Tiki Underworld
Today I have a boozy, stirred, tropical-leaning cocktail. It brings a rum blend, 3:1 aged rum and unaged rhum agricole, bringing rich sugar notes and some grassy funk for a diverse rum presence. The sweetness and spices come from delicious golden falernum and aromatic bitters (gifted to me by @thebittertruthcompany) tie it all together. I wanted to highlight some of the darker notes from the rum and balance out the sweetness with just a touch of Cynar.
Slam Dunk Da Funk
Vacation MacGyver, pt. 1
Today I'm continuing Highball Happy Hour with a summer-y, tropical-leaning, and absolutely crushable drink featuring the one-and-only Jaisalmer Gin. The recipe for this one came about during a recent vacation. It's a funny thing about being the self-elected vacation bartender-- when you're used to a very... expansive bar at home, it's a big change to suddenly have very limited options. But as I always say, constraint is the catalyst of creativity, so here is the first of two drinks I created with what I had on hand.
Caf & daq
I’m keeping the tropical vibes going today with a tasty daiquiri riff. Is that redundant? I feel like most daiquiris are awesome (if made with good ingredients, I suppose). This one is a caffeinated riff, including a delicious coffee liqueur kindly sent to me from @misceoliqueurs.
Mr. Rice Guy
So far my #sponsored content with @JaisalmerGin includes riffs on a gin & tonic and a martini. Both fun, easy, and delicious. Let’s keep the fun and delicious part but turn up the complexity with a gin-based tiki delight featuring an unusual cocktail player: rice. Please refer to my post on 5/20 for a discussion of the infusion.
Cafecito Cocalero
Today’s post is featuring a new spirit for me— Cocalero Negro, a delicious South American-inspired liqueur. It is herbaceous, peppery, spiced, with slight floral and citrus notes with a touch of heat on the back-end without being overtly spicy. It has 29% ABV, so it holds up well in a cocktail, and while there's some sweetness, the bontaical profile reads almost like a light amaro to me. Needless to say, it's a versatile spirit.
Still On Vacation
Last week you saw a pre-vacation drink: something super tropical to get into the mood for the beach. This is the drink to have once you're back from vacation-- something boozy to sip while relaxing on the couch, with enough tropical-ness to keep those vacation vibes going for a *little* bit longer.
Barnum Flip
If I had any flair bartending skills, I’d do a video for this drink. But I don’t. So just imagine me riding a unicycle in a creepy clown costume while I flip a bunch of bottles around to make this drink. What’s that? You’re glad I didn’t actually do that? Yeah, me too, friend.
Beach Wisdom
I’ve been enjoying some much-needed time at the beach this week. To get into the mood, I threw together this recipe and tried to bring as much tropical goodness as I could into one glass. In case you’re wondering, I had the coconut cachaça sitting in my fridge, but it’s really easy to make if you have coconut oil.
Jaisamler Gin & Tonic
Welcome to Highball Happy Hour! It's no surprise that I enjoy making some... complicated cocktails from time to time. But a good gin and tonic is actually one of my favorite cocktails to enjoy while eating-- the slight quinine bitterness helps to quench the thirst and cleanse the palate, and the complex array of flavors and botanicals tend to pair well with many cuisines. Like many cocktails that only have a few ingredients, a G&T is easy to make but much harder to get just right. As part of my #sponsored @JaisalmerGin content, I wanted to make my "ideal" G&T to really celebrate the gin.