Tag Archives: rum cocktails

Drink of the Week: Mai Tai (with a side of lobster)

Posted on October 3, 2013 | Leave a comment

It’s not often I get to sample the taste of Hawaii and Nova Scotia at the same time, but the planets aligned in such a way last week. Or shall I say, Earls Restaurant Shepard Flats, the chain’s newest Calgary location, flew in a slew of Nova Scotia lobsters in advance of its annual three-day Lobster feast, and I was lucky to shell and eat one of the critters. I also got to sample from Earls’ cocktail menu, which features classics like the margarita and Moscow mule, all mixed with fresh juices and house-made syrups. I opted for the Mai Tai, a yummy, rummy number with a unique flavour thanks to its almond syrup.

Earls' Mai Tai, a tart and tropical classic cocktail, pairs nicely with shellfish.

Earls’ Mai Tai, a tart and tropical classic cocktail, pairs nicely with shellfish.

First, I love the glass. The restaurant has sourced tiki-style rocks glasses for this drink, which I think is very cool. Second, this cocktail is seriously delicious. I have always been wary of Mai Tais (perhaps I remember those too-sweet versions served at Waikiki bars during happy hour?), but I loved this drink’s simplicity: it’s just rum, triple sec and lime juice, with almond syrup that adds a distinct toasty flavour to the perfectly balanced combo of sour, sweet and strong. I managed to save some in my glass for when my 1-1/2 lb. lobster arrived.

It's a little disconcerting to dismember a whole lobster, but I got the hang of it in a hurry. Omyomyom.

It’s a little disconcerting to dismember a whole lobster, but I got the hang of it in a hurry. Omyomyom.

Earls’ “A Lobster of a Feast” takes place in Calgary October 3-5. The restaurant chain flies in thousands of live Atlantic lobster, boils them and serves them with prawns, grilled corn on the cob, fingerling potatoes and sourdough bread that’s baked in-house (ideal for dipping into the Chardonnay-butter sauce). Oh, and it only costs $25. Nice. If you miss the lobster event you can just go for the Mai Tais — they’re on the menu all year.

Mai Tai

  • 1-1/2 oz Appleton VX rum
  • 1/2 oz Triple Sec
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 3/4 oz toasted almond syrup (or use orgeat syrup, available at the Cookbook Company in Calgary)

In a shaker combine the rum, triple sec, lime juice and toasted almond syrup. Add ice and shake vigorously to combine ingredients. Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass. Garnish with a pineapple chunk, mint sprig and a skewered cherry. Add a straw, if desired.

— Recipe courtesy Cameron Bogue, Earls

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Drink of the Week: St-Germojito

Posted on February 22, 2013 | 1 comment

Please excuse this cocktail’s  ridiculous name. It’s just that I didn’t know what else to call the “mojito” made with St-Germain, that I created earlier this week.

You can almost imagine spring is coming while sipping this St-Germain mojito.

Imagine spring is coming while sipping this St-Germain mojito.

It was happy hour and we were faced with a dire scenario: no gin, no limes and only one lemon. We did have a bunch of leftover mint and some rum, however, so I decided to get experimental. Instead of using lime in my “mojito” I used half a lemon, as I prefer lime cocktails when they’re “cut” with lemon juice. Then, rather than adding sugar or making a simple syrup I added St-Germain, an elderflower liqueur from France, as the drink’s sweetening agent. This worked wonderfully as it’s not too sweet and pairs well with mint.

I actually like my tart and refreshing St-Germojito more than a traditional mojito, which I often find too sweet and/or not strong enough. I could taste both the rum (just slightly) and the St-Germain. In a word: yum.

It's tart and refreshing, thanks to the lemon juice, mint and soda.

It’s tart and refreshing, thanks to the lemon juice, mint and soda.

St-Germojito

  • 1 oz Mount Gay Silver
  • 1/2 oz St-Germain
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 8-10 mint leaves
  • Top soda

In the base of a cocktail shaker, gently muddle the mint with the lemon juice and St-Germain. Add the rum and ice and shake. Pour contents of the shaker into a rocks glass, then add more ice if necessary and top with soda (about 1-2 oz). Stir to lift the mint to the top of the glass.

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Drink of the Week: The Privileged Peacock

Posted on January 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

Trendy Phoenix/Scottsdale boasts an emerging cocktail scene and we were fortunate to have dinner at one of the city’s premier cocktail spots, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails. Located right in the trendy CityScape complex and part of the new boutique Hotel Palomar, the Blue Hound is in a modern, funky purpose-built space and features an eclectic menu with southern-inspired dishes, such as my Kentucky Fried Quail with Fois Gras Cornbread (not a diet dinner). It also has one of the best cocktail menus in Phoenix, thanks to star mixologist Shel Bourdon.

The delicious drink can best be described as a "winter daiquiri."

The delicious drink can best be described as a “winter daiquiri.”

Our friendly waiter Zack recommended the Chartreuse Fizz for my mom, a mojito-like tall sip with green chartreuse, lime, mint and soda. Since I love rum, The Privileged Peacock was the obvious pick for me. It came with a beautiful pattern decorating the egg white foam top, which manager Cheyenne Palm explained was from several dashes of Angostura bitters.

Rather like a peacock's feathers, this pretty design enticed me to drink it. Privileged, indeed!

Rather like a peacock’s feathers, this pretty design enticed me to drink it. Privileged, indeed!

The frothy drink tasted of rum and a tart-sweet combination of pineapple and lime juice.  Zack described it as a “winter daiquiri” and, with the bitters and almond syrup, that descriptor fits the bill. If you’re in Phoenix try it; if not, you can make it at home:

The Privileged Peacock

  • 1.5 oz Zaya rum
  • 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 oz pineapple falernum (an almond syrup infused with pineapple)
  • 1/4 oz demerara simple syrup (made with equal parts sugar and water)
  • 1 egg white
  • 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients except bitters in a shaker. Dry shake to emulsify egg white, then add ice and shake to chill. Strain into a coupette, dash bitters on top, then use a toothpick to make a pretty design in the egg white foam.

— Recipe courtesy Cheyenne Palm, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails

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