Demilitarized Cocktail

By Sandra Scott

It’s a good day when deciding what cocktail to choose is the hardest decision we have to make. My husband and I had one of those days recently at Playa Bonita Resort on the one of the most beautiful beaches on the Pacific Coast of Panama.

During the morning and most of the afternoon at Playa Bonita we alternated between swimming in the Pacific, taking a dip in one of the five pools, walking on the beach and lazing in a hammock.

When the sun started to sink in the west, we felt we had earned a cocktail, but which one? I recognized the names of most of the cocktails and liked the tropical sound of Mango Tango. However, there was one I had never heard of, a Frozen Coco Kobbe.

“What’s a Kobbe?” I asked our server, Juan Antonio.

“The drink is named for Fort Kobbe, the former U.S. Military Recreational Beach, part of Fort Kobbe and Fort Howard. Now it is this beautiful resort,” he explained.

That settled it more me! I felt I should celebrate the transformation of a military installation into a peaceful, beautiful resort. What a wonderful concept—turning military bases into tourist destinations.

Impressed, I saluted the change with a Frozen Coco Kobbe, a perfect concoction of pina colada mix, rum and Island Oasis Ice Cream.

My husband I first considered watching the sunset on the beach but then I reminded him that even though we were on the Pacific Coast the hotel faces east and we saw sun rise in the morning. It is one of those great pieces of geographic trivia. Ships passing from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east actually travel from east to west. It really plays with my brain but when I think of the Isthmus of Panama as a “Lazy S” lying on its side, it is easier to understand. It is the only waterway—so they say—where one travels west to get to the east. If I think about it too long I’ll need another drink.

After that discussion, my husband opted for a Tequila Sunrise, a mind-soothing blend of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine. We toasted, “Here’s to more resorts and fewer military bases.”

Photos by Sandra Scott and John Scott

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