Mixology Monday is upon us again and this time it's about ice in all shapes and sizes. The event is hosted by the Muse of Doom and the Feu de Vie blog. Head over there to read the announcement post. Also, thanks to Frederic of Cocktail Virgin Slut for keeping the monthly cocktail party going. So here's my contribution, without Navy Grog style cones or fancy sculptures - just some accidentally large pieces of ice.
Being only a hobbyist, I make drinks for myself, my partner and some occasional guests, and I am perfectly happy with using inexpensive hand-cranked ice crushers for that purpose. However, they tend to break every half year or so. The last one "lost a tooth" a few weeks ago, resulting in poorly cracked ice that actually looked really nice and rustic, especially in flared glasses.
And with primitive ice comes a primitive drink. The Gunroom Swizzle is based on the classic 151 Swizzle. I'm not sure if Renbjer & Magnusson's Gunroom Navy Rum is available outside of Scandinavia, though. It's an intense 65% ABV blend of Caribbean rums, reminiscent of a higher proof Smith & Cross. It's a mouthful of firecackers, yet somehow pleasant in all its roughness. And it makes great cocktails.
Despite the lower proof, the Gunroom Swizzle has more modifiers than its 151 ancestor. This makes the drink more refreshing and smoother (although the burn is still there). The coconut sugar also brings some caramel notes that the rum is lacking.
And oh, THE ICE...! Use regular finely crushed ice for swizzling, then fill up with the larger pieces. It will look great.
Gunroom Swizzle
1½ oz. Gunroom Navy Rum
½ oz. lime juice
½ oz. white grapefruit juice
½ oz. cinnamon syrup
¼ oz. coconut sugar syrup
6 drops Pernod
1 dash Angostura Bitters
freshly grated nutmeg
Combine everything (except nutmeg) in a tall, flared glass filled ¾ with crushed ice. Swizzle until frost appears on the outside of the glass. Fill with coarsely cracked ice and powder with nutmeg to taste. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Being only a hobbyist, I make drinks for myself, my partner and some occasional guests, and I am perfectly happy with using inexpensive hand-cranked ice crushers for that purpose. However, they tend to break every half year or so. The last one "lost a tooth" a few weeks ago, resulting in poorly cracked ice that actually looked really nice and rustic, especially in flared glasses.And with primitive ice comes a primitive drink. The Gunroom Swizzle is based on the classic 151 Swizzle. I'm not sure if Renbjer & Magnusson's Gunroom Navy Rum is available outside of Scandinavia, though. It's an intense 65% ABV blend of Caribbean rums, reminiscent of a higher proof Smith & Cross. It's a mouthful of firecackers, yet somehow pleasant in all its roughness. And it makes great cocktails.
Despite the lower proof, the Gunroom Swizzle has more modifiers than its 151 ancestor. This makes the drink more refreshing and smoother (although the burn is still there). The coconut sugar also brings some caramel notes that the rum is lacking.
And oh, THE ICE...! Use regular finely crushed ice for swizzling, then fill up with the larger pieces. It will look great.
Gunroom Swizzle
1½ oz. Gunroom Navy Rum
½ oz. lime juice
½ oz. white grapefruit juice
½ oz. cinnamon syrup
¼ oz. coconut sugar syrup
6 drops Pernod
1 dash Angostura Bitters
freshly grated nutmeg
Combine everything (except nutmeg) in a tall, flared glass filled ¾ with crushed ice. Swizzle until frost appears on the outside of the glass. Fill with coarsely cracked ice and powder with nutmeg to taste. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
