It's Not Rocket Surgery

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Who doesn’t love a good swizzle?

Swizzles are typically made with rum, citrus, sugar and crushed ice. You simply add your ingredients to a tall glass and “swizzle” the ingredients together using a swizzle stick– or more commonly just a bar spoon. I have one of these stainless steal swizzle sticks from Piña Barware if you want to get real fancy.

This particular creation has a bit more going on, with a split base of funky pot still rum and my very favorite: Yellow Chartreuse. The eye-catching purple float on top of the drink is none other than Empress Gin of Instagram fame, which is made with indigo Butterfly Pea blossoms. As the gin sinks and mixes with the rest of the drink, it forms a soft gradient from blue/purple, to pink.

This drink also calls for Falernum– a flavorful tropical sweetener made with various island spices (it’s one of my favorite cocktail ingredients ever). There are a few different options out there, but I far and away recommend the BG Reynolds Falernum. It’s dark and rich, and intensely flavorful (some other more commonly found options are too thin and lifeless).

Swizzle cocktail recipe — ingredients:

1 oz Jamaican Pot Still rum
¾ oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 oz fresh lime juice
½ oz pineapple juice
½ oz Falernum
Splash of soda water
Empress Gin float
Fresh mint for garnish

instructions:

Combine rum, Yellow Chartreuse, Falernum and lime/pineapple juice in a tall glass.

Add crushed ice and swizzle with a bar spoon or swizzle stick.

Top with more ice and add a splash of soda water.

Carefully float the Empress Gin on top, then garnish with fresh mint

Try out these other refreshing cocktails:

Jungle Bird

This is one of those rare cocktails where I will tell you it doesn’t matter that much how precise you are with measuring. Yeah you want to get the general proportions right, but a little extra pineapple juice or a little less Campari isn’t going to hurt anything.

It's Not Rocket Surgery

This creation calls for a split base of funky pot still rum and my very favorite: Yellow Chartreuse. The eye-catching purple float on top of the drink is none other than Empress Gin of Instagram fame, which is made with indigo Butterfly Pea blossoms. As the gin sinks and mixes with the rest of the drink, it forms a soft gradient…

Mai Tai

There are few other cocktails that have the unique ability to transport the imbiber to faraway beaches with a single sip. Behold the humble (or not-so-humble) Mai Tai. Like the margarita, daiquiri and a whole slew of other famed tropical-ish cocktails, the Mai Tai’s popularity was also its downfall. Chain restaurants and cruise ships have rendered this Tiki classic almost unrecognizable from its former glory.

Daiquiri

A classic daiquiri is one of the most delicious and simple cocktails you could make. Sadly a lot of people hear “daiquiri” and immediately picture a sugary, frozen boat drink that is meant to be consumed aboard an overcrowded cruise ship. Although this classic drink has certainly been bastardized by restaurant chains and cruise lines alike, you simply have never had a real daiquiri until you’ve made one like this.

Viking Colada

Everyone loves a good tiki cocktail… even Vikings. Admittedly, Viking Tiki isn’t a thing just yet. But, for fans of the traditional Nordic spirit aquavit, it certainly seems like a reasonable development.

Hawaii 5-0

For a minute there, a few of us thought blue cocktails were a thing of the past… or at least something you only enjoyed while at an all-inclusive resort with cheap booze. But now skilled bartenders everywhere are dusting off their neglected bottles of blue curaçao, and crafting some well-balanced & truly delicious drinks.

Shut Up & Play The Hits

For this recipe, I wanted to make like a Last Word + Piña Colada sort of thing. I initially felt like it was my weakest recipe, but it ended up being the clear favorite of the night. Funny how that goes!

Chartreuse Swizzle

This tiki-classic is made with Green Chartreuse as the base spirit. It might sound a little weird at first but this French herbal liqueur combined with pineapple, lime and Falernum, is just one of those special combinations. Add a few dashes of absinthe or maybe even a 1/2 oz of overproof rum for some extra fun.

Nine-O-Six (solar eclipse cocktail)

The #totalsolareclipse hits tomorrow and apparently Oregon is the first place to experience it! "They" are saying it's going to be crazy, with millions of people flooding the freeways and city to don blacked-out paper glasses and stare up at the sky.

CocktailsJordan HughesAugust 8, 2020HPP Originals, refreshing, Tiki, chartreuse, RumComment