JULY 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 73
MAIN DISH
BAR
CJ’S RESTAURANT & HOME OF THE ROCKET FUEL
By CJ ARLOTTA
For nearly 50 years, CJ’s Restaurant &
Bar has been serving the Fire Island
community in various ways, but what
it’s ultimately become known for is
one of its piña colada-esque cocktails,
giving the iconic establishment the
nickname of “Home of the Rocket
Fuel.”
“The Rocket Fuel was founded in
1971 at CJ’s Fire Island,” says Chris
Mercogliano, a manager at The Palms
Hotel, which owns the Fire Island staple.
“It has become the drink of Fire
Island and is served at many bars and
restaurants. However, the best and
still original version is served at CJ’s.”
To accommodate demand for the
cocktail in the 1970s, when it was
opened in Ocean Beach by John "Gio"
Palermo and named after his son,
Christopher John, CJ's had five highspeed
blenders and designated several
employees to be “special Rocket
Fuel makers,” whose only job was to
make the cocktail, Mercogliano says.
Today, CJ's still has teams of "blender
guys and girls" behind the bar to
e n s u r e
R o c k e t
Fuels are
concoc ted
as quickly as
they’re ordered.
When asked how
he’d describe the
Rocket Fuel, he replies,
“As the drink
of the locals and all
of Fire Island.”
Basically, the Rocket Fuel
is a “151-proof rum-infused
piña colada,” Mercogliano
says.
The cocktail contains
151-proof rum, Coco Lopez,
pineapple juice, amaretto,
and ice. After the ingredients
are blended and poured into
a cup, a cherry is then added as a
garnish.
Rob Weber, the restaurant’s general
manager, would describe the drink
to someone who’s never had it before
as “Imagine what heaven would taste
like if it would fit in a glass.”
“People come
to CJ’s specifically
for
an original
Rocket Fuel
the same way
people travel to
Nathan’s in Coney
Island for an original
Nathan’s hot
dog,” Mercogliano
says.
CJ's Restaurant
& Bar is located
at 479 Bay Avenue,
Ocean Beach.
It can be reached
at 631-583-9890 or
cjsfireisland.com
“People come to CJ’s specifically for an original
Rocket Fuel the same way people travel to
Nathan’s in Coney Island for an original Nathan’s
hot dog,” Chris Mercogliano says.
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