The Friday Tipple: Stormy Margarita

It’s Friday the 13th, Boozers. We’re not superstitious but a stiff drink on this gloomy winter day would certainly be most welcome. Our thoughts naturally turned to a Dark and Stormy, which is truly a season-less cocktail, but then we came across a rum punch recipe from Padma Lakshmi, the goddess of Top Chef, when she also commented about a salted lime juice popular in India. The rest, they say, is history.

The base of our Stormy Margarita is a lime-ginger soda that we quickly whipped up and topped off quite simply with a big shot of Gosling’s 151, a lovely dark rum that matches our mood. Astonshingly, the first sip seems to help the skies to clear, and, by the time you drain the last drop, you’ll be dancing across the rooftops in joyous abandon. Or singin’ in the rain.

There’s nothing like a stormy drink to put a little pep in your step. Dust off those tap shoes, Boozers.

Stormy Margarita

Fresh ginger and lime are key to the bold flavors of this drink. We made our soda with a slug of Stone’s Ginger Wine, which adds complexity, but we also think it would work well with a splash of dry sherry. We also used light agave nectar, because it is not cloyingly sweet, but you could substitute sugar or honey to taste.

1 fresh lime, juiced

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 ounce Stone’s Ginger Wine (or dry sherry)

1 tablespoon light agave nectar (adjust to your taste)

large pinch of Kosher salt

1/4 cup club soda

2 ounces Gosling’s 151 Black Seal Rum

lime wheel for garnish

Place first five ingredients in a cocktail shaker and let sit for 10 minutes, then add ice and shake vigorously. Add club soda and swirl to combine, then strain into a glass over ice (this step removes some of the grated ginger so it doesn’t get caught in your teeth, but still leaves a strong ginger essence). Carefully pour rum over the top and garnish with lime. Cheers!

 

Arrr, pirates & rum punch!

Avast, me hearties, we are still caught up in yesterday’s Talk Like a Pirate Day because today is, ironically, National Rum Punch Day. With the autumn equinox just around the corner, what could be better than sucking down a little Caribbean delight as summer gently slips away? Now, we are inclined to stroll to the local market and grab some late summer berries — strawberries and raspberries are still running rampant in many parts of the country — which we can throw into a blender with a little freshly-squeezed orange juice to make a great mixer. To that, we’d add a lime-infused simple syrup (or even our own Blackberry Lavender Simple Syrup) and, our old favorite, Mount Gay Rum (ah, Barbados…), topping it all off with a sprinkle of Bittermens Orange Cream Citrate, a little fresh nutmeg, and maybe some fresh fruit impaled on one of those little pink plastic swords. Perfection!

However, if you want to go a little more traditional, or don’t feel like hunting down fresh fruit, then check this out for the next best thing: Mount Gay Rum Punch.

Yo ho ho!