It’s the motto of travelers ‘round the world:  When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, in St. Maarten, enjoy a Guavaberry Fizz. Chances are you won’t taste guavaberry liqueur anywhere else in the world. These little wild berries  – no relation at all to guava – grow high upon the hills in the center of the island and elsewhere across the Caribbean. At the Seabreeze Restaurant at the Divi Little Bay Resort, the bartenders love making Guavaberry Fizzes.

The cocktail couldn’t be simpler to make: put a good pour of guavaberry liqueur in the bottom of a tall glass, fill with any sort of fizzy water – sparkling water, club soda, seltzer, then garnish with the tropical fruit of your choice. A sliver of pineapple adds tropical flair and flavor; slices of orange or lime (or both) work too. It’s the pause that really refreshes on a very sunny St. Maarten day.

Not far from the Divi Little Bay Resort you will find the Sint Maarten Guavaberry Company on Front Street in Phillipsburg. Here you can learn everything you’d ever want to know about guavaberry but didn’t know to ask. Guavaberries are rare, have decades of history and are a rather unique species in the plant kingdom. The juice of these precious berries are mixed with rum and sugar and then aged to create the liqueur. In addition to information, there is also a shop, so you buy a bottle of the liqueur, which means…. that when you arrive home you can still do as the Sint Maarteners do.

And, when home is Divi Little Bay for a week or two, the on-site grocery is well stocked with the fizzy and the fruit. You can even order supplies ahead and the Seagull Delivery Service will have them in your room awaiting your arrival – a very nice welcome indeed.