The vibrant yellow Barracuda Cocktail consists of rum, Galliano Liqueur, pineapple juice, simple syrup, fresh lime juice, and Prosecco. The full-bodied aroma of rum and the addition of herbal notes from Galliano work beautifully with the tropical pineapple and lime juice.

The cocktail exudes a hint of Tiki culture and is also classified as such. Yet, actually, the Barracuda is closer related to a classic Rum Sour. 

Quick Facts El Capitan Cocktail

When talking about the Barracuda, we also have to mention the role of Galliano, who had a crucial part in the success of the cocktail recipe- but first, let's mix a great drink.

Barracuda cocktail

Recipe Barracuda Cocktail

A fruity and herbal cocktail made of Rum, Galliano, fruit juices, and Prosecco.
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Prosecco, rum
Servings: 1
Calories: 199kcal
Cost: $3.20

Equipment

  • 1 Jigger
  • 1 Cocktail Shaker
  • 1 Hawthorne Strainer

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz Havana Club 3 years
  • 0.5 oz Galliano liqueur
  • 1.5 oz Pineapple juice
  • 0.5 oz Lime juice
  • 1 tsp Simple syrup
  • 1 oz Prosecco spumante

Instructions

  • Pour Rum, Galliano liqueur, pineapple juice, lime juice, and syrup into a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.
    1.5 oz Havana Club 3 years, 0.5 oz Galliano liqueur, 1.5 oz Pineapple juice, 0.5 oz Lime juice, 1 tsp Simple syrup
  • Shake until the drink is well-chilled.
  • Strain into a chilled glass or pineapple mug.
  • Top with Prosecco
    1 oz Prosecco spumante

Nutrition

Serving: 5.5ozCalories: 199kcalCarbohydrates: 19.03gProtein: 0.35gFat: 0.66gSodium: 1.92mgPotassium: 85.42mgSugar: 17.72gVitamin C: 9.5mgCalcium: 16.32mgIron: 0.27mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Ingredients & Recommendations

When shopping for the ingredients for the Barracuda Cocktail, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Tips for Mixing

Our Barracuda is shaken and served straight up with no ice. It's crucial to use enough ice when shaking - large ice cubes, no crushed ice because this will water down your cocktail. Fill one shaker tin with cubes, then pour the ingredients over the ice.

Shake for about 8 seconds to chill all ingredients properly, and add some ice cubes to your glass while prepping to cool it. Discard the ice shortly before pouring the drink.

History of the Barracuda Cocktail

The roots of the cocktail lie in the open sea: In the 1950s, Italian bartender Benito Cuppari invented the drink while working on the Cristoforo Colombo Cruise Liner. 

A few years later, in 1965, he perfected the recipe for the cocktail, soon after starting to work on another ship - the SS Michelangelo.

Cuppari took the advanced version of his recipe as an opportunity to rename the cocktail into Barracuda. As it happens, that was also the name of one of the most famous beach clubs in the 50s and 60s. That club was by a close friend of Cuppari. A fact that surely played a role in his choosing the new name.

Barracuda cocktail in pineapple

The Barracuda Cocktail was a huge success. The first version was already selling well, but the refined version smashed it. 

It won a cocktail competition on the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent and almost immediately caught the attention of the Italian liqueur brand Galliano.

Same as with the Yellow Bird cocktail, the international success of the Barracuda goes back to an offensive and very clever marketing campaign by the Galliano brand. One of their best moves was the release of the mug the Barracuda got served in:

Initially, the drink came in a natural pineapple shell, but Galliano replaced it with a branded ceramic pineapple mug. The fruity concoction became the signature cocktail of the cruise ship, and the ceramic pineapple mug was a popular souvenir amongst guests.

The recipe is also part of a small booklet with dozens of cocktail recipes, the brand distributed in 1969.

Galliano Liqueur Recipe Booklet 1969 Barracuda

More Tiki Cocktail Recipes

When you like easy-to-drink, fruity rum cocktails, try some of these Tiki favorites:

For more inspiration, check out our list of the 20 best Tiki Cocktails of all time.

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