Recipe | Drinks
Montego Surprise (Joan Prentice)

A fabulous cocktail which was the highlight of my leaving party from New Zealand. We called it “Joan’s Ruin” and “Joan’s Revenge but Joan told me its real name is “Montego Surprise”.  The recipe and words are Joan's.

Joan Prentice

For two years, just before I came over to the UK, Joan and I danced our way through Auckland - Latin American, Argentine Tango, and Salsa. Since then I always made sure to catch up with her each time I returned to New Zealand. I was gutted when in 2009 Joan died of cancer. I miss her sorely.

1 measure of mango juice

  • A bit loose (like you, after you have drunk several?) No, seriously, the ingredients change a bit, depending on what fruit and what juices I have in the cupsboard, but I will tell you what we used on Saturday.

3/4 or 2/3 measure of alcohol (white rum & gin)

  • Vary quantity depending on how humorous you want the group to get. I used mainly gin and just topped it up with rum, but that was because the rum was dark rum. I would mainly use equal measures of rum and gin.

  • A nice variation is white rum mixed with a coconut cocktail (like Coco Ribe), which is itself white Rum mixed with Coconut Water. Joan dribbles in some Coconut cream for added flavour.

1 banana

  • Depending on the quantity of drink you are making, add more bananas. For a blender full, I usually use 2 bananas. Make sure they are nice and ripe (with freckles on them).

  • Pawpaws and pineapples are also an absolutely great fruit to use in these, and nice when you also use all three together (with the bananas I mean).

Lots of ice.

  • Blend it all together. Yum!