The Rum Barrel Blog

1) Ground Bound

My own version of one of my favourite drinks, the Jungle Bird.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Guinness Syrup (*) – 15ml
Pineapple Juice – 50ml
Cacao Bitters (*) – 2 dashes
Ground Cinnamon – 1 pinch
Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve Rum Velier 70th – 37.5ml
Campari – 12.5ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, shake hard and strain into the glass. Add crushed/cube ice and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.

2) Jungle Angel

Another Jungle Bird riff using agricole rhum. Refreshing and delicious!

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Camomile Tea Syrup (*) – 35ml
Pineapple Juice – 50ml
Egg White – 1
Damoiseau Blanc 50 – 37.5ml
Lustau Blanco Vermouth – 35ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, shake hard and strain back into the shaker. Shake again without the ice and pour into the glass. Add crushed/cube ice.

3) Devil Can Cry

Made my own Homemade Aromatised Wine with chilies and various other classic spices and created a recipe around it. This is as spicy and rich as it sounds.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Grapefruit Juice – 50ml
Guinness Syrup (*) – 12.5ml
Re’al Passion Fruit Syrup – 12.5ml
Falernum – 12.5ml
Chili Infused Wine (*) – 50ml
Cacao Bitters (*) – 3 dashes
Ground Cinnamon – 1 pinch
Black Pepper – 1 pinch
Appleton Rare Blend 12YO – 25ml
Mount Gay XO – 25ml
Wood’s Navy Rum – 12.5ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, shake hard and strain into the glass. Add crushed/cube ice.

4) Mead Barrel

Couldn’t have a website called ‘The Rum Barrel’ and not have a look at the Rum Barrel cocktail. My twist focuses less on the spice and more on enhancing the honey floral sweetness, hence the name.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Pineapple Juice – 25ml
Grapefruit Juice – 25ml
Vanilla Honey Syrup (*) – 25ml
Re’al Passion Fruit Syrup – 12.5ml
Falernum – 7ml
Grand Marnier – 10ml
Reagans’ Orange Bitters – 3 dashes
Angostura Bitters – 2 dashes
Mount Gay XO – 25ml
Don Q Vermouth Cask Finish – 25ml
Pusser’s 50th Anniversary – 15ml


Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, shake hard and strain into the glass. Add crushed/cube ice and grate nutmeg on top.

5) Colada Sling

Created this drink around the Singapore Breakfast Tea Syrup which is a blend of black tea, green tea, roasted rice, coconut flakes and other flavours and imparts a rich toasted coconut note. Note that the syrup isn’t your classical 1:1 sweet with 9 barspoons of brown sugar to 250ml of tea.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Singapore Breakfast Tea Syrup (*) – 50ml
Coconut Cream (*) – 12.5ml
Pineapple Juice – 25ml
Coconut Water – 50ml
Cacao Bitters (*) – 4 dashes
Doorly’s XO – 37.5ml
Wood’s Navy Rum – 12.5ml
PX Sherry – 15ml


Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, shake hard and strain into the glass. Add crushed/cube ice and drizzle the Sherry on top.

6) Movie Star

One of the most underrated rum drinks in my opinion is the Culross. The apricot, Bacardi, Lillet and lemon combo is absolutely delicious and refreshing. I decided to make a twist on it, but I might’ve gone a bit too far and made an entirely different drink. Absolutely delicious nonetheless.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Tempus Fugit Creme De Banane – 25ml
Lustau Blanco Vermouth – 25ml
Appleton Reserve Blend – 25ml
Absinthe – 6 drops
Egg White – 1

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, shake hard and strain back into the shaker. Shake again without the ice and pour into the glass.

7) Rotten Old Fashioned

Decided to go with a flavour pairing of “opposites”. Citrus vs. spice, light vs. rich. A good example is the cinnamon and grapefruit combo which is so good in a Zombie, so that’s what I tried to achieve here as well.

Ingredients:
Pusser’s 15 Year Old – 25ml
Circumstantial Cane – 25ml
Lustau Blanco Vermouth – 15ml
PX Sherry – 10ml
Reagans’ Orange Bitters – 3 dashes
Angostura Bitters – 1 dash
Cinnamon Syrup (*) – 10ml


Method:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir down until it gets as chilled as possible. Strain into a tumbler filled with ice and garnish with a cinnamon stick laced with absinthe set on fire.

8) Mahana Tan

A tiki/tropical take on a Sweet Manhattan.

Ingredients:
Pusser’s 15 Year Old – 50ml
Cocchi Torino Vermouth – 15ml
Tempus Fugit Creme De Banane – 15ml
Raegans’ Orange Bitters – 2 dashes
Absinthe – 7 drops
Pimento Dram – 5ml


Method:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir down until it gets as chilled as possible. Strain into a Nick & Nora/Coupe glass.

9) Caribbean Island Spiced Tea

Just got the new 47% ABV Doorly’s 3 YO and I had to make something with it. The Falernum was a natural choice and inspired by the punch I decided to go for cinnamon syrup and tea. I chose the Singapore Breakfast tea due to its toasted coconut aroma, a tasting note quite specific to Doorly’s 3 YO, but the beauty is you can sub it for any tea, preferably darker, and just play with it.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Cinnamon Syrup (*) – 15ml
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum – 25ml
Doorly’s 3 Year Old 47% ABV – 35ml
Singapore Breakfast Tea (sub for any darker tea) – 50ml
Soda Water – 50ml


Method:
Add all the ingredients to a highball, mix with a barspoon and fill the glass with cubed ice. Garnish with a mint spring and a cinnamon stick

10) Macaw Gland Daquiri

Wanted to make my own “signature” Daquiri and this is the recipe I ended up with. I might’ve gone a bit off track but it ended up delicious nonetheless.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Re’al Passion Fruit Syrup – 10ml
Tempus Fugit Creme De Banane – 15ml
Doorly’s 3 Year Old 47% ABV – 35ml
Kamm & Sons British Aperitif – 15ml
Absinthe – 5ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, shake hard and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lime zest.

11) Lusting For Funk

Made orgeat for the very first time and I made this Mai Tai twist in order to celebrate it.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Orgeat (*) – 15ml
Appleton Reserve Blend – 35ml
Briottet Creme de Banane – 15ml
Lustau Blanco Vermouth – 25ml
Reagans’ Orange Bitters – 6 dashes
Angostura Bitters – 4 dashes
Ting Grapefruit Soda – 75ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the Ting to a shaker, shake hard and strain into a glass with fresh ice. Top with the Ting and garnish with a mint spring.

12) Pimento My Ride

One of the few times the name came first and then the drink. This is a Sidecar twist with rum and Pimento, although some might say it’s closer to a Margarita, but it doesn’t work with the name (so proud of that name).

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 15ml
Agave Syrup – 5ml
Cointreau – 25ml
Penny Blue VSOP – 50ml
Pimento Dram – 10ml
Salt – 1 pinch

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker, shake hard and strain into a coupe. Optionally garnish with a brown sugar rim for some extra sweetness.

13) The Dalzeel No. 2

The Dalzeel was my drink for the Speciality Drinks Whisky Competition from last year and got me into the final. For the 50th Anniversary of the Black Tot Day I’ve tweaked the recipe to have rum instead of scotch and it works wonderfully.

Ingredients:
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum – 10ml
Briottet Creme De Banane – 15ml
Black Tot Rum – 60ml
Reagans’ Orange Bitters – 4 dashes


Method:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir down until it gets as chilled as possible. Strain into a Nick & Nora/Coupe glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

14) Rum Nanagroni

Tempus Fugit Creme De Banane quickly became one of my favourite ingredients. Here’s a simple Negroni twist that subs the gin for rum and sweet vermouth for banana liqueur.

Ingredients:
Chairman’s Reserve 2005 Vintage – 25ml
Tempus Fugit Creme De Banane – 25ml
Campari – 25ml
Angostura Bitters – 2 dashes


Method:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir down until it gets as chilled as possible. Strain into a tumbler with a large ice cube.

15) Spiced Treacle

Haven’t made a treacle in a while and I really wanted to practice my apple fan skills so here we go.

Ingredients:
Chairman’s Reserve Legacy – 50ml
Cinnamon Syrup (*) – 10ml
Angostura Bitters – 2 dashes
Cacao Bitters (*) – 2 dashes
Absinthe – 5 drops
Apple Juice – 25ml


Method:
Add all the ingredients except the apple juice to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir down until it gets as chilled as possible. Strain into a tumbler with a large ice cube and add the apple juice on top.

16) Youth Potion No.2

Here’s a drink inspired from the White Negroni. No.1 had gin, here I’m using a delicious white rum blend from Threeways. Use any flunky white rum.

Ingredients:
Threeways White Rum – 25ml
Kamm & Sons British Aperitif – 25ml
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum – 25ml
Ms. Better’s Black Pepper Cardamom Bitters – 1/3 pipette
Absinthe – 5 drops


Method:
Add all the ingredients except the absinthe to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir down until it gets as chilled as possible. Strain into a tumbler with a large ice cube and add the absinthe on top. Garnish with a Thai basil leaf for extra flavour.

17) Teacumber Punch

A Ti Punch variation that is “healthy” if that’s a thing.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Cucumber Infused Honey Syrup (*) – 25ml
Reagan’s Orange Bitters – 2 dashes
Rhum Bologne 55% ABV – 30ml
Kamm & Sons British Aperitif – 15ml
Green Tea – top


Method:
Add all the ingredients except the tea to a highball and fill with cubed ice. Top with the Green tea and stir. Garnish with cucumber, coriander and green olives.

18) Smoked ‘n’ Oil

Wanted to make a ‘white’ Corn ‘n’ Oil and things escalated.

Ingredients:
St. Nicholas Abbey White Rum – 50ml
Giffard Creme de Cacao White – 10ml
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum – 5ml
Reagans’ Orange Bitters – 3 dashes
Dried Vanilla Pod – 1/3

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the vanilla to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir down until it gets as chilled as possible. Next burn the dry vanilla pod until it gives out a thick smoke and place a brandy balloon on top to fill up with the smoke. Strain the drink into the smoked glass and enjoy.

19) Breakfast Treacle

A ‘breakfast’ drink highlighting the coffee infusion of Ron Colon

Ingredients:
Ron Colon Coffee Infused 81 Proof – 35ml
Ron Colon Coffee Infused 111 Proof – 15ml
Black Tea Syrup (*) – 12.5ml
Cacao Bitters (*) – 3 Dashes
Orange Juice – 25ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the OJ to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir down until it gets as chilled as possible. Strain into a tumbler with a large ice cube and add the OJ.

20) The Pink Seazerac

A ‘white’ Sazerac twist with vanilla and citrus notes.

Ingredients:
Lost Years Navy Strength White Rum – 50ml
Peychaud’s Bitters – 4 dashes
Vanilla Syrup – 5 – 7ml (by taste)
Absinthe – 5ml

Method:
Stir all the ingredients except the absinthe in a mixing glass with cubed ice until chilled. Wash a tumbler with the absinthe and throw the excess away. Then strain the stirred drink into the tumbler and use a pink grapefruit zest to spray its oils onto the glass/drink and. Discard the peel and enjoy!

21) Lazy After Eight

A long, refreshing drink with cacao and herbal notes.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25m
Sugar Syrup – 12.5ml
Lazydog Silver Rum – 25ml
White Cacao Liqueur – 20ml
Green Chartreuse – 10ml
Mint – 6 leaves
Ginger Ale – top

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the ginger ale to a shaker and quick shake with cubed ice. Dirty pour the drink into a highball and top with the ginger ale. Garnish with a mint spring, one After Eight chocolate and enjoy!

22) Former Caroline

A spicy and rich beverage highlighting the Scottish distillate.

Ingredients:
Lime juice – 25ml
Cinnamon syrup – 15ml
Fino Sherry – 15ml
Creme de Peche – 15ml
J. Gow Revenge – 25ml
Apple juice – 50ml

Method:
Shake all the ingredients and strain the drink in a highball over cubed ice. Garnish with an apple fan (yes, I’m a fan of my apple fans) and a cinnamon stick.

23) Port Castries

A Manhattan style drink, fruity yet fairly dry thanks to the White Port.

Ingredients:
Admiral Rodney Officer’s Release No. 1 – 50ml
White Extra Dry Port – 20ml
Creme de Peche – 10ml
Creme de Banane – 10ml
Dried Lime Leaves – 4

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and stir until chilled and double strain to a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a dried lime leaf on the rim using a tiny peg.

24) Wor-Tea Highball

Spicy and very herbal, makes very good use of the fizzy tea. Do not underestimate this recipe, it’s quite boozy.

Ingredients:
Lime juice – 25ml
Cinnamon syrup – 10ml
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum – 10ml
Absinthe – 5ml
Green Chartreuse – 25ml
Worthy Park 109 – 25ml
Carbonated Black Tea – top (50-75ml)

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the tea to a shaker and shake. Pour in a highball (or a cool mug like mine), add cubed ice, top with the carbonated black tea and garnish with a cinnamon stick and star anise.

25) Daicurry

A very simple twist on a Daiquiri, the flavour profile reminds me of Thai cuisine.

Ingredients:
Aluna Coconut (Lime Leaves Infused) – 50ml
Absinthe – 5ml
Lime Juice – 25ml
Agave Syrup – 10ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker and shake. Strain into a cute coupe and garnish with a lime twist.

For the infusion I used 2 dried lime leaves and 100ml of Aluna Coconut left to infuse for 18 hours.

26) Cola Grog

Used cola reduction to make a grog style drink. Absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Coca-Cola Reduction – 35ml
Pimento Dram – 5ml
Angostura Bitters – 2 dashes
Ron Larimar Oloroso Cask Finish – 35ml
Briottet Creme De Banane – 15ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker and shake. Strain over crushed ice in a cola tin mug and garnish with pineapple leaves and cloves.

For the reduction I used a can of 330ml of coke and heated it until it reduced to 100ml.

27) Bee’s Mead

A Martinez style drink using a split base of gin and rum in order to highlight honey flvours.

Ingredients:
Tanqueray No. 10 – 25ml
Montanya Exclusiva – 25ml
Kamm & Sons British Aperitif* – 15ml
Keepr’s Apple Blossom Honey Syrup (homemade 2:1) – 15ml
Reagans’ Orange Bitters – 4 dashes

*Instead of Kamm & Sons you can use 5ml Suze and 10ml Yellow Chartreuse.

Method:
Stirred down until it reaches optimal dilution & temperature and strained into a Nick & Nora. Garnished with hexagonal lemon zests stuck on the glass using honey – I know!

28) Liqueur Ace

A 151 swizzle/highball tropical drink that highlights the liquorice flavour of the Pusser’s 151.

Ingredients:
Pusser’s Select Aged 151 – 50ml
Absinthe – 5ml
Peychaud’s Bitters – 3 dashes
Cacao Bitters (*) – 3 dashes
Honey Syrup – 25ml
Vanilla Syrup – 15ml
Lime – 25ml
Carbonised Coconut Water* – top

*You don’t need to carbonate your coconut water, but it does add a nice mouthfeel.

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the coconut water to a highball/sling glass, add crushed ice and churn. Add the carbonised coconut water and give it a stir. Top with more ice and garnish with a banana leaf, star anise and dried lime.

29) Cigar in the Orchard

Simple and fruity serve using the Fever Tree White Grape & Apricot Soda paired with Ron La Progresiva.

Ingredients:
Lime juice – 25ml
Orgeat – 15ml
Creme de peche – 10ml
Ron La Progresiva – 40ml
Fever Tree White Grape and Apricot Soda – 50ml/Top

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the soda to a highball, add crushed ice and churn. Top with the Fever Tree and give it a quick stir. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with an orange and dry rose petals.

30) Wasteland Daiquiri

A combo between the Dry Daiquiri and Nuclear Daiquiri I made for World Foursquare Day.

Ingredients:
Lime juice – 25ml
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum – 15ml
Green Chartreuse – 15ml
Re’al Passion Fruit Syrup – 10ml
Campari – 10ml
Cacao Bitters (*) – 2 dashes
Foursquare Nobiliary – 25ml
Foursquare Port Cask – 25ml

Method:
Add ingredients to a shaker, shake well (needs dilution) and double strain into a coupette. Garnish with a fancy red dry lime.

31) Corianer Punch

A very “green” cocktail using a botanical rum and coriander & fennel syrup.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 25ml
Coriander & Fennel Seeds Syrup (*) – 15ml
Fig Leaf Liqueur – 15ml
Ron Cabezon – 35ml
Black Pepper & Cardamom Bitters – 1/3 pipette
Carbonated Camomile Tea – 100ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker except the tea, shake and strain in a highball over cubed ice. Top with the tea and garnish with pressed coriander leaves, dry lime and Tesco mixed herbs.

32) NY Punch

A simple, multiple-serve punch recipe containing 4 litre. Makes up 20 large serves that can be split in smaller ones (177.5ml).

Ingredients:
Rhum Bologne Gold/any accessible aged agricole – 700ml
Worthy Park 109/Overproof navy style (Pusser’s, Wood’s etc.) – 300ml
Cinnamon syrup (1.5:1) – 125ml
Sugar syrup (2:1) – 125ml
Lime juice – 300ml
Pineapple juice (pressed) – 1000ml
Orange juice – 500ml
Angostura Bitters – 15ml
Cold water – 500ml

The spices are optional, but be careful not to overdo it:

Cinnamon sticks – 5
Cloves – 4
Star anise – 1


Method:
Add all to the jar, except the water, and let it cool in the fridge over night. Add the water on the day of consumption and mix – add more water if it’s too much, I like my drinks on the strong side. Feel free to add some citrus wheels as well.

Pour in a glass over ice and garnish each serve with a touch of mint.

33) Devil Fruit

A unique Manhattan inspired drink using Umeshu and Port Mourant distillate.

Ingredients:
Dram Mor Diamond Distillery – 50ml
Choya Extra Years Umeshu – 25ml
Discarded Sweet Cascara Vermouth – 15ml
Absinthe – 5ml
Cucumber water – 5ml
Walnut Bitters – 2 dashes

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and stir until chilled. Strain into a coupe glads and pop an ume fruit in it.

34) Left Ain’t Right

This is another riff on one of my favourite cocktails, the Jungle Bird and uses both their Banana Peel Rum and their Cascara Vermouth.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 10ml
Organic Maple Syrup – 10ml
Campari – 10ml
Smith & Cross – 10ml
Discarded Cascara Sweet Vermouth – 20ml
Discarded Banana Peel Rum – 30ml
Franklin & Sons Pineapple Mixer With Almonds – Top

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker except the pineapple mixer, shake and strain into a highball over cubed ice. Top with the pineapple almond mixer and garnish with pineapple leaves, dry lime & and dry pineapple on a pick pointing left.

35) Doorly’s XO-loroso Highball

A long, fizzy, refreshing drink with fruity and nutty layers highlighting the Oloroso flavours.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 15ml
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum – 25ml
Lustau Oloroso Sherry – 25ml
Doorly’s XO – 30ml
Franklin & Sons Pineapple Almond Mixer – Top (75ml)

Method:
Add all the ingredients except the mixer to a highball, fill with cubed ice, top with the mixer and give it a quick stir. Garnish with a lime peel and some lime leaves for the aroma.

36) Straw & Cross

The idea for this was simply to make a “girly” looking drink that does pack a punch (the original used cask strength whisky) in order to throw off all those people whose fragile masculinity doesn’t allow them to enjoy a cocktail out of a Nick & Nora glass, especially with a strawberry on top.

Ingredients:
Lime Juice – 15ml
Strawberry Sorrel Mix(*) – 15ml
Briottet Creme De Banane – 15ml
Reagans’ Orange Bitters – 4 drops
Smith & Cross – 35ml

Method:
Add all the ingredients to a tin, shake vigorously, double strain into a Nick & Nora glass and garnish with a strawberry fan on the rim and icing sugar.