Whatever else the year ahead brings – and it’s looking like that’ll be a lot – let’s not lose sight of one defining fact: This is the year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the invention of the bushwacker.

And a seafood chain with locations all over Alabama may be the first out of the gate with a golden anniversary special.

A bit of history: The bushwacker is widely agreed to have been invented in 1975 at a bar in St. Thomas. It rapidly made its way to the central Gulf Coast, with the Sandshaker Beach Bar in Pensacola credited as the first venue in the region to adopt it. From there it became a mainstay all along the coast. The bushwacker has become such a regional favorite that the tourism agency for Gulf Shores and Orange Beach maintains information on the area’s Bushwacker Trail.

The key ingredients are rum, coffee liqueur, coconut and chocolate blended with ice cream or ice and milk, but there are a lot of variations. Good places to start include mainstays such as the Flora-Bama, the Pink Pony and Pirates Cove. But there are plenty more, offering variations such as blonde bushwackers, bushwackers made by hand before your very eyes, and bushwacker-inspired desserts.

You can expect the anniversary celebrations to step up when the spring-summer tourist season heats up on the coast. But Shrimp Basket isn’t waiting: The chain announced this week that it was starting a year-long tribute that will feature “some tasty and fun takes on The Bushwacker, along with the original version that combines a blend of Kahlua, dark rum, crème de cacao, cream of coconut, milk and coffee liqueur.”

First up is a Mardi Gras-inspired MoonPie Bushwacker that’ll be available through Fat Tuesday, March 4. The chain says it has given the basic bushwacker “a cozy, nostalgic upgrade with Bird Dog S’mores Whiskey, adding delicious notes of chocolatey goodness, toasted marshmallow warmth and smooth whiskey decadence; topped off with a half Moon Pie sitting proudly atop, making it the ultimate dessert drink.”

Brace yourself: Holiday-themed concoctions we’ll see later in the year from the Shrimp Basket include an Easter version that incorporates Peeps.

Founded in Gulf Shores, Shrimp Basket has locations in Auburn, Bay Minette, Cullman, Foley, Gardendale, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Evergreen and Tuscaloosa, with more in coastal Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle.