(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Rum & ColaBlacktail, New York, $16Bar manager Jesse Vida’s elevated Cuba libre (aka rum and Coke) includes house-made cola syrup and Bacardi Facundo Neo, a mild blend of rums aged as long as eight years. Bitters and Fernet-Branca add herbaceousness; Champagne provides the bubbles. “Champagne brings a brightness,” Vida says, “but the drink still has the nostalgic flavor profile.”
Yuzu Gone CoconutsRestaurant August, New Orleans, $13This riff on the piña colada, served at chef John Besh’s storied restaurant, ditches the coconut cream and swaps in tangy, floral yuzu juice for pineapple. Besh prefers Bacardi White and adds a touch of the house’s own basil syrup to give the drink a Thai twist.NantucketerGreydon House, Nantucket, Mass., $13The Nantucketer is a tweak on a little-known libation called the Commodore, which combines rum, lemon juice, grenadine, and raspberry liqueur. This delicate version blends lemon juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and a silver rum made by Privateer, a Massachusetts distillery. “It’s a lighter, prettier, more floral version of a daiquiri,” says cocktail consultant Jackson Cannon, who created the Greydon House drink list.
Five-Spice Mai TaiLukshon, Los Angeles, $14Chef Sang Yoon’s dislike for the sweetness of mai tais led him to develop what he calls a grown-up version for his Southeast Asian restaurant. That meant toning down the sugar by omitting orange Curaçao and replacing it with his own orgeat syrup and secret spice blend. To these, Yoon adds lime juice and three rums: floral and fruity Rhum J.M Agricole Blanc from Martinique and Zafra 21-year and Plantation 2002 vintage rums from Panama.Hogo-a-Go-GoMidnight Rambler, Dallas, $12“Hogo” was rum trade lingo for the intense, even offensive, flavor the spirit has before it mellows in oak barrels. This spin on English rum punch—traditionally a concoction of rum, tea, sugar, and citrus—uses Jamaican Smith & Cross, a “big and funky” rum “with a lot of molasses tang,” says head bartender Chad Solomon. He mixes it with hibiscus tea, lime, and the house’s West Indian bay leaf Falernum, a sweet syrup he spices with nutmeg, clove, and dried ginger.
Deep WaterThe Up & Up, New York, $15Head bartender Chaim Dauermann’s take on a rum Old-Fashioned. It’s equal parts licoricey Cruzan Black Strap and smooth Venezuelan Santa Teresa 1796 rums, Fernet-Branca, and simple syrup, garnished with a grapefruit twist. “My desire was to take all of the deepest, boldest flavors of the cocktail and turn them up to full blast,” Dauermann says.
To contact the author of this story: Elizabeth G Dunn in New York at elizabethgdunn@gmail.com.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jillian Goodman at jgoodman74@bloomberg.net.
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