First Stop
It isn’t the most featured spirit on this page, but I do really enjoy rum. There is something so refreshing and invigorating about a daiquiri, especially, and this tends to be my starting drink with a new rum. I recently received @dentedbrickdistillery’s Premium Rum, which is a deliciously complex white rum made primarily with sugar cane. It has some grassy, light funk as expected but it is rounded out with some molasses so can still function as rum more than rhum agricole.
Brujería
This drink (which means “witchcraft” in Spanish) is in the French ‘75 family, which also contains the Old Cuban (rum, lime, syrup, bitters, champagne). I chose the name because of the Old Cuban inspiration and inclusion of Strega (which means “witch” in Italian). Still with me?
Grains of Sand
It’s amazing how much a few tweaks can change a drink. When I’m coming up with a new recipe, I try to be honest with myself. If it sucks, what went wrong? Is the balance right? If it’s awesome, what was the magic element? This drink started off… just okay. It didn’t “pop”. The awesome flavored vodka got lost. Somewhat counterintuitively, it needed more rum “character”— aged rum and a funky overproof rum instead of white rum and rhum agricole. Just tweaking the base made this one really worth the shake.
Jaiquiri
Two words: jackfruit daiquiri. Combining words is a big part of my pun repertoire, probably my wife’s favorite type (jk it’s definitely not). But this drink is more than just a clever word play, it’s a fabulous daiquiri that celebrates jackfruit— which is a delicious fruit with a healthy dose of tropical/banana and an almost floral-like quality. It’s also versatile and can be used as a meat substitute!
Tiki Underworld
Today I have a boozy, stirred, tropical-leaning cocktail. It brings a rum blend, 3:1 aged rum and unaged rhum agricole, bringing rich sugar notes and some grassy funk for a diverse rum presence. The sweetness and spices come from delicious golden falernum and aromatic bitters (gifted to me by @thebittertruthcompany) tie it all together. I wanted to highlight some of the darker notes from the rum and balance out the sweetness with just a touch of Cynar.
Caf & daq
I’m keeping the tropical vibes going today with a tasty daiquiri riff. Is that redundant? I feel like most daiquiris are awesome (if made with good ingredients, I suppose). This one is a caffeinated riff, including a delicious coffee liqueur kindly sent to me from @misceoliqueurs.
Barnum Flip
If I had any flair bartending skills, I’d do a video for this drink. But I don’t. So just imagine me riding a unicycle in a creepy clown costume while I flip a bunch of bottles around to make this drink. What’s that? You’re glad I didn’t actually do that? Yeah, me too, friend.
Beach Wisdom
I’ve been enjoying some much-needed time at the beach this week. To get into the mood, I threw together this recipe and tried to bring as much tropical goodness as I could into one glass. In case you’re wondering, I had the coconut cachaça sitting in my fridge, but it’s really easy to make if you have coconut oil.
Riggs and Murtaugh
I am on a mission to convince you that rhum and tequila are a really, really good pair. They complement each other better than partners in a buddy cop movie (Lethal Weapon anyone?). They’re as natural as PB&J. You get the idea. Recently I brought this dynamic duo starred in a stirred, martini-esque format. If that’s not your style, then how about a fruit-forward sour?
Luckiwi
Before you ask, I’m not really sure how to pronounce the name of this drink. As my wife can begrudgingly attest, I love combining words, so today we have a Lucky Kiwi drink in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Kiwi has a distinct enough flavor and some acidity that lends itself well to cocktails (amiright @cocktail.complex?). And it’s green, so it’s perfect for today.