Bartender Jason is Serving up the Best at Turtle’s Pool & Beach Bar

Turtle’s Pool & Beach Bar has been voted ‘Best Tiki Bar’ by Best of the Islands for the past few years and is enjoyed daily by guests and islanders alike. This year, we’re proud to say Turtle’s has been honored again, along with one of our star bartenders Jason McAuliffe, who won the ‘Best Bartender’ award. Jason has been at Sundial for 6 years, starting out in banquets, bartending at events and, for the past several years, he’s been mixing up your favorite drinks at Turtle’s Pool & Beach Bar.

We hope you enjoy getting to know the Best Bartender on Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Jason McAuliffe.

How does it feel to be named Best Bartender?

I was very pleasantly surprised.

What was the first cocktail you learned how to make?

It was something called the Electric Parrot that was popular some years ago. It’s made with coconut rum, blue curacao liqueur and pineapple juice. It comes out really bright blue and tastes good too!

What’s your favorite drink to make?

I really like making Rum Runners. I think they’re the perfect beach drink and they have great flavor. You can learn how to make one from one of my Turtle’s coworkers in this video.

What’s the most popular cocktail at Turtle’s?

The Rum Runner and Piña Colada are favorites. They both just say ‘vacation’!

What’s the drink that you wish people would try?

The Lime in the Coconut. It’s delicious and everyone who tries it orders it again! It’s actually the drink I’m holding in the picture up top. We make ours with coconut rum, Smirnoff Whipped Vodka, pineapple juice, piña colada mix and lime juice. Make sure to try one next time your visit.

What’s your favorite thing about being a bartender at Sundial?

I love getting to know our guests and seeing them come back year after year. We have so many repeat visitors and owners and I like seeing their families grow up while enjoying their time at Sundial. Also, how could you not love working on the beach under the palm trees?