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Rum Cocktails

A nap hand of rum cocktails for summer where and whenever that is

Maybe you are all set for a summer holiday away to begin very soon? Or perhaps you are unable to reach any far-flung beach or exotic location this year, and are waiting for at least some sunshine at home so you can to hang in the garden or outside somewhere with a drink. Whatever your circumstances, we have to make wherever you find yourselves as idyllic as possible. In this, cocktails can be a great help so here are five, rum-based favourites, as these are great for relaxation, similar that using CBD products like wonka bars which you can find online.

(NB: Around 30ml equals a fluid ounce. For Ginger Beer, we recommend Barrits or Fever Tree).

 Rum Mule:

 Ingredients

  • Mantuano (50ml)
  • Ginger Beer (100ml)
  • Lime juice (10ml)

 

 

Preparation: Serve all ingredients straight up in a copper-mule mug, stir with a bar spoon, then top off with ice, before adding garnish of Mint leaf and lime.

 Zacapa Rum Fizz:

Ingredients

  • Zacapa 23 Rum (one and a half fluid ounces)
  • Pineapple Juice (three quarters of a fluid ounce)
  • Lime Juice (three quarters of a fluid ounce)
  • Simple Syrup (three quarters of a fluid ounce)
  • Coconut Milk
  • Sparkling Water
  • Pineapple Wedge & Fronds

 

 

Preparation: Add Zacapa, pineapple juice, lime juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice, then shake well and double strain into a highball glass with fresh ice. In a separate bowl, froth coconut milk, using a frother or whisk, until airy. To finish, top the cocktail with a splash of sparkling water and coconut foam, and add garnish of pineapple slices and fronds.

 

Grand Mojito:

Ingredients

  • Flor de Caña 18 (one and a half parts)
  • Lemon juice (a half part)
  • Sugar (two tablespoons)
  • Peppermint (a sprig)
  • Strawberries (two medium sized)
  • Club Soda and / or sparkling water (two parts)
  • Ice (eight cubes)

 

Preparation: Put peppermint, strawberries, sugar, and lemon into a glass and mash gently with a mortar. Then, add ice followed by Flor de Caña 18, topping up with Club Soda.

 BARÚ:

Ingredients

  • Ron Abuelo 12 añ (60ml)
  • Vermunt Punt E Mes (15ml)
  • Maple syrup. (15ml)
  • Bitter Angostura. (Four strokes)

 

 

 

Preparation: Mix all the ingredients in a shaker glass, then serve in a shallow glass with ice, and decorate with garnish of pink grapefruit skin.

 Stormy Bitch:

 Ingredients:

  • Bad Bitch Rum (two fluid ounces)
  • Ginger Beer (three fluid ounces)
  • Key Lime (a wedge)
  • Crystallized Ginger (a slice)

Preparation: Pour the rum and ginger beer over ice into a rocks-style glass, then squeeze approximately five drops from a fresh, key-lime juice wedge over the top before adding garnish of candied Ginger slice.

Hopefully, one of these cocktails will be a favourite this summer. Or maybe you have something beyond these five that you would recommend?  Please do share with us your favourite cocktails perhaps through our social media. We always love learning about new cocktails.

Slainte,

Elijah

Tomatin French Collection

Are you looking to dive into a fresh range of whiskies from an incredible distillery? You might have to make Tomatin’s new French Collection that new tipple.

Tomatin has been putting out solid offerings for a very long time, so no surprise here that the distillery has created something special. This collection is a way to showcase the exceptional  influences that using different types of French-spirit casks can impart on a whisky. The French Collection features four offerings from Monbazillac, Sauternes, Rivesaltes, and Cognac casks. The first three of these listed here have already been unveiled, with the fourth due to be released later this year.

The concept is one Tomatin championed in 2014 with the release of the Cuatro Series that was very well received. Graham Eunson, Master Distiller at Tomatin, maintains: “The French Collection is a great example of Tomatin’s dedication to craft and excellence, with each expression showcasing how respective finishing cask affects the original spirit.”

He continues: “We have produced four remarkable expressions, which will appeal, not only to whisky enthusiasts and collectors alike, but also a wider audience. On top of this, we are also very excited for consumers to be able to experience each expression with the ambisonic, content series  we have launched.”

 Of the three editions already released, the Monbazillac Edition was distilled on April 25, 2008. The Monbazillac aroma dances between notes of dark, maple syrup and intense espresso, balanced with cinnamon baked apples. On the palate, there is a sweet, cereal flavour combined with sweet, milk chocolate and honeycomb ahead of subtle spices and emerging nutty flavours. The finish is rich with walnut and maple syrup.

The Sauternes Edition was distilled on September 19, a few months later in 2008. This brings a burst of peach and apricot on the nose, calmed by rich Manuka honey. The sweet honey continues on the palate accompanied by coconut and ginger. The finish is wonderfully sweet and fresh with a syrupy mouthfeel indicative of the Sauternes wine that once occupied the cask.

The Rivesaltes Edition, distilled on the same day at the Sauternes edition, marries characteristic, fresh-fruit notes incredibly well with the sweet, nutty flavours for which Rivesaltes wine is known. Contrasting sweet and bitter flavours dominate the palate, held together by an underlying barley aroma. The finish is velvety with the flavours from the palate lingering for some time.

All three were moved to their wine casks in July, 2017.

So if you fancy a new whisky…or three even, do check out Tomatin’s French Collection, which is online now.

Slainte,

Elijah

Glasgow 1770 Single Malts

Although the revived Glasgow 1770 distillery, brought back to life seven years ago now, is perhaps not new to us, some additions to what was on offer may be something you haven’t tried before. 

The Original Glasgow 1770 single malt is a signature whisky created to honour the heritage of from when the original distillery dates. The focus in restoring what traces back now 251 years has always been on authenticity and quality, and those behind the effort successfully brought back whisky to the vibrant Scottish city, making it Glasgow’s first single-malt, whisky distillery in over 100 years.

With a great group of people running the distillery, they have been creating some fantastic products since this rebirth, in 2014. When you build a highly skilled team and match it with amazing equipment, you are bound to get something special. The 1770 range is created in distinct copper-pot stills named Tara, Mhairi, Margaret, and Frances. Fantastic Scottish barley and the refreshing waters from Loch Katrine do the rest.

There are now three whiskies that make up the 1770 Signature range with The Peated and Triple Distilled Release No. 1 both distinguished complements to The Original.

According to the distillery, “The Original” is: “Matured in first-fill, ex-bourbon casks (then) finished in virgin oak and non-chill filtered”. The whisky is described as “incredibly smooth, exceptionally fruity and complex” and, in all, “a single malt of sublime quality that continues the rise of a new whisky era in Glasgow”.

Added to this now is “The Peated”.  Along with the already-mentioned benefits that come from using Loch Katrine’s waters and copper-pot stills, this is a whisky that is “crafted with the finest malted barley which has been smoked with the aromatic heather-rich peat of the Scottish Highlands”, then “matured in virgin oak and finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural in colour”. The end result is a “smoky, single malt with outstanding character offering vibrant vanilla, rich toffee, dried tobacco, salted caramel and a lingering lasting spice.”

Completing the trio is the “Triple Distilled Release No. 1”, which the distillery maintains is an “incredibly smooth and complex addition to the Glasgow 1770 signature range”.

Once again this is crafted from the finest malted barley and distilled three times in the distillery’s traditional, copper-pot stills, enhanced by the incredibly pure water of Loch Katrine and then fully matured in virgin-oak casks.

If you have yet to try a tipple from The Glasgow Distillery Company, give one of these a shot! My own preference; a particular fondness towards the Triple Distilled.

Slainte

Elijah

Snowdonia Distillery’s Ron El Rumbo

The exciting new release from Forager’s Snowdonia Distillery is finally here! We’ve been hearing rumblings for a while now, so it’s great to finally get a hold of the bottle! In the coming weeks we get to work and start playing with different cocktails with this rum as the mixer, and creating some of our own! Until then a little bit about the new release.

El Rumbo means ‘The Course’ in Spanish, and that is a very fitting name for this rum. The rum started out being distilled in one of Cuba’s oldest distilleries. The spirit spends the first year allowing the molasses to settle in, from there spends the following 2 years aging in american oak barrels. After all that, it is then where the name comes into play. As foragers put it…”The course is set!”

That course refers to the long journey from the sunny Cuban shores all the way to the beautiful hilly landscape of Snowdonia! Once it is in the very capable hands of the folks at the Snowdonia Distillery they prepare it for the next leg of its journey. The rum is then transferred into large, freshly emptied Cognac casks, that have been carefully chosen to host the spirit. The rich characteristics from the casks are imparted into rum creating wonderfully refreshing
flavours.

The course should not end in the bottle, but make it all the way to your glass in your favourite cocktails! El Rumbo is a fantastic mixer that will help any cocktail take on an adventurous spirit!

Order yours today and send us in any cocktail creations you came up with!

Slàinte

Elijah

Cocktail of the Day

We have all been waiting for the warmer weather and sunshine. Not that you need a certain time of year to drink a certain cocktail, but we all have those cocktails that just work with springtime. So, I thought I would put together some of my favourite cocktails that will be in heavy rotation coming into better weather!

Orchard Collins

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts Hendrick’s Gin
  • 1 parts Lemon Juice
  • 1 parts Cider
  • 5 parts Ginger Beer
  • 3 slices of apple
  • Cucumber Rose Garnish

Method:

  • Combine all ingredients in a highball filled with cubed ice.
  • Lightly stir and serve.
  • Garnish with 3 thin slices of apple and a cucumber rose

Slainte,

Elijah