Tag Archives: rum cocktails

Drink of the Week: Rotten Fruit Rummy

Don’t let the name of my daily Belizean frozen rum drink put you off. This cocktail of blended fruit, ice and rum is delicious. It’s also the best way to use up fresh fruit, such as bananas and mangoes, that is too ripe and mushy to eat on its own.

The over-ripe fruit is also full of natural sugars, so you don’t need to add any sugar or syrup. And a thorough blending renders it extra smooth. You can switch it up by adding any fruit you fancy (papaya, pineapple), or pour in coconut water or coconut milk for more of a pina colada taste. It’s pretty scary how quickly these go down when you are poolside or swinging in a hammock on a dock on Ambergris Caye!

Fruity deliciousness in a cup. This is how we get out daily intake of Vitamin C!

Fruity deliciousness in a cup. This is how we get out daily intake of Vitamin C! You can make a virgin version for the kids.

Rotten Fruit Rummy

  • 2 over-ripe bananas
  • 2 small, mushy yellow mangoes
  • 2-3 cups watermelon
  • 1 cup or so One Barrel Rum
  • 1-2 cups mixed tropical fruit juice
  • 12 ice cubes
  • Garnish: hibiscus flower

Method: Add ingredients into a blender and blend until thoroughly combined. Pour into daiquiri cups and garnish with a hibiscus flower.

Drink of the Week: Jamaican Honey Soother

Here’s a rummy cocktail to get your weekend started. It comes courtesy of Jamaican rum Appleton Estate, which has just debuted new packaging and new naming for its core rums.

New packaging and naming on the Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 Year Old rum.

New packaging and naming on the Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 Year Old.

What remains the same is the good stuff inside the bottle, still as smooth and robust as a golden rum should be. I sampled the Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 Year Old, a sweet, fruity, woody number with hints of molasses and even coffee. I mixed it into two cocktails, the Estate Old Fashioned for Blake and a Jamaican Honey Soother for me.

Initially Blake felt his Old Fashioned tasted too “rummy” (he likes them with whisky), but as the ice diluted the drink it grew on him. On the other hand, I immediately liked my Jamaican Honey Soother — which reminds me of my favourite African cocktail, the Dawa (whose name means “medicine” in Swahili) — but is made with rum instead of vodka. Sweet, tart and most of all, strong, this “Jamaican Dawa” will indeed cure what ails you.

I've taken to calling this drink a rum dawa after my favourite African cocktail.

I’ve taken to calling this drink a “Jamaican Dawa” after my favourite African cocktail.

Jamaican Honey Soother

  • 2 oz Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 Year Old
  • 1/4 oz honey
  • 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Method: Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well, then strain into a coupette glass and serve.

— Recipe courtesy Appleton Estate

Drink of the Week: Blueberry Elderflower Mojito

It’s officially BC blueberry season, and I have been stuffing my face with gobs of them this week. Representatives from the British Columbia Blueberry Council visited Calgary on Tuesday, packing with them cases of the little blue fruit. But don’t fret — you don’t have to drive west to get your hands on the plump berries. You can find BC blueberries in supermarkets, farmers’ markets and produce centres all over Calgary.

I’m excited to add my new berry bounty to morning shakes, sprinkle them atop yogurt snacks and toss them into kale salads. With the weekend looming, I’m muddling them into mojitos.

The Blueberry Elderflower Mojito was inspired by a raspberry mojito I tried at Island Lake Lodge earlier this month (I’ll be sharing that recipe in my Spirited Calgary column in the Calgary Herald on Aug. 8). Blueberries add a pretty colour, sweetness and antioxidant hit to this twist on a traditional mojito. Enjoy!

This long, refreshing mojito is sweetened by blueberries, St-Germain and a dollop of simple syrup. Divine!

This long, refreshing mojito is sweetened by blueberries, St-Germain and a dollop of simple syrup. Divine!

Blueberry Elderflower Mojito

  • 5 large mint leaves
  • 2 bar spoons fresh BC blueberries
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water ratio)
  • 1 oz light rum (I used Brugal Extra Dry)
  • 1/2 oz St-Germain
  • Top soda water
  • Garnish: 5 fresh BC blueberries and a mint sprig

Method: In the base of a Collins glass, muddle mint and blueberries with lime juice and simple syrup. Add rum and St-Germain. Add ice cubes, stir, then top with soda water (2 to 3 oz, or to taste). Garnish with more blueberries and a mint sprig.