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Posts Tagged ‘Cocktails’

Cocktail Hour – The High Test Daiquiri

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 17, 2016

Wray and Nephew recently introduced their Overproof White Rum into the Alberta marketplace. This is a 63 % alcohol by volume offering which has many of my friends shaking their heads wondering what the heck they are supposed to be doing with a white rum with this much raw power. As if to intimidate everyone even more, the rum features strong Jamaican Pot Still flavours within that thrust of alcohol push.

It just so happens that I love those strong pot still flavours, and my advise to those who are mixing with the Wray and Nephew is to embrace tropical tiki drinks and daiquiris which use fresh squeezed tropical fruit as the mixing base rather than soda.

I thought I would begin my exploration of the Overproof Wray and Nephew by adapting it to the quintessential white rum cocktail, the Daiquiri. This is a serving which requires only three ingredients, white rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar syrup.

High Test Daiquiri SAM_2376To modify the bar drink for a full flavoured overproof white rum, I suggest that we add in one more ingredient, Triple Sec. Not only does the orange liqueur’s flavour mix wonderfully with the pot still flavours of the Wray and Nephew Rum, adding 1/2 ounce of Triple Sec and decreasing the amount of overproof white rum by the same amount serves to dilute the alcohol content of the cocktail making it more approachable. We still have a very strong bar drink; but if you try it, I am sure you will agree that the High Test Daiquiri is delicious.

High Test Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz Overproof White Rum
3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Triple Sec/Orange Curacao
3/8 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
ice

Add the ingredients into a metal shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into suitable cocktail glass

Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: My review of the outstanding Wray and Nephew Overproof White Rum will publish tomorrow, along with a another great recipe, the Dragon Zombie.

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Cocktail Hour: The Presbyterian

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 14, 2016

The Presbyterian Cocktail is a simple serving which mixes just three ingredients: whisky, ginger ale, and soda water. There is no specific IBA (International Bartenders Association) formulation, and this means that many variations of the bar drink exist sometimes with extra ingredients such as lemon or lime juice. The cocktail appears to have originated in North America; however, because the Presbyterian Church is so strongly tied to Scotland (the National Church of Scotland follows a Presbyterian ecclesiastical polity), it has become commonplace to serve the cocktail with Scottish Whisky.

Catto'sLike most highball cocktails, the Presbyterian works wonderfully as a back yard deck drink. It requires no frills, no martini shakers, and no expertise on the part of the back deck bartender. Because the serving is lengthened with both ginger-ale and with soda, it is a refreshing drink with a muted sweetness which many persons enjoy.

Here is my preferred formulation served with Catto’s Rare Old Scottish Blended Scotch Whisky.

The Presbyterian Cocktail

2 oz Catto’s Rare Old Scottish Blended Scotch Whisky
1 1/2 oz Ginger Ale
1 1/2 oz Soda Water
Ice

Add Ice to a rocks glass
Pour Scotch Whisky over the ice
Add Ginger Ale and Club Soda and stir

Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: my review for Catto’s Rare Old Scottish Blended Scotch Whisky will publish tomorrow.

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Cocktail Hour: The Cosmopolitan

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 11, 2016

The cocktail presented today is the modern Cosmopolitan, which according to the IBA (International Bartenders Association) is a cocktail made with Vodka Citron (lemon flavoured vodka), Cointreau (orange liqueur), Cranberry Juice, and freshly squeezed Lime Juice. The serving is by no means consistent, and if you order a Cosmo (as the bar drink is frequently referred to) you will most likely receive a variation on the recipe usually using a regular vodka instead of the lemon flavoured variety.

Cosmopolitan (Big Rig)Like most home bartenders, I do not have a ready supply of Vodka Citron, nor a suitable lemon vodka substitute in my home bar. However, I wanted to construct a Cosmopolitan which would be similar to the IBA formulation. I did this using my newly acquired Big Rig Premium Vodka, and tweaking the recipe by adding a touch of lemon juice and decreasing the lime juice by the same amount. I tried different garnishes, and decided that orange peel seemed to suit the overall flavour profile of the serving (the IBA formulation states a lime slice garnish).

Here is a delicious Cosmo, which you can make at home:

Big Rig Craft Distillery Cosmopolitan

2 oz Big Rig Premium Vodka
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Cranberry juice
3/4 oz Lime juice
1/4 oz Lemon juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
Orange Peel

Add the first six Ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost
Strain the cocktail into a chilled glass
Garnish with Orange Peel

Note: If  you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: My review for Big Rig Craft Distillery Premium Vodka will publish tomorrow!

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Cocktail Hour: The Winter Cocktail

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 6, 2016

Well aged rums (and whiskies) can and should be sipped neat or on the rocks with ice. Having said that, there is no reason not to enjoy such spirits in wonderful cocktails as well. Aged spirits add a wonderful depth of character to our cocktail experience which cannot be denied. For best results, always use fresh ingredients and when mixing different spirits do your best to select spirits of similar quality.

Here is a yummy Winter Cocktail I constructed with the Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum in mind.

Winter CocktailWinter Cocktail

1 3/4 oz Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum
1/8 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao
1/8 oz Lime Juice
1/16 oz of sugar syrup (1:1 ratio)
3 drops of Bitters (Fees Cocktail Bitters)
ice
coil of orange peel

Fill a metal shaker 1/3 full of ice
Add all of the ingredients into the cocktail shaker
Shake and strain into a small rocks glass
Add a lump of ice and a coil of orange peel

Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

(Note: My review for the new non age stated (NAS) Flor de Caña Centenario 18 Rum will publish in just a few short days.)

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Cocktail Hour: The Ruby Manhattan

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 2, 2016

Everybody who regularly follows my reviews knows that I love to make cocktails. I am by no means a proficient at this craft, but I keep trying nonetheless. Recently, when I was tasting John Hall’s new Forty Creek Three Grain Harmony, I seemed to find light flavours of red licorice and hints of fermented red wine in the flavour profile of the whisky which made me think that a Manhattan Cocktail might be a suitable cocktail choice for this spirit.

One of the ingredients for the Manhattan, Sweet Vermouth, is tricky for the home bartender as it tend to become rather nasty soon after the bottle has been opened. For this reason I like to switch out the Vermouth and instead use Ruby Port which has a longer shelf life, and which I also can enjoy on its own. With the substitution the Classic Manhattan becomes an equally wonderful bar drink called the Ruby Manhattan. It is simple to make and with John Hall’s new Forty Creek Three Grain Harmony, it is downright tasty!

Winter ManhattanRuby Manhattan

2 oz Forty Creek Three Grain Harmony
3/4 oz Offley Ruby Port Wine
Dash of Angostura Bitters (optional)
3 Large Ice cubes
Brandied Cherry (See recipe here)
Twist of Orange Peel

Add the whisky, the Port Wine, and the optional bitters with 3 large ice cubes in a Martini Shaker.
Shake vigorously to chill the mixture.
Add a brandied cherry to your chilled glass.
Strain the mixed ingredients over the cherry but do not add the ice.
Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink. (This will release the oil from the orange zest into the drink) Discard the peel.

Garnish with orange peel if preferred.

Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

Note: My review for Forty Creek Three Grain Harmony will be published tomorrow.

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