In The Caribbean, Swizzle Sticks Grow On Trees

You probably don't think of swizzle sticks as anything but an ordinary stirring tool for tropical or tiki-themed drinks, but like many pieces of food or drink hardware, they have their own origin story. What's particularly fun about swizzle sticks is that they weren't actually invented — they were originally plucked straight from a plant.

The term swizzle means "to stir," which makes sense, but the "stick" portion is literal, because the original swizzle stick came in the form of a branch taken from the swizzlestick tree. The name's a slight misnomer; the swizzlestick tree is more of a shrub. The term "swizzle" also covers an entire category of drinks that are stirred using a swizzle stick or bar spoon.

The swizzlestick tree, also known as Quararibea turbinata, is a perennial plant that's native to the Caribbean, and its branches have ends that resemble little propellers. Snap one off a plant, trim it, and voila: You've got a swizzle stick. Not everyone has access to a swizzlestick tree, so the rest of the world has to settle for manufactured ones, but they serve as a nod to the Caribbean no matter where you're enjoying a tropical drink.

The proper way to use a swizzle stick is to place it in your drink and twirl it between your palms, which creates an efficient vortex moving around in your glass. This is how swizzles are mixed, and in terms of their liquor content, they lean towards being rum-based drinks, since they originated in the Caribbean. The mixing method is what defines the drink, however, so the base liquor can truly be anything.

Another signature of the cocktail is that all swizzles are served with crushed ice, and typically come in a taller vessel, like a sling or Collins glass. Rather than being shaken in a cocktail shaker, the drink is mixed directly in the glass with the swizzle stick in an up and down manner. The rapid chilling effect from the agitation causes the exterior of the glass to frost over, which is a pretty refreshing effect on a hot day.

While there are plenty of easy recipes out there, we're particularly fans of this rum-based Old Fashioned Traditional Dark swizzle, and lucky for you, the recipe for it lives on our very own site. Enjoy one while the days are warm and the wind is breezy, and you might just find yourself feeling like you're sitting on an island beach in the Caribbean.