Maestro de Coco

A silky sensual mix of aged dry rum, coconut, ginger, and citrus notes. A fun blend of a tropical favorite and a New Orleans classic. This is a cocktail I created for the Brugal Battle competition. It is a small competition but it is for a good cause. The competition is partly vote based. For each vote in the Philadelphia competition, 10 cents is donated to Philabundance. They are a wonderful charity that feeds approximately 75,000 people every week. Please vote for me by texting "brugal016" to 34681.

1.5 oz. Brugal Extra Dry Rum

0.5 oz Domaine de Canton
1 oz Cream of Coconut
0.75 oz Lime Juice
0.25 oz Pineapple juice
White of one egg

Top with club soda

Dry shake all the ingredients except the club soda for about one minute. Hard shake with ice for another minute and double strain into a collins glass. Top with about an ounce of Club Soda. Garnish with a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg.

This drink took a lot of inspiration from the flavors of the rum. Coconut and vanilla came to mind and I brought them out with the Cream of coconut and a bit of pineapple. I also stressed the dryness of the drink with a bit of ginger. I tied it all together with a bit of lime and egg white for texture. The dryness certainly comes through, but you also pick up notes of vanilla and coconut. The style takes a lot from a proper fizz recipe, much like the Ramos Gin Fizz. Out of some happy coincidence, it bears a great similarity to the Pina Colada.

UPDATE: Due to lack of entrants in the Philadelphia region the competition has been canceled. A donation will still be made to Philabundance. I encourage you all to donate to the cause and, of course, support your local bartender. 

Rum 302: Let's try some Tiki Cocktails!

Rum is one of the most playful spirits there is. There are some amazing aged rums that are great on their own or even can be used in similar pairings to whiskeys. Most people see rum as very sweet, which it is. It is constantly paired with fresh fruit juices and syrups to create stunningly beautiful concoctions. These are a few classic tiki drinks that are a pretty good jumping-off point into the world of complicated rum heavy cocktails.

Hurricane
Light and Dark Rum, Passion Fruit Juice, OJ, Lime, Simple Syrup, Grenadine

Squeeze juice from half a lime into a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour 2oz of light rum, dark rum, and passion fruit juice, 1 oz of orange juice, and a splash of simple syrup and grenadine into a large mixing tin with ice. Shake well. Strain into a hurricane glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a cherry and an orange.

The Hurricane came about in 1939 at the New Orleans World Fair. It was named after the style of the glass it was served in, which was actually modeled after a style of lamp. The story is that Pat O'Brien, the creator of the drink, started creating incredibly rum heavy drinks to get rid of the rum stock the aggressive rum distributors coerced him to buy. Again many bartenders just wing this drink, throwing in other fruit schnapps or pineapple juice instead of using passion fruit juice. Good old New Orleans. When life gives you rum, have a party. 

Bahama Mama
Light Rum, Malibu, Banana Liqueur, Grenadine. OJ, Pineapple Juice

Add a 1/2 oz of light rum, coconut rum, banana liqueur, and grenadine to a mixing glass. Add equal parts of orange juice and pineapple juice to fill. Add a mixing tin and shake. Strain into a decorative glass with fresh ice.

The Bahama Mama is actually a pretty popular cocktail despite it having no clear history or origin. It started to gain popularity on the beaches of The Bahamas, but there is no credited creator. Because of this, it is hard to find an agreed-upon recipe. Some variations call for lemon juice, cherry liqueur, or even coffee liqueur. 

Pina Colada
Light Rum, Pineapple Juice, cream of coconut,

 Pour 2oz of light rum, 2oz pineapple juice, and 1 1/2oz cream of coconut into a large mixing tin with ice. Shake well and strain into a poco grande glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

This drink was created by Ramon Perez at the Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Pina Colada probably actually originated as a frozen drink. Feel free to try this drink blended with a bit of cream or ice cream for texture. I simply don't want to see you trying to make a blended concoction with a pre-bottled mix.  The scale of this drink will naturally need to be adjusted depending on what glass you use or if you try it blended. There is actually a variation of the Pina Colada, the Kappa Colada, which uses brandy instead of rum. 

Mai Tai
2oz Jamaican rum, 1oz lime juice, 1/2oz orange curaçao, 1/2oz orgeat

In a shaker, add all the ingredients with some hard ice and give it a light shake, don't water it down too much. Strain into a rocks glass with shredded or crushed ice. Garnish with some mint.

This drink was either created by Trader Vic's or Don the Beachcomber. They were the two original rival tiki bars in California. The name translates from the Tahitian word for good. Most Mai Tais these days are shaken with crazy amounts of fruit juices, but the original was actually built over crushed ice to keep the flavor soft. Many people will opt to do a rum float on top of this as well. This is one of the pure original tiki cocktails, it's pretty stiff and not really that fruity, so do be careful

Special mention to: Zombie, Scorpion Bowl, Planters Punch, 151 Swizzle

Photo Credit: wikimedia

Rum 101: What's the difference?

There is an amazing spectrum of rum out there today. From aged to spiced to flavored to over-proof and regional rums like Cachaça, it's hard to know what will best suit your cocktail creations.

There are a number of variables to keep in mind when choosing a rum. The main one I would argue is the age. Much like tequila, rum can be totally unaged or can be aged in barrels. Some rums are aged up to fifty years. The staple rum in America, Bacardi Superior is unaged, but even they have a whole line of aged rums. Aged rums tend to develop a slight caramel and vanilla flavor, like many whiskeys but tend not to have a smokey or burning finish. Many people actually enjoy sipping aged rums straight as well as in fine cocktails. 

Flavored rums have been gaining incredible popularity. The flavored rum that everyone is probably most familiar with is Captain Morgan. Captain Morgan is slightly aged, up to a year, and then is flavored with a secret blend of Caribbean spices. There are a number of other flavored rums as well. most of which done with a simple infusion process by soaking fruits and spices in the rum to impart their flavor into the spirit. Some flavored rums like Malibu are made by blending a light rum with a flavored liqueur. Sometimes this does lead the rum to become a liqueur depending on the final sugar content. Kahlua, for instance, uses a rum base. 

Different regions, of course, produce their own styles of rums as well. Rums are made everywhere, from Asia to Australia to Africa. The majority of rum is made in the Caribbean and Central America. Cachaça, Brazilian rum, is actually the national spirit of Brazil. It is made from the juice of the sugar cane and is typically unaged. Some rums use molasses while others use fresh sugar cane juice or syrup of the sugar cane. Each style and technique bringing a very different style of sweetness to the rum. 

Whatever style of rum you like best I encourage you to experiment and expand your palette. When I started drinking rum I was like most people, drinking a simple rum and coke, either with Bacardi or Captain Morgan. Then one day I had a Dark and Stormy. I immediately asked what rum they used as it wasn't very sweet or spicy. It was mature. These days I will sip on a glass of Appleton or Pyrat either neat or with ice. That said if someone wants to drink a Malibu Bay Breeze made extra sweet I will smile and make it, as it's exactly what they want at that moment in their life. 

"Is the glass half full or half empty? It depends on whether you're pouring or drinking."

Photo Credit: Px Fuel, wikimedia