Rainforest Cafe is a theme restaurant first: animatronic gorillas, indoor thunderstorms and fish tanks. The drinks match the theme, served in souvenir glasses with names that sound like an adventure. The Panama Punch is the strongest of them, with five spirits hidden under orange and pineapple juice.
A Note on the Swap
We were asked to make a Rainforest Cafe “Volcano.” The famous Rainforest Cafe Volcano is a dessert: a towering brownie-and-ice-cream sundae for the table, listed on the Disney Springs menu as the Sparkling Volcano. We couldn’t find a Volcano cocktail on current Rainforest Cafe menus, so we made the restaurant’s most interesting cocktail instead.
What Rainforest Cafe Serves
The 2025 specialty cocktail menu at the Disney Springs Rainforest Cafe lists the Panama Punch as:
- Don Q 151 Rum
- Myers’s Original Dark Rum
- Peach schnapps
- 99 Bananas Liqueur
- Crème de cassis
- Orange and pineapple juices
Like the other specialty cocktails there, it was $16.00 in a souvenir glass. Prices and menus vary by location (Rainforest Cafe has locations in malls, theme parks and resorts), and the exact pours aren’t published. The recipe below is our balanced version.
Why Copycats Taste Like Gasoline or Candy
This drink can go wrong in two ways. Too much overproof rum and it burns. Too much schnapps, banana and cassis and it tastes like a bag of candy.
The fixes:
- Keep the overproof to half an ounce. It’s 75.5% ABV, so a little goes a long way. Its job is to add a rum backbone, not heat.
- Add lime. The menu doesn’t list it, but half an ounce of fresh lime ties the five spirits and two juices together and keeps the drink fresh.
- Use cassis as a finish. Drizzled on top, it sinks in purple streaks and adds a tart blackcurrant note rather than making everything purple.
The Technique
Shake the rums, liqueurs and juices hard with ice. Shaking aerates the pineapple juice and gives the drink a light, frothy top. Strain over fresh ice in a big glass, then drizzle the cassis over the top and garnish with plenty of fruit. It’s a theme-park drink, so don’t hold back.
Batching for a Party
For six drinks, combine 3 oz (90 ml) overproof rum, 4½ oz (135 ml) dark rum, 3 oz (90 ml) peach schnapps, 3 oz (90 ml) banana liqueur, 18 oz (540 ml) each orange and pineapple juice and 3 oz (90 ml) lime juice. Chill. Pour over ice and drizzle about ¼ oz cassis into each glass. Label the pitcher; it tastes like juice but it isn’t.
The Mocktail Version
The Panama Punch’s flavors are banana, peach, blackcurrant, orange and pineapple, and all of them have non-alcoholic versions. A quarter of a ripe banana blended into the juice replaces 99 Bananas. Peach nectar replaces schnapps, and blackcurrant syrup (Ribena) replaces cassis. A splash of cooled black tea stands in for dark rum’s depth, so the mocktail tastes more like punch than plain juice. It’s a great drink for kids at a Rainforest Cafe–themed party.
Serving
Serve it with Rainforest Cafe–style crispy coconut shrimp, sliders or a big plate of nachos. It’s a strong drink in a big glass, so one is enough.
Quick Fixes
- Burns on the way down? Cut the overproof to ¼ oz and add ½ oz more dark rum.
- Tastes like candy? Add more lime and cut the banana liqueur to ¼ oz.
- Cassis turning everything purple? Pour it over the back of a spoon, and don’t stir.
Enjoy responsibly — must be 21+.
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