Treasure Island Getaway

Pirates. I knew little to nothing about how pirates in the early 1700’s actually operated (worth some quick Google searches) until I was introduced to the STARZ series Black Sails, a prequel to Treasure Island. It paints a vastly different picture than Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. The four seasons originally aired 2014-2017, it’s on Hulu now, and I must say the effects have stood the brief test of time. Like most subscription original series, you just need to get beyond the extra-ribald first season to get sucked into the plot and character development.

To celebrate the end of a binge and set the mood for viewing the final Black Sails episodes (and to feel control over some aspect of my tiny world) I turned the apartment into a mini pirate den. Of note, searching “pirate party” only produced little kid birthday bashes with games and finger food menus, so I was flying pretty blind with this.

The Must Haves:

Fishing nets
Candles everywhere they safely can be placed (setting things ablaze is cool for pirates, but not for renters)
Empty bottles – tall, short, clear, colored, etc.
Palm leaves and tropical plants
A festive playlist – the Black Sails soundtrack is 10/10
Gold coins (pirates need booty)
A black sail (or banner) to show where your loyalties lie

The Menu:

I knew better than to attempt any sort of authentic cooking, so we ordered from a highly recommended place in the city. I, a fool, ordered the fried fish not realizing it would literally be a fried fish that had to be picked apart like a steamed crab.

The Beverage(s) of Choice:

Dark and Stormy – dark rum, lime juice, dry ginger beer
Painkiller – Virgin Islands rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, cream of coconut
Jungle Bird – blackstrap rum, campari, lime juice, simple syrup, pineapple juice
Mai Tai – white rum, gold rum, aged rum, a different aged rum, orange curaçao, lime juice, orgeat

The Decor: