You might think you don't like rum. Maybe you're like us, and one night long ago you overdid it on Captain Morgan and now you've avoided rum for a very long time. You ignore its calls, but you still run into it when you go out with your friends.
Maybe on one of these nights, you hear a whisper as something brushes across your neck. "What was that?" you think. Could it have been a gust of wind? This is a drafty bar, after all. But maybe, just maybe, it's your old pal rum who has really been missing you after all these years. What should you do? If the rum is Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum, you should just give in, because Smith & Cross is worth betraying even yourself.
The flavor of Smith & Cross is full and complex, and the spirit itself packs a punch since it's bottled in London at Navy Strength – 57% alcohol by volume. It could easily be sipped neat, which would allow you to savor the different notes, but it really works its magic in a well-made mixed drink. Hence, today's recipe.
Slingshot Wound
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1 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican rum
.5 oz dry Curaçao
.25 oz Art in the Age Root
.5 orgeat syrup
.5 oz Cold brew coffee (We used slingshot bottled cold brew from Raleigh, North Carolina)
2 dashes of citrus bitters
Large ice cube
Orange peel garnish
Grab yourself a rocks glass, a mixing glass, some ice and a long bar spoon. Fill your mixing glass about 2/3 of the way full of ice cubes, then build your drink over the ice adding one ingredient at a time (except for the large ice cube and the orange peel – those go in your rocks glass in a moment). Stir the contents of the mixing glass for 20 seconds, then strain your cocktail over the large ice cube into your rocks glass, adding your orange peel garnish as the final touch.
The flavors in this drink really come together nicely. You've got the deep molasses taste of the rum, the herbal citrus notes of the curaçao, the spicy-sweet flavor of the Root, rich coffee undertones and nutty orgeat to take off a little bit of the alcoholic bite. It's the perfect drink to make on a day like today when it's chilly outside but the Florida sun is shining and sending it's tropical vibes your way.
Sip and enjoy!