As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not much of an innovator when it comes to creating cocktails. My collection of drink manuals is rapidly taking over my kitchen, and with these thousands of recipes to choose from, rarely do I venture into the unknown.

But sometimes, when I have a particular ingredient or a particular flavor in mind, there’s just nothing out there I can find. Usually, I think, somebody, somewhere has probably come up with the drink I’m searching for, but it’s not to be found in print (in my collection, anyway) or online. In these cases I’m left to fend for myself, just me and my mixing glass, along with the contents of my liquor cabinet and whatever imagination I can bring to bear to create a suitable drink.

This is one of those drinks.

Following on the experiments with pimento dram, the very first cocktail I made with the new stuff is one I had no reference base for. None of the many cocktail manuals I own have any drinks calling for allspice liqueur or pimento dram; only on CocktailDB have I found any satisfaction, and that only fleeting.

But this drink just seemed so obvious–a Jamaican liqueur, mixed with a nice aged Jamaican rum, with a little toss of bitters to bring out the cinnamon and spice. Elementary, eh? Yet totally missing from the mainstream literature.

Pity, that. I find this a truly enjoyable drink, the best base for enjoying pimento dram I’ve yet come across (and I apologize for tooting my own proverbial horn, here–but really, this is a damn fine drink, and it just seemed so obvious). Perhaps if this drink were to grace more published guides, demand for pimento dram would reach such a peak that the interested parties would see fit to make it widely available in this country. These are things I imagine while sipping this concoction–a spicy Jamaican liqueur, blossoming to such popularity that it pushes the Jagermeisters and Banana Schnapps of the world right off the liquor store shelves. A man’s gotta dream.

Oh, and the help wanted part? Along with my reluctance to create new drinks comes an absolute loathing of coming up with new names. I need help, people, and I need it from you. I’ll mull the idea over for a while, but should anyone come up with a good suggestion for a name for this drink (or know the actual name for an existing drink of this type), be sure to post it in the comments, or e-mail me so I can take it into consideration. But even if you’re as stumped as I am for a name, do try this drink, even if it means making your own pimento dram. It’s like a hammock in a glass.

[Your Name Here]

• 2 ounces aged Jamaican rum (Appleton V/X and Appleton Extra both work very well)
• 1/4 – 1/2 ounce pimento dram, to taste
• 1 dash Fee’s Old-Fashioned Aromatic Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a chilled glass.

Technorati tag: cocktails, rum

Tags: Drinks, Pimento Dram, Rum by Paul
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Another drink from CocktailDB.com–the second try with the pimento dram, and a much better result this time.

This drink is similar to the None But the Brave, but uses bourbon in place of the brandy and rum, and lime in place of lemon (it also twiddles with the ratios a bit, but maybe that was needed).

I’m finding the Lion’s Tail exceptionally friendly–the bourbon provides a nice, firm base for the deep spiciness of the pimento dram, and the lime tempers the sweetness without getting in the way. If you’ve happened to put up a batch of pimento dram (or are lucky enough to have some of the authentic stuff on hand), I’d definitely recommend this one.

Lion’s Tail

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1/2 ounce pimento dram
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• dash Angostura (I used Fee’s, with good results)
• dash simple syrup (cocktaildb calls for 1 teaspoon; I found that too sweet)

Shake with ice, strain into chilled glass. Begin to see the light.

Technorati tag: cocktails,bourbon

Tags: Bourbon, Drinks, Pimento Dram by Paul
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This one takes its time, but it grows on you.

The recipe comes from CocktailDB.com, and it’s one of the first drinks I tried with my homemade pimento dram. I first gave it a spin earlier this week, when Murray at Zig Zag kindly took a stab at it, and now I’m mulling over one at home.

Truth be told, with the first couple of sips it didn’t look good–the lemon and pimento dram were in an uneasy dance, and the rum was standing around trying to figure out what to do. Though, after letting the drink rest a bit, I’m starting to see its charms–the nice allspice aroma rising up out of the glass, then that mellow brandy flavor made deeper by the rum (I used Appleton V/X), and the lemon just slightly taking the edge off the pimento dram’s sweetness. I think the key to this drink is to be very gentle with the pour of both the liqueur and the lemon juice–a smidgen either way, and the taste turns very weird.

Murray was also trying a version made with bourbon instead of brandy, and that showed promise; though, after thinking it over, I’ d probably approach it using a soft, wheated bourbon like Maker’s Mark or Weller, to give a more gentle base to the drink.

I don’t know if the None but the Brave is the cocktail to unlock the secrets and charms of pimento dram; but it’s a nice one to have in the playbook, when something warm and welcoming is needed in the glass.

None But The Brave

• 1 1/2 ounce brandy
• 1/2 ounce pimento dram
• 1/4 ounce Jamaica rum (Appleton V/X works nicely)
• 1/4 ounce lemon juice
• dash simple syrup (CocktailDB calls for 1/4 tsp sugar; that seems a bit too much)

Stir with ice, strain into chilled glass. Ponder.

Technorati tag: cocktails,brandy

Tags: Brandy, Drinks, Pimento Dram, Rum by Paul
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Just over a year ago, in an article in the New York Times Magazine, Ted Haigh–otherwise known as “Dr. Cocktail”–made a pronouncement with such certainty and determination that I had no choice but to take it as gospel. While sorting through the contents of his extensive liquor cabinet, Haigh walks the writer through some of his most significant holdings.

…Doc has over the past decade and a half steadily amassed a library of some 900 spirits and liqueurs, most of them old, many of them long defunct. They include a pre-1913 bottle of Pernod absinthe that would sell for thousands of dollars today; a 1970′s bottle of Jamaican allspice liqueur (“the most important liqueur in the world!” Doc declared); and a Prohibition-era bottle of nonalcoholic gin that had given rise to a menacing blob of phlegmy hate floating near the bottom. [emphasis mine]

[click here for Doc's site, which contains a link for a PDF of this article]

Well, if you were a cocktail geek like me–and if you’ve read this far, then you probably are–then what would you do? You’d try to find some goddamn allspice liqueur, that’s what.

Problem is, this rare Jamaican product is not currently imported into the U.S. And since a trip to the Caribbean just isn’t in my immediate future, it looks like I’m completely out of luck.

Well, almost. True, obtaining a bottle of the authentic Wray & Nephew stuff doesn’t seem like it’s happening soon, but last February, Chuck Taggart listed a recipe for a homemade version on his site, the Gumbo Pages. (Chuck also refers to it by its other common name, Pimento Dram–pimento, of course, being the term for the allspice berries which give the liqueur its flavor, and having nothing whatsoever to do with those red things that stare up at you like the pupils of fish-eyes in your martini).

And so, after putting the project off while dealing with other mixological matters (falernum, gomme, several yet-to-be-posted experiments with ginger beer), last month I finally got the goods together and set forth to prepare my own batch of the elusive pimento dram. Here’s Chuck’s recipe, which I followed pretty much verbatim (though I did cut it in half to make a smaller amount):

Pimento Dram (a.k.a. Allspice Liqueur)

• 2 1/4 cups 151 proof Lemon Hart Demerara rum
• 1/2 cup whole dried allspice berries
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds brown sugar

Using a mortar, coarsely crush the allspice berries and place in a jar. Cover with the rum and seal tightly. Let the mixture steep for at least 10 days, agitating it daily. [Warning: if you open the jar and sniff it at some point, you may have the urge to chuck the whole foul-smelling mess. Resist the urge--it gets better later on.]

Pour the mixture through a fine strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much rum-spicy goodness as you can. Pour the liquid again through a coffee filter.

Make a 1:1 simple syrup using your brown sugar and water, heating and stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let the syrup cool, then add it to your infused rum. Bottle it tightly in a clean, sterilized bottle, and let it rest for at least one month. [note: if you get curious while you're bottling it--and you will--the young mixture will still taste a bit odd, with the "heat" from the high-proof rum seeming to make the mix pretty rough and unbalanced. Patience.]

After waiting a whole freaking month for the stuff to be ready, you can finally break into it and taste. Wow. Zig Zag Cafe‘s archbishop of bartending, Murray Stenson, referred to pimento dram as “Christmas in a glass,” and he’s completely right–not only does the warm gentle flavor of allspice bring back just about every delightful childhood memory of the holidays, but the aged mixture tones down the rum’s rough edges, so you have a delightful spiciness with a smooth, brown-sugary base and the twinkle of hearty rum in the aftertaste.

The next step, of course, is to explore cocktails with the new creation. CocktailDB.com has ten or so, at least a couple of which I intend to try as soon as this head cold that’s been mucking up my sense of taste for the past couple of days clears up. But otherwise, I’m open for ideas.

Suggestions?

Technorati tag: cocktails, rum, liqueur, pimento dram

Tags: Pimento Dram, Special Projects by Paul
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Another mystery drink. Earliest known reference is in Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts, from 1949 (though over at the Esquire Drinks Database, David Wondrich says Murdoch Pemberton originally wrote it up in Esquire in 1937, but since copies of that issue don’t seem to be floating around much anymore, I’ll say 1949 is the earliest printed version you’re likely to come across.)

No matter. It’s a delicious cocktail, and quite easy to make. Be sure to use a decent rum–the 1949 recipe calls for Bacardi, which is servicable I suppose, but I like these with the richer tasting Flor de Cana Extra Dry, which manages to provide a firm foundation to the bossy taste of Grand Marnier. (If anybody happens to have some Havana Club on hand and gives this drink a spin, I’d love to hear the outcome. The Batiste just has Cuba written all over it.)

Batiste

• 2 ounces white rum
• 1 ounce Grand Marnier

Stir with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Technorati tag: cocktails,rum

Tags: Drinks, Rum by Paul
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