I perceive why folks are inclined to affiliate rum with scorching climate. It’s often made in tropical climates and loved in seaside bars, by the pool or whereas being entertained by a Jimmy Buffett cowl band. (Or Kenny Chesney — identical factor.)
Whereas I get pleasure from a rum and cola as a lot as the subsequent particular person, and I went via a interval the place “Papa Dobles” (double Hemingway daiquiris) have been the specialty of my residence bar till I spotted that my blood stress drugs is counteracted by grapefruit juice, darn it, I actually get pleasure from rum drinks when the climate will get chillier.
Sizzling buttered rum, a Darkish ‘n’ Winter Stormy made with ginger tea as a substitute of ginger beer, or a Spanish Kalimoxto of tempranillo wine and cola plus white rum and Fernet Branca and possibly a shake of Angostura bitters for good measure, convey ’em all to me!
However the autumnal drink I get pleasure from most is the Havana Negroni, a variation on the three-ingredient basic cocktail that is a perfect stability of bitter and candy and delightfully boozy. Plus, the recipe is simple to recollect. One half Campari, one half candy vermouth, one half darkish rum. Stir in a cocktail pitcher over ice and pressure right into a rocks glass over recent ice. Garnish with an orange rind, when you’re feeling fancy.
The great thing about this cocktail is the pliability. The “one half” half could possibly be an oz., a cup, a shoe or a Mason jarful, relying on what number of you need to make without delay. Simply so long as it’s the magic 1:1:1 ratio.
I wouldn’t tamper a lot with the Campari part; that’s just about the guts of the cocktail. However the candy vermouth is open for experimentation from the sultry citrus, cherries and vanilla notes of Carpano Antica to the normal fruity, nutty and grassy aromas of Dolin Rouge.
The final enjoyable part to experiment with is the rum — all the time darkish rum! The rum I’ve been Negroni-ing with currently is Sonrisa Reserva. The Puerto Rican distillery additionally makes a transparent Platino model and an aged Oro Especial that can work in a pinch for a Negroni, however I want the deep darkish cacao, caramel and pipe-tobacco elements of the Reserva to face out among the many different daring flavors of a Havana Negroni.
The winner of a Gold Medal on the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competitors, Sonrisa Reserva spends at the very least three years getting older in used whiskey barrels to contribute an additional degree of complexity to the flavors within the bottle that places it in a class with higher-end tequilas and whiskeys.
Distributed domestically by Greatest Manufacturers, Sonrisa Reserva ought to retail within the $60 (plus-or-minus) vary, proper according to many different premium rums. Do your self a favor and make your self a Havana Negroni someday this week. However possibly only one. You probably did discover the determined lack of nonalcoholic substances in that recipe, proper?
