MxMo C: Cocktail Chronicles // Congo Cocktail

This month we are celebrating the 100th Mixology Monday and our host for this grand event is again Frederic of the Cocktail Virgin Slut blog. The theme is Cocktail Chronicles and pays tribute to the blog of the same name that started this monthly online cocktail party back in 2006 when I was 22 years old and marinated in Redbull and vodka. Head over to Frederics annoucement post for more details, but in short it's about keeping it simple, elegant and timeless - and to include a little history around the drink.

And... I've chosen a cocktail that I know nothing about.

Earlier this summer I picked up a signed copy of the 1947 edition of Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide in a vintage book store and there I found the Congo Cocktail. It's not included in the revised 1972 edition, nor in any book I own, and an online research leads me nowhere. It's fair though to believe that, as with most of the 1500+ recipes in the Bartender's Guide, Victor Bergeron was not its originator. Also, in the revised edition, Trader Vic originals are maked with a T.V. logo and the Congo Cocktail just seem odd among those. 

The instructions for mixing aren't crystal clear either. Shaved ice. "Two scoops", he says. Blend. After a few tries, one cup of ice and ten seconds in the mixer gave the best results. The drink didn't turn to slush, but it got a pretty-looking snowy layer on top that one can sip through easily. 

Congo Cocktail is unsurprisingly all crispy white rum to a backdrop nutmeg and coconut. And that's what's great about it. The flavor profile is so basic that it's almost primitive. It may not be simple, elegant and timeless in a Negroni kind of way, but as for tiki and exotic drinks... yeah, it's simple, elegant and timeless.

Congo Cocktail

2 oz. white rum (preferably Cuban)
tsp. sugar
tsp. coconut milk powder
nutmeg

Blend with 1 cup of shaved ice at high speed for 10 seconds. Pour into a champagne saucer. Grate nutmeg on top. 

(From Bartender's Guide, Trader Vic, 1947)

Trader Vic says hi.