In case you did not know it, TODAY, August 16 is National Rum Day.
Quench your thirst and partake in this sweet Caribbean spirit today. Made by distilling the byproducts of molasses and sugarcane, rum ends up the strong, silent type on the scale of alcoholic beverages.
Who started National Rum Day, when did it begin and why? If you know the answer I’d love to be enlightened. Let us not dwell on this mystery too much and instead grab a great bottle of rum, some fresh fruit and start shaking up a great rum cocktail, we have an excuse! At the end of the day, you may be asking, “But why is the rum gone?!?”
Here are 5 amazing cocktails to celebrate the day…
Voodoo
Sticking with Adam Rocke’s Tiki Drinks book for one more. The Voodoo is, how can I put this, the frozen drink to make when you know nobody’s driving, and you wanna kick the party straight into high gear quickly. Four booze ingredients + “the fruit” = singing along with Barry Manilow within two hours. Make sure there’s food somewhere on the table and you don’t mind getting your shirt dirty. By the way, this one tastes great!
Here we go –
- 2 oz dark rum (go Myers)
- 1 oz light or white rum
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tbsp vodka
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 2 oz orange juice
- 2 cups crushed ice
Blend and pour into unbreakable cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon slice.
Papa Double
Without a doubt, this Hemingway favorite jumped right to the top of this summer’s drink list. I had my first at a great little bar on a hot June day, went home and whipped up a few more. I don’t know if it’s the grapefruit or the maraschino, but something in this drink refreshes in a great and unique way. I prefer this one on the rocks but plenty like it as an ice-blended drink more.
Here we go –
- 2 oz Silver or White Rum
- 1 oz lime juice
- ½ oz grapefruit juice
- ¼ to 1/3 oz (to taste) Maraschino liqueur
Mix ingredients with ice and pour it all into a tall glass or blend in a blender with ½ cup of ice and pour into a medium glass. Lime wheel as garnish for either.
Rum Manhattan
I’m a fan of the variation, and this drink is just that — a variation of one of the most popular drinks of all time. I’ve always been a rum fan but usually only when diluted with tart or sweet or tonic. The few times I’ve drunk good rum by itself, on the rocks or straight, it has affected me very strongly, and I’ve wound up in drunken situations that can still make me wince if remembered. So, it’s with my strong rum experiences, that I warn you, while tasty, complex, and easily drinkable, I stop after one with a Rum Manhattan. You may not have the same reactions with the cane pulp spirit, so knock yourself out. Here’s a great recipe I recently read in the Washington Post by noted writer and drinker, Jason Wilson.
Here we go –
- 2 oz aged rum (I’m a huge fan of The Appleton Estate Extra 12 year)
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- ½ tsp maraschino liqueur (I use a full tsp; I like the taste)
- 1-2 dashes of orange bitters
Mix above ingredients with plenty of ice in a glass pitcher or mixing glass. Stir till icy cold. Strain up into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel twist.
Zombie
This tropical cooler is a summer classic. It’s all about the name, and drinking a Zombie while watching a zombie tare the guts out of some poor unfortunate in an old movie is just too fun an experience to pass on. This drink does call for an assortment of rums so plan ahead.
Here we go –
- ¾ oz 90 proof Rum
- 1 ½ oz Gold Rum
- ¾ oz Light or White Rum
- ¾ oz pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tsp super fine sugar
- 1 tablespoon 151 proof Rum
Mix al the ingredients except the 151 rum in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake ‘til cold and pour it all into a tall (hopefully Halloween appropriate) glass or mug. Float the 151 rum on top by softly pouring it over the back of a spoon slightly above the drink. Dust the drink with powdered sugar and turn on a zombie movie.
Planters Punch
I’ll just go ahead and warn you, this classic American cocktail requires a little bit of building, so if you think you and your guest may want a second or fourth, I suggest the pitcher. Just multiply my recipe by 8 and you should be all set. They’re delicious and make the summer a little less hot.
Here we go –
- 3 oz Rum
- 3 tablespoons Limejuice
- 2 tablespoons powdered or confection sugar
- 3 dashes Bitters
- Club Soda
In a separate glass mix sugar and limejuice ‘til sugar’s dissolved.
Fill a hi-ball glass 2/3rds of the way with crushed ice add the lime/sugar mix, rum and bitters and stir. Fill the rest of the glass up with club soda, stir lightly to mix. Dust with a little extra powdered sugar. Garnish with an orange slice, a pineapple spear and a cherry.
Yum.