Tag: rum

Caribbean Christmas (Revisited)

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WAAAAY back in 2016 I created and posted this cocktail, but never gave it the full write up that it deserved so for day 4 of “Cocktailmas” we’re revisiting it.

The Caribbean Christmas has becoming a yearly favorite, and staple cocktail in my annual Christmas party. It’s a classic style recipe similar to the Old Fashioned, but with a bit less involved with muddling ingredients. The rum you chose for this drink will be the star of the show so don’t go for you basic bottom shelf bottle here. From the first pour through today’s revisit my choice is the Plantation 12 Year Aged Rum. It’s reasonably priced and a nice cut above what you’d get out of a standard silver variant from another brand. You would also find this cocktail works well with Appleton Estate and Mount Gay rums interchangeably.

As for the cocktail itself, it’s simple amber color is nothing to turn anyone’s attention, but the cinnamon stick garnish certainly would. On the nose you’re greeted with a simple clean cinnamon aroma. The flavor is a fairly simple one, two punch of rum followed by a complexly warm cinnamon thanks to the mingling of the syrup and bitters. I’ve exclusively made this drink with the BG Reynold’s Cinnamon Syrup and the Bittercube Trinity Bitters, but one could easily swap out the name brand syrup for a homemade batch. The bitters on the other hand would be harder to replicate. They don’t add huge flavor to the cocktail on the front end, but the aftertaste is really where they shine. In theory they could easily be switched out for a dash of orange and a dash of Angostura bitters, but I haven’t tested that one yet myself. With over a dozen bitters already in my cupboard, I don’t need to seek out the classic angostura any time soon. That said for a simple spirit forward cocktail this is VERY easy to drink. Although if you’re not a big fan of cinnamon you might find the flavor a bit overpowering. Regardless though, it’s one of my all time favorite original creations and remains so to this day. If you’re a rum fan, but don’t want to hit the dark stuff all the time. This is the perfect way to bring the sweetness of a rum from the Lesser Antilles, and liven it up for the holidays!

Alcohol Taste Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Rating: 9/10

“Why is the rum gone?”

Caribbean Christmas
1 1/2 oz Plantation Rum
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2-3 Dashes Trinity Bitters
Cinnamon Stick

Over ice in a rocks glass/tumbler, pour over liquid ingredients. Stir for 5 seconds. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Dark and Stormy

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Here’s another cocktail that I’m shocked I haven’t reviewed yet. The “Dark and Stormy” is one of only a few cocktail that is actually copyrighted. The specific copyright in this case requires you to use Gosling’s Black Seal Rum in order to actually call it a Dark and Stormy. Everything else is in violation of the copyright. So of course here at MoM we have to do it right.

Now because this drink specifies for Gosling’s Rum your options for “making it your own” are limited to your choice of ginger beer. For myself, I always go for the Fever Tree as it’s both smooth and potent with its gingers. If you’re looking for something comparable, I’d suggest Reed’s Stronger Ginger Brew.

As for the drink itself, it’s a rather inviting modern classic. The mix of fresh ginger and lime garnishes pair well with the dark amber of the rum. On the nose it leads with a the sweetness of rum and a familiar ginger (of what you might expect from a ginger ale). The taste begins mild and sweet, moves to a primarily ginger beer flavor, and finishes with a pleasantly aged rum with a subtle hint of the lime.

If you’re not super familiar or fond of ginger beer this drink might take some time to grow on you, but it is worth making for a bartender of any level as it will be requested at least once. This is a tough drink to judge as it’s so well known, but it does have it merits and faults. While you do get a nice simple cocktail that’s perfect for small party setting, it’s sharper taste can shy even experienced tasters away with the strong ginger flavor. While I wouldn’t keep it on my regular menu as a standard “go to” cocktail, I would certainly keep the ingredients on hand if I or any guest would be looking for something both mellow and adventurous at the same time.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 7/10
Overall Rating: 8/10

Dark and Stormy

2 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
1/2 Tablespoon (about 1/4 oz) Simple Syrup
3-4 oz Ginger Beer
2 Lime Wedges
2 Slices Fresh Ginger (Optional)

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add fresh ginger, rum, and syrup. Top with Ginger Beer. Squeeze limes over drink and drop them in. Stir well.

Dark and Stormy Cocktail
“…’Twas a Dark and Stormy Night!”

This is not a cocktail

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No name. No fancy setup. No witty comments.

I came home from work the other day and just wanted some dark rum. However, being summer I didn’t want it straight, nor was I in the mood to mix up a tiki style drink. So I thought simple. VERY simple, and modeled this drink after the old fashioned.

1 1/2 oz Kraken Dark Spiced Rum (or your favorite rum)
1 sugar cube
Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters
1/2 a Lime

Start with a single sugar cube in a short glass. Add chocolate bitters until cube is saturated (and brown). Squeeze on 1/2 a lime (fresh juice only). Muddle sugar for easier mixing. Add ice, rum, and stir. Enjoy

not a cocktail

Sassafras Sunset

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Possibly one of the more interesting names for a drink I’ve come across and it certainly didn’t disappoint on taste. The Sassafras Sunset has a pleasant citrus aroma and starts with an equally light citrus flavor with a bit of fizz. Mid palette it hits you with a nice juicy mix and finishes off with a mild rum and hit of raspberry. The shift in flavors in this drink are exactly what I like to find in a drink, and the addition of club soda makes this a perfect drink for any occasion. The taste of alcohol in the drink in minimal sitting at around 3/10 and overall it’s a solid 7/10. I do wish the juice and club soda was a bit more balanced, but that is something that can easily be tweaked depending on which type of tall glass is used.

Sassafras Sunset

1 oz Light Rum
1 oz Gold Rum
3/4 oz Triple Sec
1 oz OJ
1 1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1 1/2 Sweet/Sour
Club Soda
3/4 oz Raspberry Schnapps
Orange Slice and Cherry

Shake Rums, triple sec, and juice ingredients with ice. Strain into an iced pint or highball glass. Top with Club soda and float raspberry liqueur (sinks to bottom). Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

sassafras sunset
“Kick back and enjoy the sunset”

 

Blood In The Water (Original) Cocktail

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Today comes a brand new MoM Original Cocktail. A tropical smelling and tasting sweet drink with a great overall look. Red, then blue, then red again. I couldn’t quite get a good photo of it, but trust me it’s a great looking (and tasting) drink. What’s even better is you don’t even need a shaker for this drink, so it’s pretty simple to make even for the first time mixologist.

Blood in the Water

1 oz Tropical Rum (3/4 pineapple 1/4 coconut)
Splash of Light Rum (Optional, extra space filler for larger glasses and adds extra kick)
1 oz Maui Blue Hawaiian (Or Island Punch Pucker)
1 oz Sweet/Sour
Ice Cube
Dash Grenadine
Dash Sloe Gin

Start with a single ice cube to a cocktail glass. Add Rum(s), Blue Hawaiian, and sweet/sour directly over ice cube. Stir Gently. Add dash of Grenadine (should sink to bottom). Add Dash of Sloe Gin slowly over ice cube. Should swirl and sit on top of the blue mix. Serve and enjoy responsibly.

blood in the water
“Blood is thicker than water…and thinner too”

American Graffiti

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Do you live dangerously? Well you might want to start, by downing this powerful cocktail. The American Graffiti is a summery tropical drink with a lot of flavor without a harsh punch (taste wise). The main aroma builds from pineapple and sweet/sour and its bright red color is reminiscent of the Red Demon cocktail. The drink starts off very smooth and then hits the back of your palette with a mild and full bodied rum. Considering the amount of alcohol present, I am surprised it doesn’t have more of a harsh kick. I imagine this is thanks to the mix of sloe gin and roses lime to build a fruity citrus into the mix.

My only concern with the original recipie is that it calls for both “light rum” and “rum.” Because the first rum is specifically light, but the second is unspecified, I decided Bacardi Gold would be a nice balanced choice. I do wonder how Some Captain Original Spiced would change this drink. Even a flavored rum would be a good choice (something like mango or coconut). Either way though it’s a very solid drink with a great open end for variations.

Alcohol Taste Rating: 4/10
Overall Rating 8/10
Make it again? Yes. Try flavor variations too!

American Graffiti Cocktail

1 1/4 oz Light Rum
3/4 oz Rum (Bacardi Gold Used)
1/2 oz Sloe Gin
1/2 oz Southern Comfort
1/4 oz Rose’s Lime Juice
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 1/2 oz Sweet/Sour

Shake and strain all ingredients into an iced tumbler. Garnish with an Orange slice and a Cherry.

american graffeti
“I ALSO like to live dangerously…”

Blue Marlin

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A cast into the Atlantic catches you a “Blue Marlin!”
With it’s citrusy aroma, and brilliant blue color you know this one is a catch!

Ok so nautical puns aside this is an interesting and powerful drink. The Blue Marlin Cocktail features a sugar rim and feels very tropical. Unfortunately the taste doesn’t quite come up to par with the classy appearance. I feel the drink is very lacking in a more well rounded taste palette. Of course I do prefer sweeter drinks, so it might just be me.

That being said the addition of the sugar rim, really helps make the drink manageable. It’s not very sweet in the first place, so having that extra bit on your lips redeems the cocktail a bit. Also I did need to substitute a little citron vodka into the mix which may have thrown things off a little bit.

Either way the Blue Marlin is a great drink in terms of presentation, but the taste isn’t for everyone.
Alcohol Taste Rating: 6-7/10
Overall Taste Rating: 5/10
Make it Again? Maybe. Try again with all citron rum, or variation with more juice

blue marlin cocktail
“This is a catch! …Too bad we’re looking for Barracuda”

Blue Marlin

2 oz Citron Rum (1/2 citron vodka, 1/2 light rum used)
1/2 oz Blue Curacao
1/2 oz Sweet/Sour
Lemon Wedge and Sugar (for rim)
Orange Twist (or orange blossom)

Rum lemon wedge around edge and rim with sugar. Shake and strain rum, curacao, and sweet/sour with ice. Strain into prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with Orange Twist.