Gasparilla is this Saturday and there will be about 300 thousand pirates partying in South Tampa. It is quite the party! Grab your beads, costumes, and eye patches, and get ready for the 2023 Gasparilla parades.

This year, the Jose Gasparilla will set sail from the south of Hillsborough Bay and continue north before docking at the Tampa Convention Center. The annual reenactment of Tampa’s historic invasion of the Gasparilla Flotilla. The Gasparilla Flotilla, led by Jose Gasparilla and the swashbuckling YMKG pirates, will dock at the Tampa Convention Center, where they’ve commanded Mayor Jane Castor to surrender the Key to the City to the Captain of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.

With the Key to the City in hand, the Krewe celebrates their victory in a Parade of Pirates down Bayshore Boulevard.   The parade is scheduled to start at 2pm and usually wraps up around 6pm.  There will be about 100 krewes, marching bands and dance groups along Bayshore tossing beads into the crowds.

Everyone knows how to dress like a pirate, but what about drinking like a pirate? What does a pirate even like? Well, here are the top Pirate themed drinks for this weekend.

• The Wrecked Pirate Cocktail

  2 parts Gaspar’s spiced rum
  1 part Gaspar’s coconut rum
  2 parts pineapple juice
  Splash of Blue Curacao
  Splash of Lemon-Lime Soda
  Juice of ½ lime
  Fresh pineapple for garnish
  Maraschino cherries for garnish

  Directions: Mix the three-parts Rum, two-parts pineapple juice, a splash of Curacao, a splash of Lemon Lime Soda, and Lime Juice. Then garnish with fresh pineapple and Maraschino cherries.

  

• The Captain Jack

  • Ice

  • 2 ounces of Gaspar’s Spiced Rum

  • 1/2 oz. 151-proof rum

  • 3/4 oz. fresh pineapple juice

  • 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

  • 1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum

  • 1/2 oz. simple brown sugar

  • Pineapple slice for garnish

  Directions: mix the ice, rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, Velvet Falernum, and simple brown sugar in a blender. Garnish with a pineapple slice.

  

  Pirate Dog at Gasparilla 2019

• Shipwrecked

  • 1 lb. frozen pineapple chunks

  • 2 cups ice

  • 6 oz. Gaspar’s Scurvy Lime Rum

  • 4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

  • 3 oz. simple syrup

  • 2 1/2 oz. Gaspar’s Spiced Rum

  Directions: Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. For an extra bit of fun, serve your frozen drink in a hollowed-out coconut or pineapple! Serves 6

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• Anchors Away!

  Put your anchors away on your favorite day of the year and start the day off right with an Anchors Away! Gasparilla-themed cocktail!

  • 1 oz. Gaspar’s Silver Rum

  • 1 oz. Gaspar’s Spiced Rum

  • 1 oz. Gaspar’s Coconut Rum

  • 3 oz. pineapple juice

  • 1/2 ripe banana

  • 5 large frozen strawberries

  • 1 slice pineapple

  Directions: Combine all ingredients together in a blender with ice. Blend on high until smooth, pour into a hurricane glass, and serve.

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• The Grog

  The Grog is a classic pirate cocktail. It’s simple, easy, and delicious, so mix one up for all of your fellow pirates this Gasparilla!

  • 1 oz. of lime juice

  • 1 oz. brown sugar

  • 1 oz. Gaspar’s Spiced Rum

  • 4 oz. water

  Directions: Add the brown sugar to your shaker, add in a splash of warm water (1 oz.) to dissolve the sugar, and add lime juice. Put in rum, rest of the water, and ice. Shake. Pour over crushed ice and serve.

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