Ode to Rum
Monday, July 6, 2009 at 9:59PM Forget the Bermuda Triangle. The most dangerous thing about this Island is all of the delicious cocktails made with the local liquor, rum. Rum and tropical climates work so well because the sugar cane based rum mixes seamlessly with the naturally sweet fruit juices. The island is famous for a few cocktails. The mighty tasty Rum Swizzle, which was invented on the island, is a combination of lemon, orange, and pineapple juices and rum. It is sweet because of all of the juices, but its perfect for a hot and lazy afternoon on the beach.
Bermuda is also famous for its Dark and Stormies, and no, I’m not talking about rough seas. Dark and Stormies are a simple combination of dark rum and ginger beer. When mixed properly, the dark rum clouds with clear ginger beer, and leaves a sea froth like foam on top. Don’t confuse ginger beer with ginger ale. They are not the same. Ginger beer is by far spicier (unlike American ginger ale you can actually taste the ginger) and less sweet. I hope I can find genuine ginger beer in the US!
Another delicious cocktail is the yellowbird, a combination of orange juice, pineapple juice, banana liquor, vanilla liquor, and, of course, Rum.
Reader Comments (2)
Hey Mary! You CAN find good ginger beer in the DC area. I also am a fan of Dark & Stormy's. I was able to get it from the Trader Joes in Bailey's Crossroads, and I think one time I found some at Safeway (with the "fancy" bottle sodas). Also, the Argonaut on H St. in Northeast had a pretty good D&S, although one time I went and they had subbed the ginger beer with ginger ale so you may want to check with the waitress if you're there. Hope things are going well!
Thanks for the tip, Jenn! This is great to know. We brought a case of ginger beer back with us from Bermuda, but I'm afraid it will run out soon. I'll have to tap into the local supplies of ginger beer.