Nine months of the year, I’m a wine drinker,
with an occasional foray into Bourbon-Nightcap Land. But when sultry
breezes, late sunsets, and humidity come to town, my beverage choices veer
from the cerebral to the coquettish. Summer sipping is all about cocktails, and in my
opinion that means rum. Sure, I know the school of drinkers who think that
summer revolves around the gin and tonic — I grew up among those
people, and believe me, their idea of a good time is watching a grass
tennis match at the country club. (Not that there’s anything wrong
with that . . . ) But come on, let’s live a little! Allow that
dusty computer-saddled brain of yours to turn off and break away from the
same ol’ routine (and those Bermuda shorts). Rum takes us to an
island — any island we wish, giving us permission to let our hair
down, break the rules, and be anywhere but here. Rum is made from sugarcane, which means sweetness
from the start. Although its history is tied to the Caribbean slave trade
and is complex and painful, rum is also a symbol of celebration in the
Caribbean. August on the rum-producing island of Barbados is “crop
over,” when the sugarcane has been harvested for production and the
fields are burned to prepare for the next year. It’s also a time for
parades, calypso competitions — and lots of rum. And if you remain skeptical, assuming that rum is
only for girly daiquiris, it’s time to check the attitude. Because of
its sugar base, rum needs less sweet stuff to make a swell cocktail. The accompanying recipes (with the exception of the
very potent mai-tai) are spritzy and refreshing, just like the breeze by
the Caribbean Sea.
Dark ’n’ Stormy
Ingredients 2 ounces (1/4 cup) dark rum (try Goslings,
Myers’s, Mount Gay, or Bacardi) 5 ounces ginger beer One lime wedge
Instructions Pour the rum over ice in a highball glass, then fill
the glass with ginger beer. Squeeze in a lime wedge. Stir to mix.
Mai-Tai
Ingredients 2 ounces (1/4 cup) dark rum 3/4 ounce orange curaçao Squeeze of half a lime 1/4 ounce orgeat syrup (also known as sirop d’amandes, this is
an almond- flavored syrup) Dash of Angostura bitters
Instructions Combine all ingredients. Shake well with ice and
strain into a glass with ice. Garnish with lime and a sprig of mint.
Mojito
Ingredients 2 ounces (1/4 cup) white rum 1 ounce fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons superfine sugar Four sprigs of fresh mint, leaves removed from the
stem
Instructions Place mint leaves and sugar in a tall bar glass and,
using a pestle or end of a wooden spoon (or a muddle, if you’re in
the know), mash sugar into the leaves until the sugar dissolves. Add lime
juice, rum, and ice. Cover and shake. Top with club soda. Garnish with a
mint sprig and lime wedge.
This article appears in Jul 6-12, 2006.
