Treasure Island- The Grog Cocktail:

“Fifteen men on the Dead Man’s Chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! … ” -Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

As we start to wind down on my Summer 2018 blog series of the Bon Appeteach “Book Club”, I just couldn’t end this summer series without at least one classic tiki cocktail. Tiki is probably my favorite genre of cocktails (or maybe it’s all the rum talking) and I probably could do an entire blog series on that alone (now there is an idea…). So naturally, this week’s classic book is, Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was written as a “coming-of-age” story for a children’s magazine in the early 1800’s and then was published as a book shortly after. When I think of pirates and adventure, rum cocktails often come to mind (also in thanks to the modern day movie, Pirates of the Caribbean). Tiki was certainly the best option for this week’s book inspiration and I promise you will not be asking, “Why’s the rum gone” ,after making this weeks drink! Find the complete recipe below for The Grog Cocktail and read through for tips and tricks (and a little more tiki history) if you’re into that kinda thing…

The Grog Cocktail:

This week’s cocktail is inspired and adapted from two sources. The first being, Don Beach aka Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt (makes sense why he changed the name), who created Don the Beachcomber tiki bar in LA. As one of the founding fathers of American tiki culture, I felt it was important to share one of tiki’s classics, The Grog Cocktail. In classic tiki fashion, it is packed with rub, spicy notes of nutmeg, and finished off with a fresh hint of lime. Be prepared to definitely make this week’s food pairing, Asian Inspired BBQ Snack Mix to counteract all that rum. The second piece of inspiration came from the modern day tiki “bible”, Smugglers Cove, by Martin Cate. This is a true gem if you have a love for tiki too!

Here is what you need:

• 1 oz Lime Juice
• .25 oz Honey Syrup (equal parts honey to water)
• Splash of Grenadine
• .50 oz Blackberry Liqueur (I used Leopold Brother’s Rocky Mountain Liqueur)
• 1 oz. Plantation 5 Year Aged Rum (blended aged rum)
• .50 oz. Goslings Rum (darker black rum)
• .25 oz. Smith & Cross (Jamaican style rum)
• Dash of Bitters & Fresh Grated Nutmeg

Shaken, Not Stirred

This cocktail requires crushed ice and a shaker glass to build this tasty rum filled drink. Start by combining the lime juice, honey syrup, and grenadine (do about a bar spoon size amount). Add the blackberry liqueur and your sveral shots of rum. If you want to easily crush ice for this cocktail, simply add about a  cup of ice to a bag and whack at it with a rolling pin or muddler. Shake everything together and pour into a rocks glass. Serve with a dash of bitters over the top (gives off nice aromatis) and a little bit of fresh grated nutmeg (cause we fannnncy). I promise after you take a sip, you’ll be singing yo-ho-ho in no time!

Food Pairing:

I went with a classic twist on a “bar” snack this week and created a fun Asian Inspired BBQ Snack Mix. The sweet and savoriness pairs beautifully with the richness of this drink. It’s also a little spicy and will fit a low carb diet if you choose (cause this drink surely has a a few extra carbs in it). You can make the snack mix at home in your oven or even smoked on the grill if you so choose. All I know is that this evening you will find me with The Grog Cocktail in one hand and a bowl full of Asian Inspired BBQ Snack Mix in the other. Cheers to the weekend friends!

Bon Appeteach,

-L