Episode 64: Mezan XO

5 Minutes of Rum episode 64: Mezan XO, porter, and the Blow My Skull punch.

Deschutes Public House in Portland, OR.

Look at the creamy head on that stout!

Blow My Skull punch
3/4 cup of demerara sugar
1 quart (4 cups) of boiling water
16 oz of Jamaican pot-still rum (Mezan XO)
16 oz porter (Deschutes Black Butte Porter)
8 oz brandy (Christian Brothers)
6 oz fresh lime juice

In a large, sealable vessel combine the boiling water and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients, except the porter. Seal the vessel, and refrigerate for many hours. Or at least as many hours as you have. When you are ready to serve, pour the mixture out into a punch bowl or other appropriate serving vessel and then add the porter. If you have a large block of ice, add it. Ladle the punch into small cups with ice. To scale it up, simply do some basic multiplication.

Episode 50: Blackwell Jamaican rum

5 Minutes of Rum episode 50: Blackwell rum, ginger beer, blood orange, and Nelson’s Blood.

Trader Vic's PDX entrance

Munktiki-created tiki mugs based on tikis found at the Trader Vic's PDX location (hint, you can see several of them in the preceding photos).

Nelson's Blood cocktail.

Nelson’s Blood, slightly modified (from Trader Vic’s Portland)

Juice of 1/4 lemon (squeeze over glass)
Juice of 1/4 blood orange (squeeze over glass)
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz blood orange puree*
1/4 oz brandy
1/4 oz falernum
2 oz dark rum (Blackwell Jamaican rum)
2 oz ginger beer

Squeeze the 1/4 lemon and the 1/4 blood orange over a double old fashioned glass. Shake all ingredients except for the ginger beer in a shaking tin with ice cubes and the squeezed lemon rind. Pour unstrained into the double old fashioned glass. Float ginger beer. Garnish with the squeezed blood orange rind and spanked mint.

* I use fresh pressed blood orange juice, but I don’t strain it, so it’s close to a puree in my book.

Episode 43: Appleton Reserve

5 Minutes of Rum episode 43: Appleton Reserve, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, Jasper’s Secret Mix, and 2 rum punches (Jasper’s Jamaican Planter’s Punch and Jasper’s Rum Punch).

Appleton Reserve - current (June 2015) label

Appleton Reserve: pre-June 2015 label on left, June 2015 label on the right.

Jasper's Secret Mix

Jasper’s Jamaican Planter’s Punch

Jasper’s Rum Punch

Jasper’s Jamaican Planter’s Punch
2 oz dark Jamaican rum (Appleton Reserve)
1 1/2 oz Jasper’s Secret Mix

Add to a 10 oz highball glass filled with cracked or crushed ice. Stir or swizzle until well-chilled and the glass frosts. Add more ice to fill. Garnish with a sprig of mint. As published in VSFC, the recipe calls for 1 1/2 oz dark Jamaican rum (Coruba).

Jasper’s Rum Punch
1 1/2 oz J Wray & Nephew White rum
1 1/2 oz Jasper’s Secret Mix

Stir with cracked or crushed ice in a small-ish highball glass. Garnish with a cherry (use the good ones). Or mint. Or both.

Jasper’s Secret Mix
To make Jasper’s Secret mix, combine 12 ounces of fresh squeezed and strained lime juice with 1 1/2 cups of demerara or another raw sugar. Add 1 1/2 ounces of Angostura bitters and half of a whole nutmeg, freshly grated. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, bottle, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. If you think you won’t use it quickly, you can halve the recipe.