I love Denizen Rum. It's got this Rhum Agricole nose that I just love to mix in cocktails. Denizen's tropical aroma reminds me of the first time I was on a sailboat down in the British Virgin Islands.
My long lost step-brother was in charge of my family's yacht once moored in Virgin Gorda. This yacht had been hand-built by Little Harbor, a Ted Hood design, completely custom in trim and very, very fast. She was a sleek, purposeful vessel and could harness plenty of wind power when under full sail. I learned about rum while sailing her down-island and up-island.
One of the things that my step-brother was good at was drinking fine rum. There was always a cocktail in his or my step-father's hand. Before you say, "How could that be?" it's really not too far removed from the reality of being on a yacht in the winter in the islands. If you were there, you could (and would) drink anything you wanted at any time of the day.
It was paradise!
The moment I opened the bottle of Denizen Rum and the aroma seeped out, my mind casually recalled starting with orange juice and rum for breakfast, (a very small dose of light rum) a fruity rum punch for lunch and several pina coladas before dinner. After dinner, you guessed- it was a snifter of Rhum from Martinique and the day ended as had began, soaked in rum.
Rum is the flavor of the islands. You wake up with it, drink it all day in the hot sun and then go to sleep dreaming of it. It becomes a part of you just as important as that first sail to Jost to see Foxy belt out the tunes in a rum soaked fashion and getting your wallet soaked while falling into the surf at the Soggy Dollar Bar.
Death's Door Gin is produced with organically grown Hard Red Winter Wheat from Washington Island in Wisconsin. It's botanical in aroma and lends itself well to simple or even more complex cocktails.
I've included it here in the Sea Cook Punch for the unique Terroir and scope of the aromatics. Zipping in at 47% ABV this is not your vodka-like liquid. Not at all. It's got real gusto! Like a sudden puff of wind in your sails!
The Zico Passion Fruit Coconut Water breathes the aroma of tropical fruits and flowers into this cocktail. You can make ice cubes with it- infusing your cocktail with new aromatics as the ice dissolves.
Try it!
The Sea Cook Punch
Inspired by the book named: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Ingredients:
2 Shots Denizen Rum
1 Shot Death's Door Botanical Gin
6 oz. Passion Fruit Coconut Water
1 whole Blood Orange, Segmented and Grilled
Coconut water ice cubes- (freeze coconut water overnight in an ice cube tray)
Preparation:
Muddle a couple slices of Blood Orange to release the juice and aromatics
Add the Gin and the Denizen Rum
Add the Passion Fruit Coconut Water
Shake well!
Garnish with some grilled Blood Oranges
Add to a short glass with one coconut water cube
(If you have more than four of them very quickly- they will totally inebriate you)
Cheers!
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