National Rum Day August 16
August, 15, 2018 – Tomorrow is National Rum Day. Too bad it falls on a Thursday but rum makers won’t mind if you move your celebration to Friday and Saturday and Sunday. We’ve gathered a group of recipes to make sure you have the perfect choice to enjoy this intriguing spirit that’s been delighting drinkers for almost 500 years. In a nod to its Caribbean roots and fascinating history, we’ve included rums from Nicaragua, Flor de Caña, Santa Teresa from Venezuela and Banks Rums an amazing blend of rums from five different islands. Banks Rum is named for famed botanist and naturalist, Sir Joseph Banks, who explored the Pacific with Captain James Cook in the latter half of the 18th Century. It was on this trip that the east coast of Australia was discovered in 1770.
A round up of rum cocktails wouldn’t be complete without hearing from Bacardi with its Cuban roots. We’ve included our hands down favorite Old Cuban, an elegant cocktail that is perfect any time of year.
Our first cocktail from Sailor Jerry has a rather unusual garnish of a banana made into an octopus. We know kids would love it in their drinks but it turns out there are plenty of big kids who like it too. We have two Sailor Jerry Rum Runner videos : one on how to make the octopus, as well as a video demo for mixing the drink.
Recipes
Sailor Jerry Rum Runner (+ 2 videos)
2 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
1 part orange juice
1 part pineapple juice
1 part Blackberry Liqueur
Method: Combine and shake. Pour over crushed ice and add a splash of grenadine
Agua Colada
2 parts Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
1 part coconut water
.75 part pineapple juice
.5 part fresh squeezed orange juice
.5 part fresh lime juice
.5 part simple syrup
Method: Pour all ingredients in a tall glass filled with ice. Stir briskly until well chilled. Top with grated nutmeg and garnish with a slice of pineapple.
Rum Old Fashioned
1.5 parts Santa Teresa 1796 Rum
0.25 parts Demerara syrup
4 dashes Angostura Bitters
Method: Build all ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir 30-40 seconds. Pour over ice in a double Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Green Tea Punch
5 parts brewed Sencha Tea
4 parts brewed Mint Tea
4 parts Demerara sugar
4 parts lime juice
9 parts Banks 5 Island Rum
Whole nutmeg for grating (optional)
Method: Combine both teas with the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add 1 cup of ice to bring the hot tea down to room temperature, then add the rum and lime juice. Fill a pitcher with ice. To serve, strain into punch cups. Garnish with grated nutmeg, if desired.
Old Cuban
1½ parts Bacardi Reserva Ocho
4 mint leaves
⅔ part sugar syrup
½ part lime juice
2 dashes of bitters
2 parts Prosecco
Method: Shake all ingredients (except sparkling). Double strain and top with Prosecco. Garnish with a mint leaf float.
Havana Café
2 parts Bacardi Havana Club Añejo Clásico Rum
0.25 parts demerara sugar
0.75 parts Martini & Rossi Rosso Vermouth
0.5 parts cold brew coffee
Garnish with lemon twist
Single Ice Rock
Method: Stir all ingredients with plenty of ice until very cold. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with lemon twist.
Havana Especial
1 part Bacardi Havana Club Añejo Blanco Rum
2 parts pineapple juice
1 barspoon Maraschino Liqueur
Method: Combine in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake, and strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice.
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