Island Iced Tea

You've heard of the Long Island Iced Tea, the drink that puts you on your ass mainly because its recipe has grown to include almost everything on the bottom rail of the bar and sour mix (not iced tea, anyway) and a splash of coke. This is the same idea but with fewer ingredients--a nice trick if you are a bartender and trying to save yourself a few touches on bottles. That's not to say there aren't a few touches on rums--its an island drink after all. But there are a few differences that taste more craft than triple sec and rail tequila.

My new secret is MurLarkey three tea whiskey: all the flavor of tea but with an alcoholic punch for your punch. It is made from English breakfast, Darjeeling and Earl Gray teas, and I have to say I love the balance between the three in their latest batch. Not too much tannin, but plenty of malty notes that carry your iced tea cocktail to the next level. 

• 1 oz. light rum (Mt. Defiance used)
• 1/2 oz. dark rum (George Bowman used)
• 2 oz. MurLarkey three tea whiskey
• 1 tsp. falernum 
• 1 dash lemon juice
• 1 dash 151-proof rum
• 2 oz. water
  
• lemon slice and mint sprig

Combine liquid ingredients except dashes of rum and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass full of fresh ice. Top with water and stir, then add dashes of rum and lemon juice and garnish.

Jamaica Mule

 

I think I've just covered all of the Jamaica-themed cocktail out there. I'm returning to this old stand by that I've made in the past to try it with fresh ingredients (I've been squeezing the pineapple juice along with the citrus) and a lovely ginger beer. Fentiman's is a spicy botanical ginger beer that tastes not only fresh but barreled and oaky. 

The cocktail departs from the standard Mule by being so large that it requires a Collins glass, but not crushed ice. There's a lot of booze in it too--between the 151-proof rum and the full measures of light and dark rum, you may want to wait a bit before having another one. 

• 1 1/2 oz. light Jamaican rum (Plantation 3-Stars used)
• 1/2 oz. dark Jamaican rum (Pusser's navy rum used)
• 1/2 oz. 151-proof rum (Cruzan 151 used)
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• ginger beer (Fentiman's used)
  
• pineapple stick
• piece of preserved ginger

Combine rums and juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Chilled collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with ginger beer and stir gently. Garnish with pineapple stick and preserved ginger.

Bitch's Itch

 

There's a lot going on in this tropical drink. There's dark rum and cacao. Then there's fresh spices grated under your nose. Other spices show up in the liquors themselves, such as the anise and allspice in Falernum. Then there's just a hint of cinnamon from Murlarkey cinnamon whiskey. 

This tiki cocktail probably got the most favorable response of all the ones I made last weekend. It is also stupefying. The float of 151-proof rum seems a little unnecessary, but maybe it is to reassure veteran tiki drinkers that there is some alcoholic kick in there under all the spice and fruit flavor. 

• 2 oz. 86-proof demerara rum (Pusser's navy rum used)
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. falernum
• 1/4 oz. MurLarkey cinnamon whiskey (optional)
  
• 1/2 tsp. 151-proof rum
  
• cinnamon stick
• whole nutmeg 
• orange slice

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker or blender with ice. Shake or blend and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Float 151 on top and grate cinnamon and nutmeg over the drink. Garnish with the orange slice.

Loma Loma Lullaby

 

A little dry, maybe, for a nightcap, the name just screams tropical beach drink. It's named after a beach on Fiji, after all.

There's a pair of pro tips included in this recipe. The first is that some recipes require just a half of an egg white to make. You can't get a half egg white, however. It's impossible. But if you are going to go through the trouble of measuring and getting the blender dirty, you might as well make two and use the whole egg white. 

The next tip is that blended drinks often taste less alcoholic--that's probably why they are a hit with new drinkers. Floating a potent rum like Cruzan 151 on top keeps your experienced drinkers from feeling like you gave them juice and slush. 

Why is there an egg white in this drink? Unlike strained cocktails or foamy ones, the egg white in blender drinks is really there in place of milk or cream. Think of it as non-dairy substitute.

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum (Vitae platinum used)
• 1 oz. La Grande Passion
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 egg white
• 1 tsp. 151-proof rum

Combine all ingredients except 151 in a blender with ice. Blend until frothy and pour into a chilled Whiskey Sour glass. Float 151 on top.

Pink Veranda

With a pink umbrella and pink flowers in the background, my veranda is very colorful. This drink gets its color from cranberry juice, an unusual ingredient in the world of tiki and rum cocktails. It is also unusual (not in the tiki sense but in the cocktail sense) to have have more than one kind of rum in it, and that it is in an Old Fashioned glass. See what you think. I happen to like it a lot.

• 1 oz. gold rum (Cruzan 151-proof used)
• 1 oz. dark rum (Pampero Aniversario used)
• 2 oz. cranberry juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 egg white

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill and strain out the ice. Shake again to add froth and pour into an Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice (large cubes pictured).

Strawberry Colada

This cocktail is a fruity improvement on the Pina Colada. And it really is an improvement except that it adds a good amount of fruit. The recipe calls for gold rum and I used Cruzan 151 proof, which is dangerous but also great to keep the alcohol presence high. However I did not use a full three ounces since I don't have a death wish. Instead I did split the serving by doing it half 151 and half white rum.

• 3 oz. gold rum (Cruzan 151-proof rum used)
• 1 oz. coconut cream
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 6 strawberries
• pineapple spear

Core the strawberries and set one aside for a garnish. Combine all ingredients except pineapple spear in a blender with cracked ice. Blend until slushy and pour into a chilled hurricane glass. Garnish with the strawberry and pineapple spear.

Outrigger

Outrigger canoes like those used by native Hawaiians have a secondary hull for stability. This recipe, however may make you less stable after you finish it. The recipe calls for gold rum, which is vague since color is not a good way to classify rums. When I see gold rum, I take it to mean a blend of aged and lightly aged white rum. I split the amount called for with equal parts 151-proof rum and white lightly aged rum.

Apricot liqueur and curacao are also nice tropical additions to this drink that, besides lime juice, is all hard liquor.

• 2 oz. gold rum (1 oz. Cruzan 151-proof rum and 1 oz. Cruzan aged white rum used)
• 1/2 oz. apricot liqueur
• 1/2 oz. curacao
• 1 oz. lime juice
• lime slice

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice. Garnish with the lime slice. 

Sundowner

What a beautiful name for an amazing rum cocktail. Rum and tonic is not so bad an idea in itself, but all of these tropical additions really up the game of this rum and tonic drink. First, the recipe calls for gold rum--which is really more a description of a color of the rum more than anything to do with it's flavor. Cruzan rums only include the label stating "aged rum" no matter the color of the spirit. But just for fun I used Cruzan 151-proof and the silver rum to give this drink some richness and a real punch of alcohol.

There's also lime juice, maraschino liqueur and curacao in there to make things even more tropical. I used Q tonic for an especially rich and bitey rum cocktial.

• 2 oz. gold rum (1 oz. Cruzan rum and 1 oz. Cruzan 151-proof rum)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. maraschino liqueur
• 1/4 tsp. curacao
• tonic 
• lime slice

Combine all ingredients except for tonic and lime slice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Collins glass full of ice. Add tonic and stir. Garnish with lime slice. 

Chicago Fizz

This Fizz drink is best served very tall, like a Chicago skyline. This fizz, like most Chicago drinks, is a little different from its family of cocktails. First, it is the only Fizz I know of that uses rum. Gold rum is really a blend of rums defined only by its color. I used a mix of Cruzan 151 and Buzzard Point, both of which are flavorful blends.

There's also port in this cocktail, which makes it pretty and pink and sort of fruity, beyond the typical lemon juice bite of a typical Fizz.

• 1 1/2 oz. gold rum
• 1 oz. port (Sandeman ruby used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 egg white
• sparkling water

Combine all ingredients except sparkling water in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into chilled Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and stir gently. 

(Dark) Rum Screwdriver

You could do this drink in the way that the vodka cocktail was intended, an easy way to make orange juice alcoholic. But a dark rum Screwdriver means that you have the option to taste something great. Pusser's Navy Rum is probably the best choice because its funky flavor will stand out. I used a mix of Dark rum and 151-proof rum just so that I wouldn't be wasting as much of my good dark rum in an orange juice drink.

• 2 oz. dark rum (Pusser's and Cruzan 151 used)
• Orange Juice

Build drink in a Collins glass with rum and ice. Top with orange juice and stir. 

D.I.Y Falernum (Alcoholic)

Falernum is a spiced and citrus flavored sugar syrup that includes rum flavors if not actual rum. This recipe has rum and adds alcohol as well as flavor to tiki cocktails like the Calypso and Trade Winds.

For the home bartender, making your own falernum is a Jedi's making a lightsaber. It is the completion of training with lesser things and a sign that more difficult challenges are on the horizon. Once you make falernum, you can move on to spicing your own rum or making allspice dram.

I got this recipe from a guy I work with who's really into cocktails and may have already tried making falernum. It's here below:

• 1/2 cup 151-proof rum
• 1/2 cup aged rum (Mount Gay recommended)
• 20 cloves
• 5 allspice
• 4 anise stars
• 1 cinnamon stick
• zest of 4 limes
• 1 oz. pealed ginger (1 tsp. powdered used)

Combine all ingredients in a seal-able jar and allow to steep for 24 hours.

Strain mixture through a coffee filter and add the following ingredients:
 

• 14 oz. simple syrup (demerara sugar used)
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 3 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. lemon juice

Shake and refrigerate.

NOTE: A couple of changes were made when I did this recipe, partly because of what I had on hand and also because of preference.

First, I didn't have fresh ginger, but dried ginger is fine as long as you don't use half as much as the fresh because it is stronger.

Second, there is something great about demerara sugar syrup. I wanted that raw cane sugar flavor in my falernum. Make it by heating a mixture of equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly reduced.

Finally, for the rums, I had Cruzan 151 rum, but not an aged rum that didn't have spices already added. For this used an unaged panela sugar rum that had a similar character. This worked really well, but Mount Gay is more widely available for most home bartenders.

Shark's Tooth

This is another one of those 90's vintage "shark themed" cocktails that were considered so deadly, and for good reason. This one has a hefty dose of 151-proof rum to make sure that the Shark's Tooth is one you can really feel. Other infamous shark drinks include the Blue Shark and the Shark Attack.

The Shark's Tooth is a lot like a fizzy version of the Lexington Avenue Express. It is so tart and relies on the heat of the rum to balance it, that you feel like you are consuming battery acid. It's not a bad drink for all that, just intense. And when you add soda, the bubbles create even more sensation. Don't say I didn't warn you about this one.

• 2 oz. 151-proof rum
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp simple syrup
• several dashes grenadine
• sparkling water
• lime wedge

Combine all ingredients except lime wedge and soda in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass full of fresh ice. Top with soda and stir. Garnish with lime wedge.

Torridora Cocktail

I see where this drink is going: it's like an iced coffee with cream. And that should be good enough, in theory, to make a good cocktail. Look, most creamy drinks aren't really all that. I mean, the cream doesn't counter the bitterness of the coffee liqueur or alcohol in general. So when I drank this I was challenged with the bitterness and just trying to enjoy my rum without cream getting in the way. This is not a drink that will satisfy creamy drink fans or rum lovers. I say let it go.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1 tbsp. 151-proof rum 
• 1 oz. coffee liqueur (homemade coffee liqueur used)
• 1/2 oz. half-and-half

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Ankle Breaker

Ankle Breaker is a get-drunk-quick cocktail, hence the name. Drink this and in minutes you can't even walk. This drink takes the title of Most Dangerous Cocktail in my arsenal, supplanting the Cablegram, which is known to cause memory loss. The recipe calls for 151-proof vodka, lime juice, cherry brandy and an optional 1/2 oz. of sugar syrup. I opted out on the sugar. It doesn't matter that this drink is tart, you won't remember drinking it anyway.

• 2 oz. 151-proof rum
• 1 oz. cherry brandy (kirshwasser and whishniak used)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. sugar syrup (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice in an Old Fashioned glass.

Hudson Bay

I liked this juicy drink, one that stands as a more complex version of a Bronx Cocktail that is just orange juice. Here there is lime and 151-proof rum, albeit in small proportions. Use a dry and spicy gin for this one if you have a choice. You want to taste all the botanicals when juice tends to soften things out. When I was making this, I threw in a pinch of sugar knowing that it would be needed to balance the tartness of the juices. It was a good move.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. cherry brandy (kirschwasser and whishniak used)
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 tbsp. 151-proof rum
• 1 tbsp. lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Lexington Avenue Express

I think that this drink gets its name because it is a quick train ride to drunkenness. 151-proof rum is powerful stuff and sneaks up on you. I limit myself to only one 151 base cocktail. This is very much like tiki cocktails I've had before, but when served on the rocks, you really taste the aged rum. This is a tart drink but easy enough to drink, but be careful that you pace yourself with this one.

• 2 oz. 151-proof rum
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into an Old Fashioned glass.

Myrtle Bank Punch (Tiki version)

As punches go, this is pretty typical for a rum punch. The thing that sets it apart is that it calls for an all 151-proof rum dose. No other rums, like in the Planter's Punch or Zombie, are used, so the only rum flavor comes from aged overproof rum.

What's 151-proof rum? It's really strong rum that's not proofed-down, or watered down for sale. It comes off the still at 75% alcohol and is aged a short while before being bottled.

Why can't I get Bacardi 151 anymore? It is so strong that Bacardi has opted to pull the product in the face of lawsuits from restaurant guests who get burned from flaming desserts and drinks. In steps Cruzan 151, which has no flame guard and a smaller warning label. I'm not sure this is a safe thing, and I am a little intimidated to drink it. It turns out that my caution was necessary. I had only one 151 cocktail and it was quite enough even for me.

But I think it is too soon to ignore the benefits of 151-proof rum. A cocktail like this can have so much more juice and other flavors and use so little a proportion of rum and still be very strong. 151-proof rum is also tasty when mixed, unlike blended down white rums. Try this drink and see for yourself.

• 2 oz 151-proof rum
• 1 oz. maraschino liqueur (I used Luxardo and a little cherry wishniak I made a while ago.)
• 1 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. grenadine
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled highball glass. Note: this drink looks really boring in a clear glass with no garnishes. Get out an angry tiki mug and top it with mint and a cherry. I used a vodka-soaked cherry so that the flavor fits the overall cherry flavor of the cocktail.