Cocktail Standards

Daiquiri

Classic cocktail originally from Cuba.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz demerara syrup
  • 2 oz rum

Preparation

  1. Add ingredients to cocktail shaker
  2. Add ice
  3. Shake
  4. Pour with gated finish

Rum Recommendations

Traditionally, this drink is prepared with a blended lightly aged rum (②). However, simple syrup and lime make almost any (①②③④) rum shine.

Smuggler’s Cove p168

Ti Punch

Ti Punch is a traditional cocktail from Marinique

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Add rum and syrup to glass
  2. Squeeze lime wedges into glass
  3. Stir with bar spoon
  4. Add squeezed lime wedges to the glass

Rum Recommendations

Because of it’s origin, Ti Punch should be made with a rhum agricole. Specifically:

⑦Cane AOC Martinique rhum agricole blanc
⑧Cane AOC Martinique rhum agricole vieux

You can also use a Cane Coffe Still Aged Rhum, like the Barbancourt 8, to a similar end.

Tom at Beach Bar Bums suggests using Plantation Pineapple Rum Stiggns’ Fancy and, although it flies in the face of tradition, it tastes good to me.

Cuba Libre

The Cuba Libre (or “rum & Coke” if you must) is fast, easy, and a crowd pleaser. Coke is an excellent mixer and can work with a wide variety of rum.

Ingredients

  • Coke
  • 2 lime wedges
  • 1.5 oz rum

Preparation

  1. Fill a highball glass 3/4 full with ice
  2. Squeeze 2-3 lime wedges over ice
  3. Add squeezed lime wedges to gelass
  4. Add 8-10oz Coke
  5. Top with rum

Rum Recommendations

  • Works with any: ①②③④⑤⑥
    • Plantation 3 star (this would make a more traditional Cuba Libre)
    • Plantation OFTD
    • Journeyman Road’s End
    • Bacardi 8 year
  • Cheap, but still good
    • Bacardi 4 year
    • Cruzan Coconut
    • Cruzan Blackstrap

Dark ‘n Stormy

Although people sometimes use different ingredients, a true Dark ‘n Stormy® is made with:

  • 1.5 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
  • Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer

I stick to this combination becuase both the rum and the ginger beer are fantastic—it’s like they were made for each other. I’m not a huge fan of a company trademarking the name of a cocktail but it does taste good.

Preparation

  1. Fill a lowball glass with ice
  2. Add ginger beer
  3. Top with rum
  4. OPTIONAL: Garnish with lime wedge

If you use lowball glasses, one can of ginger beer makes two drinks.

Caipirinha

The national cocktail of Brazil

Ingredients

  • Half a lime, cut into 4 wedges
  • 2 tsp sugar (or 1 oz simple syrup)
  • 2 oz Cachaça

Preparation

  1. Add lime and sugar (or syrup) to any “bucket” glassware
  2. Muddle to extract lime juice and dissolve sugar
  3. Add cachaça
  4. Add ice
  5. Stir
  6. OPTIONAL: Garnish with lime wedge