Summer Rumming

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In honor of National Daiquiri Day on Sunday, July 19th, revisit the simple classic (just rum, citrus and sugar) with a slew of local rums. The drink was originally named for a beach in Cuba, but you can enjoy it closer to home thanks to Cape Cod distilleries keeping the nautical tradition alive. Seaside spirit-makers are putting out top-notch dark, white and amber rums for mixing into the coastal cocktails, whether you’re a landlubber or not. With the recipes (and rums) below, you can dive into a daiquiri down by the water, or at least with a taste of the Cape.

hurricaneTriple Eight, Nantucket

Out on the island of Nantucket, Triple Eight Distillery produces their Hurricane Rum as part of a Storm Series of spirits (also including a Nor’Easter Bourbon and a Gale Force Gin). General manager Tracy Wilde Long explains, “Weather has a big influence on life when you live on an island out to sea. The idea for the Hurricane Rum came from surviving hurricanes and needing a hearty bottle to sip by candlelight.” Hurricane Rum (which won a gold medal at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits competition) is a Nicaraguan-style rum, made with blackstrap molasses and Ecuadorian raw sugar. Aging it in ex-bourbon barrels mellows out its spiciness and adds a little vanilla to the palate. The final product is flavorful without verging on syrup-y and works well in a classic daiquiri.

Triple Eight Hurricane Rum Daiquiri
1 lime
1 tbsp raw cane sugar
2 oz Triple Eight Hurricane Rum

Chill a small cocktail glass. Squeeze the lime into your shaker. Add a tablespoon of raw cane sugar to the shaker and muddle with the lime juice. Add in the rum and fill with ice. Shake well. Strain into the chilled glass. Garnish with an extra squeeze of lime or a pinch of raw sugar (or even a dash of passion fruit or guava juice.) Enjoy.

South Hollow Spirits, Truro

Lavendar Daiquiri 2Out between Wellfleet and Provincetown, the town of Truro is home to Truro Vineyards and South Hollow Spirits, headed up by Dave Roberts, Sr. “The distillery seemed like the next logical step for our family business,” explains Roberts, who co-owns South Hollow with his wife Kathy and their three children. Their Twenty Boat Rums were inspired by brazen Prohibition-era rum runners on the Cape Cod coast who escaped pursuit by twenty Harbor Police and Coast Guard boats. The Twenty Boat Amber Rum is hand-crafted in small batches and aged in Chardonnay-soaked barrels. Its rich caramel, vanilla and butterscotch flavors “bring the daiquiri to a whole new level,” according to Roberts, while notes of tobacco and molasses combine to “make a Dark and Stormy very stormy.” Below, Roberts shares an experiment with lavender syrup for a unique take on the bartender’s standby.

South Hollow Lavender Daiquiri
2 oz Twenty Boat Amber Rum
1 whole lime
.5 oz lavender syrup (like this one)

Combine rum, lime juice and lavender syrup in a shaker and shake well. Strain into a martini glass or over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a lime wedge and a lavender sprig. Enjoy.

Dirty Water Distillery, Plymouth

Brothers-in-law Steven Neidhardt and Pepi Avizonis launched Dirty Water Distillery in fall of 2013 with their What Knot white rum and Velnias Lithuanian honey liqueur. Since their start, the pair has explored the boozy palate. The result:  flavored vodkas like ginger and clementine (with bacon and horseradish bottles on the way.) On the more traditional side, the What Knot is an unfiltered rum with a sweet, clean flavor profile that comes from table-grade molasses. Notes of caramel, almond and tropical fruits shine in any citrus-based drink, especially a daiquiri.

Dirty Water Distillery Daiquiri
1.5 oz What Knot rum
.5 oz simple syrup
1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain and serve straight up with a lime garnish. Enjoy.

With those recipes tucked in your back pocket, you’re ready for anything summer brings your way, whether it’s stormy weather, Cape traffic or just warm ocean breezes. Add an extra nautical touch to your tipple and raise a glass to a classic.

 

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