Hot Buttered Rum

To stick with our theme of winter drinks, here is one that will make your cardiologist cringe.  But as we all know, anytime you are using butter in a cocktail, good things are going to happen!  The Hot Buttered Rum is one of those gluttonous pleasures that would not cross your mind eleven months out of the year, but when candy canes and cookie trays constitute a balanced breakfast a Hot Buttered Rum is the perfect drink to end a long day.

While I have found no evidence to support his creation of the drink, Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr., also known as Trader Vic, definitely made it popular.  It appeared in “Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink,” published originally in 1946.

To make this delightfully decedent treat you need to make a batch of butter batter first.  Place one stick of butter at room temperature into a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, add a quarter teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Beat until the butter is creamed and the spices are well mixed.  Slowly, add one pound of brown sugar and continue to mix.  Store the batter in the refrigerator.  When ready to make the cocktail place one to two heaping teaspoons into a mug, add two ounces of dark rum (I’m currently using Myer’s), and fill with boiling water.  Serve with a cinnamon stick and an angioplasty tenth one’s free punch card.

Hot Buttered Rum

1 lb brown sugar

¼ lb butter softened

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

a pinch of sugar

dark rum

Cream the butter, salt and spices in a mixing bowl, add sugar and mix.  Store in the refrigerator until ready for use.  For each drink place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the butter batter into a mug, add 2 ounces of dark rum and fill with boiling water.  Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Coquito

I have recently come to the conclusion that Christmas should either be white or tropical, nowhere in between.  Fortunately whether you are sitting by a roaring fire watching the snow accumulate by the foot or stretched out with your feet in the sand enjoying the peaceful sound of the waves hitting the beach this drink has you covered.

The Coquito is a traditional holiday drink from our island neighbor Puerto Rico.  History is pretty sparse, but as it is similar to eggnog, I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that it evolved due to the abundance of indigenous ingredients.

As this, once again, is a cocktail made for celebrations, the recipe here is for a crowd.  Start by warming eight cups of coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat.  When the milk starts to steam add three quarters of a cup of sugar and stir until dissolved. Meanwhile place sixteen egg yolks in a mixing bowl add four tablespoons vanilla extract and whisk until well blended.  I do not use much spiced rum, but this is a circumstance where I think the spice adds to the drink.  Stir in two cups of Captain Morgan’s and then slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan stirring constantly and using caution not to let the mixture boil.  Remove from heat when completely mixed.  While the Coquito is traditionally served cold, I enjoy it hot as well.  To serve it cold, place the mixture in a glass container and refrigerate until ready to serve.  This recipe also makes for a lighter libation appropriate for all of your guests, I personally like to add another ounce (or more) of rum to my cup when serving.  To finish it off, top the mixture with fresh ground Ceylon cinnamon before serving.

Coquito

8 cups coconut milk

¾ cup of sugar

16 egg yolks

4 tbl vanilla extract

2 cups spiced rum

Gently heat milk over low heat, add the sugar and stir to dissolve.  In a separate bowl whisk eggs and vanilla, add the rum.  Slowly mix the egg mixture into the milk, stirring constantly.  Serve with freshly ground cinnamon over the top.

Tom & Jerry

Egg Nog may get all the glory, but the Tom & Jerry deserves a place at your holiday table. This heated cousin of Christmas’s most popular beverage is a complex combination of flavors, textures and spirits. It takes a little advanced preparation, but the result is well worth it.

Pre-dating the cartoon of the same name by over one hundred years, this holiday hangover cure was created in the 1820’s by sports writer Pierce Egan. It is a reference to Egan's book, Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom.

David Embury has outdone himself and I have found no reason to stray from his formula. The following measurements make enough for a crowd, so mix up a batch and invite all of your friends over for some holiday cheer. Start by separating a dozen eggs. Beat the whites to stiff peaks and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the yolks with ½ pound of sugar, one tablespoon each of allspice, cinnamon and ground cloves. Then gradually pour in four ounces of dark rum; Myer’s is my personal choice. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture. When ready to serve, place about ½ cup of the batter into a large mug, add two ounces of your favorite bourbon, and fill the mug with hot milk. Stir until the whole drink foams. Float one teaspoon of cognac on top and dust with freshly grated nutmeg.

Tom & Jerry

Batter:

1 dozen eggs, separated

½ pound sugar

1 tbl allspice

1 tbl cinnamon

1 tbl ground cloves

4 oz dark rum

Each Drink:

2 oz bourbon

hot milk

1 tsp cognac

nutmeg

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Add rum. Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture.

For each individual drink, place ½ cup batter into a large mug, add bourbon and fill with hot milk, stir vigorously, top with a cognac floater and freshly grated nutmeg.

Daiquiri

No treatise on rum would be complete without discussing the Daiquiri. I am not talking about the cheap rum spiked slurpees so popular at every all-inclusive resort south of the Mason–Dixon Line, I am talking about the sophisticated concoction that was a favorite both John F. Kennedy and Ernest Hemingway. Forget everything that you think you know about a daiquiri and read on for a brief education on a true classic.

It is difficult to pin down the exact origin of this godly nectar, as sugar, lime and rum were combined in various ways throughout the Caribbean and South America since the beginning of time. For the purposes of our discussion we will focus on the Cuban origins. Daiquirí is the name of a beach near Santiago, Cuba, as well as an iron mine in the same area. Around the turn of the century a group of American mining engineers were in the Venus bar in Santiago and they are credited with inventing an early variation of this drink that was served over ice in a tall glass. Over time the drink evolved into one that was made in a shaker and served in a cocktail glass. The drink spread to the US early in the 20th and slowly gained popularity.

David Embury lists this drink as one of his six basic cocktails and there is little need to diverge from his original recipe. In a cocktail shaker start with ¼ oz of simple syrup, add ½ oz of fresh lime juice and 2 oz of white rum. Embury calls for a Cuban rum, but unless you have some pre-embargo stuff lying around we will need to use something else. Basic Bacardi is prevalent and will make a passable cocktail. As this is drink is almost all rum though, consider using something a little nicer such as Cruzan Estate Light Rum. Fill the shaker with ice, shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serve this with the smugness of knowing that you will never again stoop so low as to consume the common bastardization of such a great cocktail.

Daiquiri

¼ oz simple syrup

½ oz lime juice

2 oz white rum

Mix all ingredients in an ice filled shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Dark ‘n’ Stormy

For our next rum based dream we head north to the bucolic island of Bermuda. Known as Bermuda’s national drink, the Dark ‘n’ Stormy is very unique in that it is a registered trademark in not only one, but two countries, Bermuda and the United States. In other words, legally there is a specific way this drink has to be made.

First a little history, this drink started to appear in Bermuda shortly after World War I. The drink gets its name from its presentation. When served, the rum floats on top of the ginger beer giving the impression of a storm rolling in. It is a very visually appealing drink when served this way, but it needs to be stirred for the flavors to blend and be truly enjoyable.

Back to our little legal dilemma. The trademark, held by Goslings Rum, dictates that the drink must be made using their Black Seal Rum and ginger beer. Although Goslings has recently released their own brand of ginger beer the trademark does not specify a brand of ginger beer. Fortunately for my vast legal team and I, we are not going to break any international laws with this variation. I am, however, going to commit the eighth deadly sin by my choice of ginger beer. Traditionally Barritt's has been the mixer of choice in this drink and many would argue that its brand is equally as important in this drink as Goslings. I am going to risk an international incident and recommend another. Due to the fact that I have been unable to locate Barritt’s, save for shipping in a case from the east coast, which I am still tempted to do. I have been using Bundaberg ginger beer, which to really complicate things and ruffle some feathers comes from Australia and is produced by a company that also makes rum!

On to construction. As this is a great warm weather, having a great time drink, I like to make them big, it saves me from having to remove myself from the comforts of the back porch too often and keeps the party going. A sixteen-ounce glass is necessary for these proportions, but adjust to fit the needs of your glassware and liver. Fill the man-sized behemoth of a vessel with ice, add ½ ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice (please do not report me to Gosling’s legal team), pour in 5 ounces of ginger beer. Next slowly pour in 3 ounces of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum (hopefully this will appease the aforementioned legal team) so that it floats on top of the ginger beer. Garnish with a wedge of lime, and serve with a stir stick. For the first round or two your guests will be impressed by the look of the drink, after three of four rounds serve them premixed and get ready to experience the storm!

Dark ‘n’ Stormy

3 oz gosling’s black seal rum

5 oz ginger beer

½ oz lime juice

In a large ice filled glass add lime juice and ginger beer. Float rum on top and serve with a lime wedge and a stir stick.

El Presidente

Right on the heels of the Old Cuban, a fantastic drink that is not really old nor Cuban, I bring to you the El Presidente, one that is both old and Cuban. This is a rum based drink that is more reminiscent of a Manhattan, and will be a pleasant surprise to your palate if you always associate rum with excessively sweet and fruity cocktails.

As with many of the fine cocktails we have enjoyed together, this one has its origins during prohibition. Also like many others, this one was created by an American bartender who had gone overseas to share his God given gift of cocktail creation with the world, and the hoards of Americans who had to leave the country just to get a good drink. The man credited with the creation of this masterpiece is Eddie Woelke. After bouncing around in the US and Europe a bit, Mr. Woelke settled on Havana, an excellent choice in my opinion, at the Jockey Club. In a shrewd political move he named the drink after then Cuban President Gerardo Machado.

Enough history, let’s get onto the drink. In an ice filled cocktail mixer, start with 1 ½ ounces of a quality aged rum, I am currently pouring Cruzan Estate Single Barrel, but any of the better rums work well in this drink. Next add ¾ ounce of dry vermouth and ½ ounce of orange curacao (Cointreau can be substituted). Add ½ teaspoon of grenadine, try and find one that actually uses sugar and fruit juice instead of just high fructose corn syrup and “flavorings,” I like this one. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with an orange twist or cocktail cherries.

El Presidente

1 ½ oz aged rum

¾ oz dry vermouth

½ oz curacao

½ tsp grenadine

Stir all ingredients in an ice filled mixing glass. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist or cocktail cherries.

The Old Cuban

August has become the month of rum for me and I have a handful of libations for your late summer indulgence. The first of which is the Old Cuban. Think of this as a more sophisticated mojito, a drink fit for a heavily compensated leader of a banana republic.

The true origin of this drink is much less romantic so I prefer to let my imagination wander to simpler times when the shady politicians and unscrupulous businessmen plied their trades with little government intervention and the world was none the wiser. The drink actually originated recently by Audrey Saunders of the Pegu Club in New York, not to be confused with this Pegu Club. It has the complex flavor balance of other vintage cocktails we have sampled and deserves a place among the old classics.

Start with ¾ ounce of fresh lime juice, ¾ ounce of pure cane simple syrup and six small to medium sized mint leaves in a cocktail shaker, muddle. Fill the shaker with ice, add two ounces of an aged dark rum, I like Cruzan. Top it off with a couple dashes of Angostura bitters and shake. Pour the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass and top it off with chilled Champagne, approximately 1 ½ to 2 ounces. For your first sip, close your eyes and imagine yourself as a United Fruit Company executive hopping around Central America on a Pan Am Clipper.

The Old Cuban

¾ oz lime juice

¾ oz pure cane simple syrup

6 mint leaves

2 oz aged dark rum

2 dashes angostura bitters

1 ½ - 2 oz champagne

Muddle lime juice, syrup and mint in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice; add rum and bitters, shake vigorously. Pour into a cocktail glass and top with champagne.

Cocktail Cherries

It’s cherry season! This is the time of year to prepare for those long cold winter nights, where a good Manhattan in front of a roaring fire is the only thing that gets you through until spring. As I have mentioned before, those bright red candies in a jar are an abomination that have no business being part of a fine cocktail (with one notable exception). I know that there are other options out there, but they can be expensive and difficult to find, so my recommendation to you is make your own!

Not only are they very simple to make, your friends will be very impressed. So head to the nearest farmers market or fruit stand and pick up a few pounds of cherries and get started!

Start by stemming, pitting and washing three pounds of dark sweet cherries and set them aside. Pour one half cup of sugar into a large saucepan (I am going to try pure cane sugar this year, but in the past I have used just plain sugar), add a half cup of water, an ounce of lemon juice and two cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low add the cherries and simmer for five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in five ounces of the alcohol of your choice. I use bourbon since most of the drinks I use the cherries in are bourbon based, but brandy, scotch or rum would all impart slightly different flavors, feel free to experiment. Let the mixture cool before placing the entire mixture in a jar. Store these in the fridge and they will last all winter long.

This recipe can be halved or doubled depending on your rate of consumption. Also, in a pinch frozen cherries can be used.

Cocktail Cherries

3 lbs sweet cherries

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

1 oz lemon juice

2 cinnamon sticks

5 oz bourbon

Stem, pit and wash the cherries. Heat the sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the cherries and let simmer for five minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the bourbon. Let mixture cool completely before placing it in a jar and refrigerating.

Castro’s Cuba Libre

This is not the same drink you consumed by the pool over spring break, that was a cheap rum and coke with a wedge of lime. This is a drinking man’s version of an old classic, fit for even the most discerning communist politician. The exact origin, as well as the exact timing of this cocktail is disputed, but suffice it to say, it was created in Cuba in the early years of the 20th century.

My version goes way beyond white or spiced rum mixed haphazardly with cola and served in a plastic cup with the tiniest sliver of lime. As with any great drink, a little effort goes a long way. Start with the lime, your average grocery store lime just will not do the trick this time. Take the time to find somewhere with Mexican or Key limes (if you are forced to use Persian limes, look for small ones and only use half the lime in each drink). Slice the lime in half and squeeze the juice into an empty Collins glass. Drop one squeezed out lime half into the glass and muddle gently to release some of the oils. Fill the glass with ice and add 2 1/2 ounces of premium riserva rum, Pyrat XO is what currently resides in my bar. Lastly, fill the remainder of the glass with coca-cola, but not your average store bought can. Look in the Hispanic food section of your grocery store or seek out a specialty store that carries bottles imported from Mexico. The Mexican version is sweetened with sugar cane instead of corn syrup and has a slightly sweeter and much cleaner flavor.

Grow a beard, light a cigar and invite your friends over for a Cuban themed cocktail party. Serve these along with daiquiris, mojitos, and el presidentes and you will have corrected the wrongs of bartenders all over the world.

Cuba Libre

1 key lime

2 ½ oz riserva rum

imported coca-cola

Squeeze the lime juice into empty Collins glass, drop in one of the squeezed out lime halves, muddle gently.  Fill the glass with ice and add the rum.  Fill the remainder of the glass with coca-cola.