38     |    VIPPensacola.com

T

he sun, the sand, the sparkling water glittering 

like jewels in a treasure chest…it all calls for 

something cool and delicious…like a cocktail. 

Or a milkshake. 

Or…both?

Such is the wonderful mash-up of the Bushwacker, 

and nowhere on the planet will you find a more 

fabulous and tasty specimen than the Bushwackers 

blended up by the skilled shake-makers behind the bar 

at the Sandshaker Lounge on Pensacola Beach. 

This creamy concoction is a work of sheer genius, its 

unique blend of Kahlua, rum, chocolate, and cream 

directly inspired by a trip that The Sandshaker’s original 

head sandman took to the Virgin Islands in 1975. And 

while this thick drink is a far cry from being virgin, 

there’s a certain island flare to the whole thing that 

makes it ideal for Pensacola Beach; and for the past 40-

odd years, adoring fans have been lining up at the bar 

to keep The Shaker shaking up their specialty. 

The building itself is a piece of local history, originally 

having been the hotel lobby bar for the Mai Kai Motel, 

and the entrance is right where guests of days gone 

by once checked-in for their stay at the beach. When 

the motel closed in the early 90’s, it could easily have 

been lost to the tides of change, but patrons of The 

Sandshaker kept business bustling right on up until 

Hurricane Ivan mercilessly swept through in 2004. 

The extent of the hurricane damage necessitated 

closing, but rather than letting it stay down for the 

story by

 

Liesel Schmidt | 

photos by

 Rebecca Hutton

count, loyal locals Sonny and Beverly Campbell 

decided to rescue and resuscitate the bar and add 

a few changes that would really make the place a 

shake shack worthy of note. “They wanted to keep the 

same local-bar feel that was so iconic to the bar, but 

change it just enough that it would draw new people 

and show why the place is so special,” says Sonny’s 

son Joe, who serves as the point man for Sandshaker’s 

marketing. “The local crowd is what has always given 

the Sandshaker its flavor, and it’s like a family that 

just keeps growing because new faces that come in 

Shake It Up

Jennifer Zayszly, Bartender, Sonny & Beverly Campbell, Owners 

& Sarah Villar, Bartender

38-39 Swizzle_Sandshaker- rev..indd   1

6/26/17   2:49 PM