Two At The Most

Here in Seattle, we’re battening down the hatches in preparation for Snowmageddon: The Return. In the calm before the storm, I took a short trail ride in the snow, and now that I’m back, I’m in need of a warming drink.

Hot Buttered Swedish Punsch

Happily, I already had some hot buttered rum batter in my refrigerator, calling to me. This batch was made … Continue Reading

Leblon Cachaça and the Caipirinha

Thursday Drink Night (TDN) at the Mixoloseum is becoming a favorite part of my week. I’m especially looking forward to the upcoming TDN (November 20), when the event is being sponsored by Leblon Cachaça. We will be joined by Leblon representatives, whom we can bombard with questions about their product, and Brazil’s unique … Continue Reading

It’s Mixology Monday again. This month, Doug Winship at the Pegu Blog has declared the theme to be “Made from Scratch.” We are to make at least one of our own ingredients and decide if it’s worth the effort.

I have written about Swedish Punsch before. This mix of Batavia arrack, neutral spirits, sugar, water, and various flavorings is common … Continue Reading

Believe it or not, I still have a little bit of my bottle of Swedish Punsch left. Tonight I decided to find a recipe to appreciate it. I hit a real prize with the Pooh Bah cocktail.

Pooh Bah Cocktail

3/4 oz gin (Bombay)
3/4 oz light rum (Flor de Caña 4 year Extra Dry
3/4 oz Swedish punsch (Carlshamns Flaggpunsch)
1/4 oz apricot brandy (Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot)

stir over ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass, sip with a smile.

This is really a delightful cocktail. Yes, it’s a sweet cocktail, but not overpoweringly so. In this case the … Continue Reading

I love ginger. Ginger ale, ginger beer, gari, gingersnaps, gingered mashed potaotes, you name it, I will presume I’ll love it if it’s flavored with ginger.

Back in my homebrewing days, I flirted with making my own ginger beer, but never followed through. I did make my own ginger syrup, and found that when mixed with soda water, it make a very tasty, and very affordable, version of ginger beer.

After several recent Thursday Drink Nights featured high usage of ginger syrup, I realized it was time to try making some of my own again. Naturally I’ve lost … Continue Reading

Here in the United States, we have a day for everything. There’s a national pound cake day, national pecan day, and even something on a stick day.

August 16 particularly appeals to me because it’s National Rum Day. Just how this designation was set I haven’t been able to ascertain, but who cares? It’s an excuse to make a delicious rum cocktail!

One of my favorite rum-based drinks is the El Presidente. I first discovered it in Wayne Curtis’s article … Continue Reading

Attention! It was on this day in 1970 that the British Royal Navy discontinued the centuries old tradition of providing a daily rum ration, or “tot,” to its sailors.

In rememberance of Black Tot Day, let us all raise a glass of grog:

Grog

2 ounces water
1 ounce Jamaican rum (Pusser’s)
1/2 ounce lime juice
1 tablespoon raw sugar

shake over ice, strain into a rocks glass full of ice.

If this was once part of my compensation and it was taken away, I’d be pretty darned upset!

The Knickerbocker is one of those cocktails you must first clarify which you mean. In this case, I’m referring to the rum-based version that David Wondrich lists in both Killer Cocktails and Imbibe!.

The more common recipe I see online (including the CocktailDB) is for a semi-perfect martini - gin, dry vermouth and a dash of sweet vermouth. Naturally, Wondrich’s appears to have greater claim to the name by sheer weight of history. In Imbibe!, he says the recipe … Continue Reading

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men…

My post for last month’s MxMo was a bit short. I realized I could expand on it for this month’s theme, Rum, hosted by Trader Tiki. I had actually tried the Canton with several different rums, and was going to report on why I thought an aged rum was the best choice. I was even more pleased when I realized I could tie it to my very first MxMo post, on the theme of … Continue Reading

Anna at Morsels and Musings certainly gave me something to think about when she chose Fruit Liqueurs for this month’s Mixology Monday. I tend to shy away from really sweet cocktails.

Initially, I thought about using this as a good justification for picking up a bottle like creme de cassis or even chambord, but decided I’d stick to what was already in my cabinet, which left me with orange liqueur and maraschino…. Continue Reading