The Bourbon - and other spirits - Thread (was: @ Myronwemissyinz)

:gasp:

 

I got a few days off. Going to be time for some...

[video=youtube;SzEZWHVNV0w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzEZWHVNV0w[/video]

 

What's on "tap"?

 

No beer here, except for a few odd Guinness and Land Sharks (my wife likes them). The real arsenal is the liquor. 3 different rums (Mount Gay XO, Captain Morgan, and Gosling's Black Seal), Cabo Wabo, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, Vodka left over from last winter. Going to be a cocktail kinda night. Mostly rum drinks and Margarita's.

If only I could find Ginger Beer. IDK why it's so hard here in the coal region redneck world. Ask for it and they look at you like a dog that's heard a strange sound. So no Dark n' Stormies for me. Ginger Ale is no substitute. More like "Dim and raining."

 

Yeah, I assumed you were having rum. I've been tempted to try a "nicer" rum like some of the ones you've mentioned before, but I just know I'd only end up adding coke and citrus to it.

 

That's why I always keep Captain or similar around.

If you ever want to try a "nicer" rum, grab Zaya if you can find it. On the cheaper side of "nicer." (Not as aged as some of the others. It's a blended rum) I mean, before you go grabbing the $50 a pop rums.

 

How does that compare to say, Kraken? I've never had either before, but have been tempted to try Kraken, mostly because of their savvy marketing department.

 

Kraken is a good spiced rum. Similar to Captain Morgan or Sailor Jerry. (or more specifically, Bacardi Oakheart or Captain Morgan Black - both of which are better than Kraken IMHO). Zaya is not spiced. It's an "aged" rum.

I put aged in quotations because it's actually a blend of several rums aged various amounts. No spice. Excellent aroma and flavor that's pure rum. Not as good as Ron Zacapa, Mount Gay XO, or El Dorado 15 y/o, but excellent nonetheless. With an aroma that will make you not want to drink it... but "huff" it. Of course, the other three there I compared it to hover around $50 a bottle as opposed to the $30 a bottle you typically find Zaya for.

Kraken has a great bottle - especially the large bottles. But they add anise and mint to the flavorings which I find off putting. Your tastes may vary.

Just drank my future son-in-law under the table (lightweight). On my own now...

 

And yes. I'm almost twice his size. (He's a little guy. Can't tease him too much. I was a similar size 20 <mumble> some odd years ago) But I was going 2 for 1 on the servings to compensate.

 

Eww, eww, eww.

The bottle is near display worthy, though.

Eh, he'll need practice if he's going to be able to hang at family get togethers.

 

And as far as cool bottles go, Pyrat has my favorite bottle. I don't care about the ribbons or medallion they attach to it. But it's the old naval style bottle (short and fat - to prevent tipping over at sea). It's not a bad rum either. But it is a bit of an oddball rum. Very obviously flavored and sweetened. Tastes almost closer to brandy than rum.

http://therumhowlerblog.wordpress.com/rum-reviews/dark-rums/pyrat-rum-xo-reserve/

 

Clever concept for a bottle. As a former bartender, that giant ribbon would probably get "lost" pretty quickly.

 

A couple of minor "holidays" coming up for me.

Aug. 30th, I have a Jimmy Buffett concert to attend in Hershey. If I remember the concert the next day, I'll count that as a victory.

And, of course, Sept. 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day. Silly? You bet. But any excuse for a small party and a night of drinking rum.

So I've been looking to expand my usual repertoire of drinks utilizing rum, or tequila beyond Rum/Captain and coke, Margaritas, Pina coladas, Tequila Sunrises and various shooters. I found, tested, and perfected 2 more that I'm REALLY enjoying.

TTF being a former bartender may be familiar with the first:

Painkiller.

The first time I ever tasted this was while on my second honeymoon on our 20th Anniversary. My wife loved them so much, she never ordered anything else. But the bartenders called it by another name. I searched high and low for a recipe to no avail. Finally, I just contacted the resort and asked for a recipe. The guy I asked talked to a bartender there and got back to me. He said that it was just a Painkiller they renamed to fit with the resort theme. I should have no trouble finding a recipe on-line. sure enough, it's easy peasy.

4 parts pineapple juice
1 part orange juice
1 part cream of coconut (my wife actually prefers 2 parts)
2 parts Pusser's Rum. (Pusser's is not available in PA, so I substituted dark rum, or half and half Amber and dark)
Fresh grated whole nutmeg.

Combine all ingredients except nutmeg in an ice filled glass. Transfer to another glass 3-4 times to mix (or blend without ice and pour over ice). Top the drink with grated nutmeg. It's not a garnish, it's an ingredient. So don't be afraid and apply somewhat liberally. You can garnish with a slice of pineapple and cinnamon stick if you want to get fancy. And it's not a sin to stir the drink to incorporate the nutmeg if you prefer. If you like your drink a tad stronger (like I do), a floater of dark rum before the nutmeg works.

I plan on pre-mixing a gallon or 2 before the concert.

The second drink came as part of my pirate research years ago, but only recently did I give it a try.

At first, I was going to try to make a grog. But further research implied that pirates actually preferred a drink called "Bumbo" (or Bumboo) over Grog. Not that they were picky. They'd drink anything that wasn't nailed down. Check that. They'd find a way to drink that too. Grog was a mainstay of the British Navy as part of their daily rum rations. Since most pirates were former navy, or privateers, rum was, of course, a big part of their culture. I'm not sure why they chose Bumbo over Grog (or maybe it was simply because Grog reminded them too much of formal service). But after tasting it, I have to agree.

Bumbo:

4 parts rum (aged/amber or dark is best. Don't use spiced rum or it'll be overkill)
2 parts cold water
4 teaspoons brown sugar ("heaping" or "rounded" depending on how sweet you like it)
dash of nutmeg and cinnamon

Stir to dissolved the sugar in the rum until clear. Add water and spice. Stir. Drink. Not intended to be served on ice. (Some variations call for a squeeze of lemon or lime. I did not try that)

This stuff is magical. Warm it up a bit, and you have the PERFECT hot toddy for winter nights. As is, it's not too sweet, but just enough. Plenty strong. And VERY smooth. I have an inkling of a notion that this very concoction may be the father of modern spiced rum. Seeing as rum 300 years ago was often "overproof" (twice as strong as most rums today). I've had several forms of grog over the years. None of them tasted this good.

As an aside, apparently George Washington also loved Bumbo and often served it while "campaining" for votes.

 

LOL. Don't I know it. This ain't my first Rodeo. Better off waiting in the car or having a fewAnd a bite to eat. Good thing my wife will be DD.

 

Oh, and a word of warning on that Bumbo recipe.

It's very tasty. And despite its fairly strong potency, there's little to no burn. It slides down very easy.

So before you know it, you've had 5 of them in short order (and this after having a couple Captain and cokes) . 4 shots of rum per drink. Do the math.

Oh yeah. I was HATING life today.

 

Sounds dangerous. The name is familiar, but the ingredients don't ring a bell. I haven't tended bar in 15 years, though.

 

Saw him with ZZ Top in the mid '90s in Scranton.

Been to a couple shows at Hershey. Hanging out for a while after is the way to go if you don't like driving at a crawl for an hour and a half.

 

Same here! Ha, that's awesome.

 

My wife loves them. I'm not a fan of mint in my drinks, but you're right. Almost any rum works well with them.

When I want a change of pace, the good old fashioned daiquiri works well. NOT that frozen "foo foo" drink. But the on the rocks (or better - straight up) classic that Papa Hemingway used to scarf down in mass quantities. They are also very "stealthy," and after knocking back a few, I came to realize that Hemingway must have been 3 sheets to the wind most of his life.

1 1/2 - 2 oz. Rum (white is fine. Spiced is not. Dark doesn't work as well either)
3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz grapefruit juice
1/4 oz maraschino liqueur

Shake with ice and strain. (I hate grapefruit juice, but like this drink. go figure)

Of course, now that the warm weather is fading, my rum and tequila days are winding down. Oh, I'll have the occasional rum and coke - utilizing leftovers from the summer. But it's full on Guinness time now with a little bourbon here and there. Maybe a liqueur once in a while (Grand Marnier, Sambuca or Strega). My imbibing tends to slow down in the colder months except on special occasions.