Cocktail | |
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Type | Cocktail |
Base spirit | |
Served | On the rocks: poured over ice |
Standard drinkware | ![]() |
Commonly used ingredients |
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Preparation | Mix in pitcher with crushed ice, shake vigorously until a frothing head appears. Strain into cocktail glasses. Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry. Serves 6. |
A rum swizzle is a rum-based cocktail often called "Bermuda's national drink". [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] The Royal Gazette has referred to it as "the legendary Rum swizzle...perfect for sharing and irresistible to locals and tourists alike". [7] In addition to providing the "swizzle" portion of the 1933 swizzle stick product name, [8] it has been said that this potent cocktail is "as much a part of Bermuda Island culture and cuisine as is the Bermuda onion, the vibrant hibiscus, or the graceful Bermuda Longtail." [9]
Different bartenders have varying interpretations of this drink. One of the older recipes was presented in the 1941 Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender Guide . [10] Gosling's Rum, which is based in Bermuda, publishes a recipe with two different rums from their brand line. Rum, fruit juice (often including lime, and orange and pineapple juice), and a flavored sweetener such as falernum or grenadine are the most consistent ingredients, [11] [12] and the drink is generally shaken or stirred with ice.
Icy drink mixtures with rum, first identified as swizzles and later as rum swizzles, have been mentioned in literature in a variety of locations since the mid 18th century: Fort Ticonderoga, New York (1760), [13] the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts (1838), [14] Bridgetown, Barbados (1841), [15] Great Britain (1862), [16] Bridgeport, Barbados (1908), [17] and the island of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands (1911). [18] In these earliest versions, the drink typically consisted of one part of rum diluted with five or six parts water (sometimes with additional aromatic ingredients), which was mixed by rotating between the palms of the hands a special forked stick made from a root; [14] [15] another account describes it as spruce beer with added rum and sugar. [13]
In his 1909 book, Beverages, Past and Present: An Historical Sketch of Their Production, Brotherhood Winery owner Edward R. Emerson asserted that rum swizzles originated on the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts. [19] American naturalist and writer Frederick Albion Ober noted in 1920 that the great drink of the Barbados ice houses was the swizzle, a combination of liquors, sugar, and ice whisked to a froth by a rapidly revolved "swizzle-stick" made from the stem of a native plant, perhaps Quararibea turbinata (the "swizzlestick tree") or an allspice bush. [20] [21] The etymology of the word "swizzle" is unknown, but it may derive from a similar beverage known as switchel. [22]
Rum swizzles were the drink of choice at what was purportedly the world's first cocktail party held in London, England in 1924 by novelist Alec Waugh. [23] A reference to a (possibly fictitious) "green swizzle" drink dates to 1925 (see "Other swizzles" below). [24] The rum swizzle is also mentioned in Sinclair Lewis's 1925 novel Arrowsmith , which is set in the fictional Caribbean island of St. Hubert. [25] [26] In 1930, the drink was referenced in a book written by Joseph Hergesheimer, which refers to the drink containing Bacardi rum and bitters, as well as a swizzle stick made of sassafras. [27] The Rum Swizzle was also mentioned in the 1931 autobiographical novel Half a Loaf, penned by Sinclair Lewis's former wife Grace Hegger Lewis about their life together. [28]
Today the rum swizzle is often associated with The Swizzle Inn of Bailey's Bay, Bermuda, [29] whose motto is "Swizzle Inn, Swagger Out." [30] The Swizzle Inn calls itself "the home of the rum swizzle" and Bermuda's oldest pub, favourite drinking hole of island resident Michael Douglas[ citation needed ] As noted by the Bermuda Hotel Association:
The Swizzle Inn pub sold its first Rum Swizzle in 1932 and the rest, as they say, is history...Now it's the perfect place to whet your whistle with our national drink: the potent Rum Swizzle!
— [5]
Cocktail | |
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Type | Cocktail |
Base spirit | |
Served | On the rocks: poured over ice |
Standard garnish | Grated Nutmeg, Cinnamon stick |
Standard drinkware | ![]() |
Commonly used ingredients |
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Preparation | Fill half a tall glass with crushed ice. Add all ingredients and swizzle (or stir with a long spoon) until ice forms on the outside of the glass (approx 8-10 seconds). Top with additional crushed ice. Alternative: Combine liquid ingredients and crushed ice in blender, blend on high 5 seconds. Pour into frosty pre-chilled metallic or tiki mug. Garnish with grated nutmeg and cinnamon stick. |
A variant created by Don the Beachcomber first served in the 1930s, the 151 swizzle utilized overproof rum for stronger flavor. [31]
Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide presents several variant swizzle recipes including the Kingston swizzle (made with Jamaican rum and hot water), the Kona Swizzle (incorporating almond syrup), and the Martinique Swizzle (flavored with Herbsaint, Pernod or anisette). According to that guide:
Swizzles originated in the West Indies, where everything, including hot chocolate, is swizzled. A swizzle stick is the branch of a tropical bush with three to five forked branches on the end. You insert this in the glass or pitcher and twirl the stem rapidly between the palms of your hands. By rapid swizzling with fine ice, you'll get a good outside frost such as on a Julep. Of course you won't get this frost if you haven't used enough liquor; a generous amount of liquor is important...Most true Swizzles, because of their origin, call for rum; but nearly all punches can be swizzled. Punches for three or four people can be mixed in a pitcher with fine ice and swizzled until the pitcher frosts, and then poured into tall glasses...Simple, good, really a good drink.
— [12]
The Spirit of Bermuda cookbook says that the "Bermuda swizzle stick" with which this drink is traditionally stirred and garnished is a three-pronged stick often cut from an allspice bush. [21] The green swizzle, a drink for which the recipe "has been lost in history" (if it ever existed) is mentioned by Bertie Wooster in "The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy" by P. G. Wodehouse:
I have never been in the West Indies, but I am in a position to state that in certain of the fundamentals of life they are streets ahead of our European civilization...A planter, apparently, does not consider he has had a drink unless it contains at least seven ingredients, and I'm not saying, mind you, that he isn't right. The man behind the bar told us the things were called Green Swizzles; and, if ever I marry and have a son, Green Swizzle Wooster is the name that will go down in the register...
— [24]
The Trader Vic's guide quoted above also has a recipe for a green swizzle (this one incorporating green crème de menthe) but specifies it is "not what Bertie (Wooster) had at Wembley." [12]
Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre, is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is Coca-Cola ("Coke") and the alcohol is a light rum such as Bacardi; however, the drink may be made with various types of rums and cola brands, and lime juice may or may not be included.
The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. First memorialized in writing in 1876 by Jerry Thomas, "the father of American mixology", this "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically served in a Collins glass over ice with a cherry garnish. A non-alcoholic "Collins mix" mixer is produced, enjoyed by some as a soft drink.
The Long Island iced tea, or Long Island ice tea, is an IBA official cocktail, typically made with vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola. Despite its name, the cocktail does not typically contain iced tea, but is named for having the same amber hue as iced tea.
Caipirinha is a Brazilian cocktail, of São Paulo origin, with cachaça, sugar, lime, and ice. The drink is prepared by mixing the fruit and the sugar together, then adding the liquor.
The daiquiri is a cocktail whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice, and sugar or other sweetener.
The term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruits or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from the Indian subcontinent to England by employees of the East India Company in the late 17th century. Punch is usually served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls.
Falernum is either an 11% ABV syrup liqueur or a nonalcoholic syrup from the Caribbean. It is best known for its use in tropical drinks. It contains flavors of ginger, lime, and almond, and frequently cloves or allspice. It may be thought of as a spicier version of orgeat syrup.
A sour is a traditional family of mixed drinks. Sours belong to one of the old families of original cocktails and are described by Jerry Thomas in his 1862 book How to Mix Drinks.
Ti' punch literally meaning "small punch", is a rum-based mixed drink that is especially popular in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti, French Guiana, Réunion, and other French-speaking Caribbean islands. It is also the national cocktail of Martinique and Guadeloupe. It is very similar to the daiquiri, which is usually identified with Cuba, and the caipirinha, identified with Brazil. The ti' punch is distinguished from these by its use of rhum agricole, and by typically having less lime juice.
A liqueur coffee is a caffeinated alcoholic drink that consists of a shot of liqueur, mixed with coffee. It is typically served in a liqueur glass, often accompanied with cream and sugar. Coffee liqueur beverages are served in different fashions and can be found throughout many countries. One of the most popular liqueur coffee beverage is commonly known as Irish coffee. Liqueur coffee beverages are largely classified as cocktails as well as digestifs which are aimed at aiding the digestive process typically after a meal.
Cocktail garnishes are decorative ornaments that add character or style to a mixed drink, most notably to cocktails.
A "fizz" is a mixed drink variation on the older sours family of cocktail. Its defining features are an acidic juice and carbonated water. It typically includes gin or rum as its alcoholic ingredient.
Quararibea turbinata, also known as the swizzlestick tree, is an aromatic plant native to such Caribbean locales as Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hispaniola, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Virgin Islands. It is generally described as a perennial tree or shrub and its common name comes from its use as a swizzle stick and its association with cocktails such as the Rum Swizzle.
The suffering bastard is the name for two different mixed drinks, one being more of a standard cocktail associated with World War II and the other being more of an exotic drink associated with Tiki bars. As is the case with many cocktails, there are multiple recipe variations and historical origins have been argued and changed over time. Two of the earliest recipe versions have very different ingredients. One from bartender Joe Scialom (1942) calls for brandy and gin, while another from Tiki pioneer Victor J. Bergeron primarily uses rum along with "secret ingredients" and is known for being garnished with a cucumber.
The Ancient Mariner is a tiki drink created by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry and Annene Kaye. It first appeared in their 1998 drink guide Beachbum Berry's Grog Log and is named after Coleridge's 1798 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner because in Berry's words "by the time we finished with it, that's how old we felt."
A Green Swizzle is an alcohol-containing cocktail of the sour family. It was popular in Trinidad at the beginning of the 20th century but got lost during the course of the Second World War. Today's recipes usually constitute an often distinct divergence from the original.
The Queen's Park Swizzle is a classic rum cocktail that originated in Trinidad.
The craft cocktail movement is a social movement spurred by the cocktail renaissance, a period of time in the late 20th and early 21st century characterized by a revival and re-prioritization of traditional recipes and methods in the bar industry, especially in the United States. The renaissance was followed by innovation and new techniques, and the movement has spread globally, now forming part of global cuisine.