The Super Bowl deserves a Super Beverage. This is it. Whiskey, rum, and fruit juice galore.
I recently posted review of Whiskey Cocktails by Warren Bobrow. This collection of cocktails gems can only be described as imaginative. It’s a book about both cocktails and the various versions of whiskey that we find around the world.
Most commonly, whiskey is made from corn, 100% corn. We hear “whiskey” and we think “corn mash.” But there are options, like rye. There’s scotch, which legally can only be made in Scotland, from barley.
But wheat is a grain option too. In the United States, to have the “wheat” label the mash has to be at least 51% wheat. The result is a whiskey that Warren says is softer in the mouth and with a longer finish.
This cocktail, Tropicalista Sunrise, may have you imagining beaches and paper umbrellas stuck in the glass with pineapple slices and rum. There is rum here, no umbrellas this time, but a citrus garnish is most welcome.
The recipe here calls for Homemade Grenadine Syrup. Warren is all about doing things from scratch, but you can cut a corner here. However, I do encourage you to get his book, Whiskey Cocktails, and try this and his other wonderful syrup idea.
Ah, and the recipe calls for Grilled Pineapple Juice. I’ve made this cocktail by cutting a second corner and just opening a can. Still a great cocktail. If you want to make the grilled juice, just grill some pineapple slices until they begin to char. Cool, put into a blender, and strain. Yes, the can is simpler. And I apologize to Warren.
Tropicalista Sunrise
Yield: one portion
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces (90 ml) Grilled Pineapple Juice
- ½ ounce (15 ml) Homemade Grenadine Syrup
- 2 ounces (60 ml) wheat whiskey
- ½ ounce (15 ml) dark rum (try twelve-year-old rum aged in bourbon oak casks, if at all possible; the deep vanilla-smoke flavors in each sip are too good to miss)
- ¾ ounce (22 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice, strained
- 1 ounce (30 ml) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained Pinch of sea salt
- 2 ounces (60 ml) club soda
Preparation:
Add the first six ingredients to a mixing glass with a few chunks of ice. Stir well. Add the pinch of sea salt (don’t skip the salt: It's an essential ingredient!) and stir again. Add one large cube of hand-cut ice to a rocks glass. Strain into rocks glasses, top with the club soda, and then garnish each glass with a spear of grilled pineapple and a lemon zest twist, squeezing it gently to release its fragrant oils. Serves two thirsty heads.
Source: Whiskey Cocktails by Warren Bobrow [Fair Winds, 2014]