Midori
- ¾ oz Banana Liqueur
- ½ oz Pineapple juice
- ½ oz Sweet and Sour mix
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Chill a martini or coupe glass by filling it with ice or placing it in the fridge.
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Place all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
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Fill the shaker with ice.
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Close the lid and shake the martini shaker for several seconds (usually about 10) until the shaker is ice cold.
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Strain and pour into the chilled coupe or martini glass.
