The Rum Swizzler

Originally called a Bermuda Rum Swizzler, (for the Gosling Bermuda Rum!) the name got truncated with the inclusion of the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum, but the change was worth it!

When Joe mixed this little beauty up for me, I was diggin' it with a powerful love!

It is just the right combination of rum and juices that really scratches me right where I itch!

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail shaker full of ice add:

-A 3-count of Gosling Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum,

- a 2-count of Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum,

- a 1-count of falernum

- 1 whole lime, (squozen and juiced!)

- a 2 count orange juice,

- a 2-count pineapple juice

Shake until frrrothy, (if possible, roll your r's in reading this. Thank you.)

Strain into a nice hurricane glass and garnish with a wedge of lime and a cherry.

Joe's notes: As the temperatures in the North East soared over the freezing point this past weekend, my palate began to crave a more tropical flavor. The Rum Swizzler, with both falernum and rum, fitted the bill quite nicely, (for further falernum recipes, type "falernum" in the search box on side panel of blog).

Rum and the images it conjures up, desert islands, buried treasures and swashbuckling heroes has been a favorite of mine since childhood. Now before you tag me as some sort of pediatric dipsomaniac or demented Ahab, let me explain.

When I was just a mere lad, dodging my way through the streets of Old Blighty, I would often offer up a few coins to the counter assistant in exchange for a bar of "Old Jamaica." Under the wrapper, embossed with a pirate ship, lay the treasure, a delicious dark chocolate bar crammed with rum soaked raisins.

Another childhood favorite of mine was the "Rum Baba". This was a light pastry similar to a brioche, speckled with raisins and soaked in a thick rum laced sugar syrup. Sitting in class with the front of my school shirt and tie heavily stained with the syrup, I would receive the customary smack around the back of the head. Do you think I cared?

Bus fare spent and pockets stuffed with rum and butter candies, I would happily walk the three miles home.

With age, however, I have put these childhood delicacies behind me. I am now enjoying my rum in its liquid form.

In fact, I am sitting in my Halloween Pirates of the Caribbean costume and drinking a Rum Swizzler out of a pewter tankard.

I hope the wife is not going to make me walk the plank.... Oops! Speaking of treasure....here she comes now.

Ahoy, me mateys!

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This wasn't my first choice for The Video of the Week, but it is so related, and done really well, (and after Joe's notes, I had little choice otherwise!)

Why is the rum gone?

Ginger Grant

Joe decided to prepare a tropical-style, "cabaña drink," made with Canton, one of his favorite liqueurs, with this week's this cocktail, that so reminded me of "The Movie Star."

Into a cocktail shaker full of ice, add:

- A 3-count of Cabo tequila

- A 3-counton of Canton Ginger Liqueur,

- A sploosh of Falernum

- A 2 count of Goya® Passionfruit Juice,

- A "feather" of grenadine,

Squeeze the juice from one wedge of lemon and then a wedge of lime directly into the shaker,

Shake (like a tropical monsoon!)

- Strain over fresh ice,

- Top with a splash of soda

Garnish with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry

Original Recipe by Joe the Bartender, The Passage Lounge, Salem, MA.

Chris's Notes: My fascination with actress Ginger Grant is well-known and well documented, but who could blame me? That gorgeous amber hair, that slinky walk, those curves, and of course, when that music came up and she was "turning on her charms," what man could resist her passion?

It just so happened that I was daydreaming about the lovely Ms. Grant, and a particular episode of Gilligan's Island, ('The Prodigal Husband ,' Season 3, Episode 31, in which Ginger's long-lost common-law husband finds her on the island,) when Joe presented me with this vision.

It's tall sexy shape, its deep rich color, exotic smells... I needed a taste. As I was kissing her, I mean sipping her, er, it, Joe began to tell me, "I decided on something with Ginger." He went on to list the other ingredients, (something about 'passion?') but I'd heard enough. I knew that this drink would be named after her. And in her honor!

The cocktail had a strong fruity sweetness, thanks primarily due to the passionfruit and Grenadine, but softened and sharpened by the ginger of the Canton. The sparkle of the soda, and the snap of the tequila round this out very nicely.

I was afraid at first, that this would be viewed as a "girly drink." I was conflicted. My thoughts tumbled in my head like underpants in a dryer with no Cling-Free. How could I, a big, burly, manly man, be enjoying a "girly drink?"

Of course! This was one of those cocktails that falls into a classification devoid of gender exclusivity! A tropical punch "Boat Drink!" A reminder that, despite schools being back in session, and a hurricane knocking on the door, it IS still summer. Cheers!

Oh, you may have noticed that Joe posted no notes this week. Actually, he had a very interesting and insightful tale with many an unseen twist! It was really some of his best writing.

Unfortunately, in his narrative, Joe hinted at a preference for Mary Ann in the show Gilligan's Island. WHAT!?!

Because of this, I felt it best to edit his entire commentary out this week.

That'll learn 'im.

Our weekly "Barely-Related Video" this week is actually quite related!

Watch with me now The Honey Bees with You Need Us!

Dogwatch Punch & The Dogwatch Doubloon

What's in a name? Well, in naval/maritime lingo, the work shift from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM is called the Dog Watch. This also happens to be the perfect time to enjoy a nice summer beverage.

Or two. Here now, in our first DUAL posting, are Dogwatch Punch and The Dogwatch Doubloon.

Dogwatch Punch

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail glass add:

- a quarter of a large orange, squeezed,

- a 2 count of falernum

- Muddle, (and muddle like you mean it!)

- fill glass with ice and add a 4 count of The Lash Spiced Rum

- Stir

-garnish with a slice of fresh orange.

Absolutely Delish!

Dogwatch Doubloon

The Recipe:

Into a 16-ounce pint glass add:

- a quarter of a large orange, squeezed,

- a 2 count of falernum

- Muddle, (and put your back into it this time!)

- fill glass with ice and add a 4 count of The Lash Spiced Rum

- Top with Dr Pepper , (about 4 ounces)

- Stir

-garnish with a slice of fresh orange.

Yumminess!

Chris's Notes: We at Greatest Drink In The World... This Week love a good challenge, but this was an AWESOME one. It was also quite difficult, though.

Way back on June 17th, (Hey! Icelandic Independence Day!), Greatest Drink in the World...This Week presented the award-winning recipe for the Chai-tini , made with Voyant Chai Liqueur, to much applause. As a result of this, Mr. Robert Back, the creator of Voyant, asked us for some cocktail recipes for a new product, The Lash: an aged, spiced rum.

Of course, we jumped at the opportunity.

However, we ran into the strangest of hurdles. The rum tasted so good on its own, that we had a hard time developing a taste that came remotely close! Trial and error, and trial and error, (Work, work, work!) and eventually some flavors started to come together. More of a variety than an improvement, we came up with the above two recipes.

True, the similarities between the two drinks is obvious, but it should be noted, that they were developed simultaneously, and neither was was a spin-off of the other.

To clarify what I mean, let's say that The Lash Spiced Rum is the television show, "Happy Days." Dogwatch Punch and The Dogwatch Doubloon, although created from this original source, share similar elements but have completely different characteristics, like Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, and will appeal to different people.

To continue with this metaphor, there was much trial and error in developing these two shows, er, cocktails, but we believe they each have the potential to be hits!

I guess that since Happy Days was itself a spin-off, that would make, in this metaphor, anyways, "Rum" represented by Love; American Style!

But I digress...

In any case, (and by no means do I wish to compare the quality of these television programs with that of The Lash or either of the submitted cocktail recipes,) but like those sitcoms, each drink appealed to different tastes. Of the eight members of our tasting panel the evening these cocktails were created, three preferred the Dogwatch Doubloon, calling it "more refreshing," and "so different." The other five, (myself included,) found the Dogwatch Punch to be less sweet, and an better all-around cocktail. Both, are some type of delicious, though.

Joe's Notes: One evening not long back, Chris arrived at the bar armed with a bottle of The Lash Spiced Rum. I filled a number of shot glasses along the bar for our panel of experts to sample. Every one was very enthusiastic. Billy, our guest "expert" for the evening, holding out his shot glass like Oliver Twist said it was probably one of the best rums he had ever drank!

I also was very impressed with the Lash. The Lash hails from the West Indies, where it spends four years in oak and is then aged with spices, some actually settle in the bottle, bourbon vanilla extract, and other flavors. The result is a rum with a strong cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla character. ( Ref: Drinkhacker.com)

As I have said, I was very impressed with the Lash. In fact, I even questioned Chris on why he wanted me to make a cocktail out of this.

My point being that the people who produce The Lash have obviously worked very hard in getting the flavor and quality just right and now I was going to come along and change it.

This reminded me of a time many, many years ago when I worked in 5-Star hotel in London. One evening the cocktail waitress came to the bar and ordered a 25-year-old, single malt scotch in a tall glass filled with ice and topped with ginger ale. Horrified that anybody would murder a good scotch that way, (yes, I'm a drink snob,) I picked up a bottle of bar blended whiskey and made the order. The waitress returned three more times that evening with the same order, each time I substituted the 25-year-old single malt with the bar scotch. When this butcher of scotch was leaving for the evening I stopped him and asked how his evening had been. He said that he had had a good night and that every thing was good, and promised to return soon. At this point I told him what I had done, and he was not happy. He said that as long as he was paying, he could order whatever he wanted.

What do you think? Just because you can do something does that give you the right to do it?

Let me know what you think,

Joe the Bartender.

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For you Miami Vice fans, this week's "Barely-Related Token Video" is None other than "Rico Tubbs" himself, Phillip Michael Thomas, doing "Just The Way I Planned It."

And no, it is not even remotely related, but funny.

The Salem Sidecar

Another classic cocktail, re-envisioned and reinvented by Joe for this very blog!

The Recipe:

- Muddle ½ of a fresh lime into a 'Sploosh" of falernum,

- Add a 2 count of Cognac

- Add a 1½ count of Cointreau Noir

- Add ice

- Stir

- Add more ice

- Garnish with and orange slice and a strawberry, (in season)

Original recipe by Joe the Bartender, Passage to India restaurant, Salem, MA.

Joe's Notes: The Sidecar is another classic cocktail that we here at TGDITWTW had been considering re-doing. And by "considering," I mean that Chris has been pestering me about making a better one for a few weeks, now.

The original Sidecar Cocktail was first put together during World War 1, most commonly attributed to a London Bartender who assembled it first for a young American Army Captain, and named it after the little motorcycle sidecar that carried the captain to and from his club.

The ingredients to the standard Sidecar are Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice. Of course, many variations of this recipe ensued, from the gin-based Chelsea Sidecar to the Slivovitz-based Serbian Sidecar and back to the Boston Sidecar, with both rum and brandy. Our Salem Sidecar benefits from substitution of the higher-end, cognac-infused Cointreau along with falernum and lime for a wider spectrum of taste.

Plus, it gets Chris off my back.

Chris's notes: The Sidecar was a cocktail that Joe and I tossed back and forth a few times. At first, we tried the Boston Sidecar, which included rum as well as brandy, and the final outcome was good, but not great. And certainly not 'The Greatest Drink in the World... This Week' great.

I am reminded of my childhood, (Oh look, Joe, someone else can reminisce of days gone by, too!) I grew up in a very television-oriented environment. For my first seven or eight years, I thought the T.V. set was some sort of older brother. (I was actually jealous of it's antenna at one point! Mine couldn't do that!)

But Saturday mornings, (and I am not alone in this,) meant Scooby Doo . And for some reason, it was Scooby, Shaggy, and Mystery, Inc. that was on my mind as I sipped this cocktail. You see, that Boston Sidecar that was originally mixed up, well, it had appeal. Interesting, different, just not as good, kind of like the way Goober and the Ghost Chasers was to Scooby Doo.

I also did some experimenting at home. Sadly, my amateurish attempts ended up tasting more like Jabberjaw, Clue Club, Captain Caveman, and the Funky Phantom, respectively!

Those were dark, dark days indeed.

I was flummoxed. But through some stroke of alchemical genius, (and leaving the actual mixing portion to the mixologist,) the formula presented itself to us, (by "us" I mean Joe.) With the addition of the falernum and the "special" Cointreau Noir, Joe brought the Salem Sidecar right into the Scooby zone, to make it this weeks greatest drink in the world

Zoinks!

And, of course, the completely unrelated, Greatest Video in the World... This Week, here: Hooked on A Feeling

The Black Lagoon

The whole bar was very excited the day that the Kraken Rum arrived. A black, spiced rum, in, let's face it, a WAY cool bottle, all present wanted a drink that featured this as it's prime ingredient. Joe didn't make any that night, instead deciding to reflect on the matter. After much meditation, (a day or two,) he said to me, "I need some falernum."

"I know a guy who can get any of that stuff," I told him, "but he doesn't like strangers."

Joe explained, patiently, that although he didn't know what I was mistaking falernum for, I was wrong, and it was nothing illegal. "Falernum," he went on, "was a syrup used in tropical-style rum drinks with flavors of ginger and lime."

As it turns out, it wasn't all that difficult to get, and in no time, a recipe featuring the newly acquired falernum, and the long drooled-over Kraken Rum was assembled and ready.

During its debut, (mixed up special for me, thank you very much!) no fewer than four more were ordered and zealously consumed, all before 6:00 PM! Not bad for an opening night.

The Recipe:

Into a tumbler of ice, add:

- A 4 count of Kraken Black Rum

- a 1 ½ count of falernum

- the juice from ½ of a freshly squeezed lime,

- Shake viciously,

- strain into a 10 ounce brandy snifter filled with fresh ice

- garnish with a wedge of lime

Joe the Bartender's notes: The Black Lagoon is a drink I have both recently discovered and enjoyed. It came about one evening while I was walking home. One of my younger, (and more attractive,) local costumers was standing outside a bar smoking her licorice cheroot. She greeted me enthuasiasticly and insisted I join her and her boyfriend inside for a drink. Not wishing to disappoint, and having an insatiable thirst I agreed.

The bar was very dark and crowded and as my eyes adjusted to my new surroundings it became apparent that I had entered into a "Goth Night". Everyone was dressed in black. I saw a great many had partial tattoos crawling out from beneath their clothing. I could only imagine what piercings lay beneath. (Only to say that I imagine a strong magnet would have drawn quite a crowd.)

My young friend was drinking what looked to me like swamp water. On inquiry she told me it was a Black Mojito. That is a Mojito made with "Kraken" black rum, pointing out a bottle of Kraken at the bar. Althought he drink looked quite awful it actually tasted rather good. I chose a Kraken and ginger beer and settled back to watch the nights events. A number of both male and female Goths where on the dance floor, which rather impressed me as i didn't realize that the "living dead" could actually dance. Finishing with a Kraken on the rocks I hurried home, (before daybreak,) to investigate this rum further.

The following evening, I arrived at work armed with a list of Kraken cocktails to present to the panel of experts, (see last weeks post.) The Black Lagoon came out lead favorite. I had found a variation of the Black Lagoon listed as a "Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Cocktail."

It didn't appear to have a name other than that so we decided to name it. Chris came up with the rather fitting name of the Black Lagoon.

Before I end a note on the Falernum. I have used both the syrup and the 11% alcohol versions. In my opinion the Falernum with alcohol makes for a better drink (No surprise there). You may only be able to find the syrup at your local bottle store and that is fine.

You will still be able to make the Greatest Drink in the World....This Week.

Chris the Barfly's notes: The Black Lagoon , (the cocktail, that is,) suits the Kraken, (the rum,) extremely well. This rum itself has flavors of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in it which combine with the almond, ginger and lime flavors the falernum in an almost perfect proportion, (half a lime later, and it IS prefect proportion!)

Since the day that Joe first brought in the Kraken, and we got a little smell, a little taste, I had been very anxious to try whatever recipe would be developed around it. It was worth the wait.

My first Kraken-based cocktail experience may not have had the same amount of "guy-liner" as Joe's did, but I don't feel like I was shortchanged.

Cheers!

"...once by man and angels to be seen,   In roaring he shall rise..." - The Kraken, Lord Alfred Tennyson,