rum

Cocktail Advent 30: Rum is the New Champagne Daiquiri

Sips

Well, maybe that’s overstating things a touch, but I am awfully fond of rum, so we’ll let that go!

Image via Caliche Rum

Image via Caliche Rum

Rum is the New Champagne Daiquiri

  • 1 ½ oz Caliche Rum
  • ½ oz Simple Syrup
  • ½  oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Top with Brut Champagne (or Dry Sparkling Wine)

Shake first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a flute glass, top with brut Champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.

***This recipe was submitted by a representative of Caliche Rum. I am not affiliated with the brand nor have I received any compensation for this post, not even review samples. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of a Designated Driver. No drunken monkeys, please!***

Cocktail Advent 24: Santa’s Surprise

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Milk and cookies are so last year. Why not leave Santa something a little more special this year (but make sure he’s got the sleigh on auto-pilot first!).

Image via Flor de Cana

Image via Flor de Cana

Santa’s Surprise

  • 1.5 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
  • 0.5 oz Lemon Juice
  • 0.5 oz Cranberry Juice
  • 0.75 oz Vanilla Syrup
  • 2 Dashes Orange Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon, strawberry, and sprig of mint.

Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!

***This recipe was submitted by a representative of Flor de Caña. I am not affiliated with the company nor was I compensated for this post, not even with review samples. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of the Designated Driver. No drunken monkeys, please!***

Cocktail Advent 22: Cali Midnight

Sips

As dark as a long winter’s night, this stunner would probably work slightly warmed, too!

Image via Caliche Rum

Image via Caliche Rum

Cali Midnight

  • 1 1/2 oz Caliche Rum
  • 3/4 oz Port Wine
  • 1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 oz Triple Sec
  • Cinnamon stick for garnish

 

Only, do yourself a favor and buy a bottle of Cointreau instead of using Triple Sec. Your taste buds will thank you!

I’d say (since they didn’t) stir this up. Either increase it to pitcher proportions over ice or put it in a slow-cooker on low or warm and serve as mulled wine.

***This recipe was submitted by a representative of Caliche Rum. I am not affiliated with the brand nor have I received any compensation for this post, not even review samples. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of a Designated Driver. No drunken monkeys, please!***

Cocktail Advent 7: Pumpkin Rum Old Fashioned

Sips

Pumpkin is not just for October, you know? With the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie finished off and not yet time for Christmas dessert, maybe this twist on an old-fashioned favorite will help tide you over.

Image via Caliche Rum

Image via Caliche Rum

Pumpkin Rum Old Fashioned
– Created by Mixologist Eddie Fuentes from Finka Table & Tap in Miami.

  • 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
  • 1 Dash Angostura Orange Bitters
  • .5oz Homemade Pumpkin Pie Syrup
  • 2oz Caliche Rum
  • Orange Twist
  • Toasted Marshmallow
  • Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

 

An Old Fashioned, of course, is generally made with whisk(e)y but I can see the rum working here just fine. This is a drink you build in the glass and stir with a spoon with just an ice cube or two to chill it. The twist, marshmallow, and pumpkin seeds are obviously a garnish but I think I’d leave out the last two.

***This recipe was submitted by a representative of Caliche Rum. I am not affiliated with the brand nor have I received any compensation for this post, not even review samples. As always, we encourage responsible refreshment and the use of a Designated Driver. No drunken monkeys, please!***

AlcoHOLidays | Labor Day | Cruzan Slowpoke Shandy

Sips

Cruzan_SlowpokeShandy2

And just like that, we’ll close the book on another summer.

That’s right, another 3-day-weekend is upon us, the last of the season, and the fall and winter holidays are right around the corner. Football has started back up, school is back in session for many, and soon the weather will turn cooler with a decided nip in the air. (At least we can hope on that last one!)

I knew Labor Day (celebrated on the first Monday of September) was worker-related, but I didn’t know much more than that, I’m ashamed to say. For others in a similar fog, here’s the rundown.

It started in the 1880s after a member of one of the large Unions (there’s debate on whether it was the CLU or the AFL) may or may not have observed a similar worker’s festival in Canada. Oregon started the trend, first celebrating Labor Day in 1887, but it wasn’t until after the Pullman Strike in 1894 that it became a Congressionally-mandated Federal holiday.

I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a Labor Day parade, have you? Apparently the parade celebrating labor and trade unions was one of the major components of the original holiday, those these days it seems like barbecues and sales at the mall are the main “celebrations” of the day. I’ve attended conventions and camp-outs on this weekend in the past, but I’m looking forward to time spent at home this year. (I’d love to say I’ll be relaxing, but I have a feeling I’ll still manage to be busy!)

In honor of summer’s last hurrah, here’s a cocktail that uses the spirit of summer (rum) along with beer, lemon, and ginger for a slightly sweet yet perky finish. A shandy is shorthand for a beer cocktail, usually including a carbonated beverage of some sort; there’s none in here but if you really wanted to add a touch of authenticity, a good ginger beer could nicely substitute for the ginger syrup (but I wouldn’t go so weak as a ginger ale, and I’d use more of it, too).

Cruzan® Slowpoke Shandy

2 oz Cruzan® Single Barrel Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup*
Wheat Beer to fill

Combine rum, lime and ginger syrup in a pint glass and slowly pour half of the beer into the glass. Add a few ice cubes and finish pouring the beer.

* Make a 2:1 simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water) with grated fresh ginger in the mix. Strain before using.

(recipe courtesy of Cruzan Rum)

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And with that, something else is coming to a close: this is the last official post in the AlcoHOLidays series. We started last year with Brazilian Independence Day on September 7th, so we’ve covered a full year of holidays of all sorts! In a couple of weeks I’ll be starting a new “Meet the Wines” series, this time I think we’ll go for a bit of the bubbly (which should take us through mid-October or so). After that I’ll be taking a bit of an extended leave while I go off and get married and then do some shuffling up of my blogs once I get back. And I think I’m done with the weekly themed series for now, I want to go a little more free-form for a while.

Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to leave a trail of breadcrumbs–I certainly don’t intend to leave you guys off the guest list 😉

Cheers!