MUMBAI: Whether you’re a casual listener or a certified pop head, we’re sure you have one (or more!) of your albums that hold a special place in your heart - bringing back memories, sparking excitement, or simply just playing in your head on loop from pure catchiness.

For World Music Day today, we’ve picked 5 of the most iconic recent music albums that took fans on a journey and captured a mood that you’ll love to vibe to - and paired each with the perfect BACARDI cocktail as a mood match. Discover a new dimension to your favorite songs with these delicious BACARDI cocktail recipes to sip, sing, and escape into the music!

1. Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 by Calvin Harris & The Classic Mojito

This throwback album from 2017 still features prominently on any carefree vacation playlist for how well it captures the tropical mood. As the name suggests, ‘bounce’ is the primary energy you can enjoy while throwing this album on, which is sure to lift your mood whether it’s on a Caribbean vacation or just a casual weekend unwinding at home. What better way to capture this tropical mood than the signature and most refreshing summer cocktail, the BACARDÍ Mojito? The refreshing and icy minty flavors of the Mojito are all you need to enjoy the album’s hits like Feels ft. Pharrell & Katy Perry, and Rollin ft. Khalid & Future - a fabulous combination of uptempo music and a cooldown cocktail.

THE CLASSIC BACARDÍ MOJITO RECIPE

Ingredients:

50ml BACARDÍ CARTA BLANCA

25ml Lime Juice

12 Mint Leaves

2 Tsp Extra Fine Sugar

25ml Soda Water

1 Sprig Of Fresh Mint

Steps:

1. Squeeze the lime wedges in a glass, gently press together the lime and the sugar
2. Crush the mint into the glass with a bar spoon to release oil
3. Half-fill the glass with crushed ice and add the WHITE RUM & churn
4. Top up with crushed ice and soda water. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

2. The Classic Daiquiri & Barbie The Album (Official Soundtrack) by Various Artists

The official soundtrack album for the most talked-about movie of 2023 features an all-star lineup of some of the most popular artists of the decade - kicking off with the smooth 90s-inspired pop of Dua Lipa’s Dance The Night and Lizzo’s Pink that dissolves into the hard-hitting punk beats of Charli XCX’s Speed Drive and GAYLE’s butterflies. And while the characters in Barbie World are only able to sip from empty glasses at their parties, you fortunately have a much better cocktail option to fill yours as you groove to this celebration of the Material Girl sound - the Daiquiri. This 20th century cocktail has become a timeless classic for its smooth combination of flavors that embodies the same vibes as the album in question - sweet and tart, with cleanly layered flavors and elegant composition. Here’s our guide on how to make the perfect Daiquiri to elevate your mood!

THE CLASSIC DAIQUIRI RECIPE

Ingredients:

50ml BACARDÍ CARTA BLANCA

25ml Lime Juice

2 Tsp Extra Fine Sugar

Steps:

1. Place sugar and freshly pressed lime juice in a cocktail shaker and stir until the sugar has dissolved
2. Pour in the white rum and fill the shaker with half-cubed ice, followed by some half-crushed ice
3. Place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled
4. Strain through a fine tea strainer into a chilled coupette.
5. Garnish with a mint leaf.

3. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift & The Frozen Pina Colada

This Album of the Year 2016 from possibly this generation's most iconic popstar is as quotable as it is upbeat - light hearted yet complex, playful yet full of poetic metaphors with moving instrumentals. 1989 is an album that is a true blend of moods that is sweet and tantalizing while also being layered and complex through the inimitable poetry of Taylor Swift across hits like Blank Space, Shake It Off, and Style. The fun and exuberant notes of this album call for cheering, celebration, and unabashed delight in who you are - and finds an appropriate cocktail pairing in the timeless vacation cocktail that, like Taylor, has won hearts all over the world - the Frozen Pina Colada. This Puerto Rican cocktail is layered with a variety of tropical flavors of fruit, coconut, blended together with the sweetness of rum. It’s a drink that keeps you coming back for more - the perfect companion for an album of which you can never get enough.

FROZEN PINA COLADA RECIPE

Ingredients:

50ml BACARDÍ CARTA BLANCA

37.5ml Coconut Water

37.5ml Pineapple Juice

1 Cup Ice

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender
2. Add 1 cup of ice and blend until a slushy consistency forms
3. Serve in a highball glass
4. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry flag

4. 24K Magic by Bruno Mars & The Tropical Treacle

Bruno Mars’ upbeat Album of the Year from 2018 has come to be known as the ultimate celebration of living the high life. From grooving to the eponymous hit title track to walking through the smooth retro jazz beats of That's What I Like, this is the perfect soundtrack to living your best life - whether you’re doing it out at a party or celebrating a particularly good mood at home. Then all you need to embody Bruno Mars’ glamorous R&B king vibe is a glass of the rich Tropical Treacle to sip as you strut around the room. This luxe cocktail is made with premium aged rum that flaunts gorgeous color and delectable flavor, and everything from its golden shade and elevated ingredients to the bright orange peel garnish will get you feeling the ‘24K Magic in the air’ in every sense of the phrase.

THE TROPICAL TREACLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

50ml BACARDÍ RESERVA OCHO 8

15ml Pineapple juice

2 Dashes Orange Bitters

5ml Simple Syrup

1 Orange Peel

Steps:

1. Add simple syrup, orange bitters, BACARDÍ RESERVA OCHO and ice to a rocks glass
2. Stir until chilled and mixed
3. Pour the pineapple juice at the end and gently stir
4. Garnish with orange zest

5. The Album by BLACKPINK & The Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

If there’s one thing that Korean powerhouse girl group BLACKPINK is known for, it is making a splash with their bold music. Featuring trap beats combined with EDM and hip hop influences, their debut full length album, simply named The Album, is full of empowering girl anthems as well as whimsically romantic tracks - from the audacious and unapologetic energy of How You Like That & Pretty Savage, to the bubbly and romantic Ice Cream & Lovesick Girls. For whenever you're enjoying either (or both) of these moods, you absolutely cannot miss pairing it with its perfect cocktail counterpart - the drink/dessert hybrid of the Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri. Blending the smoothness of rum with the fruity flavor of frozen strawberry slush, this drink brings out the boldness of the spirit while letting you add your preferred amount of fruity flair - an ideal match to enjoy the album for the celebration of bold individuality that it is.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI RECIPE

Ingredients:

50ml BACARDÍ CARTA BLANCA

25ml Lime Juice

25ml Simple Syrup

4 Sliced Strawberries

1 Cup Crushed Ice

Steps:

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a blender
2. Add a cup of crushed ice & blend a slushy consistency forms
3. Serve in individual highball glasses
4. Garnish with sliced strawberry