A kraken is a giant squid, so the fun concept is that it’s a strong liquor as dark as squid ink. The packaging is beautiful, making it a great gift on two fronts.  (Also the finger holes at the top are surprisingly satisfying to hold on to)

It runs about $20 a bottle, but the graphics alone make it look like it’s worth much more.  Know anyone who loves a nice spiced rum, can handle their liquor and cares about aesthetics? This is the gift for them!

The Kraken Rum

(Thanks to our friends at NOTCOT for introducing us to this fun rum! You can check out some more pics of the packaging there.)

Spiced Tea Holiday Punch

3 cups water
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs. vanilla extract
10 whole cloves
10 cardamom seeds
2 tbs. ginger
2 tea bags (black tea)
1 bottle red wine
1/4 cup dark rum
Boil water, honey, sugar, spices and vanilla in a large saucepan, stirring frequently until honey and sugar are dissolved.

Remove from heat and add tea bag, steeping for five minutes. Strain it into a bowl and add wine and rum.

Can be served hot or cold. If serving it hot, simmer mixture until warm again. If serving cold, chill mixture in refrigerator then serve over ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

more Holiday Drinks & Punches

1 tsp brown sugar
1 part lemon juice
1 part Bacardi Oro
1 part Bacardi 151
1 part 42BELOW Passionfruit
1 part unsweetened pineapple juice
1 part fresh lime juice
1 part Passionfruit syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters

Dissolve sugar and lemon juice, then add all other ingredients and shake well with crushed ice. Pour entire contents into a Collins glass and garnish with lime wedge.

more Halloween Cocktails and Punches
Recipe & photo courtesy 42 Below Vodka

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1 cup Zaya Rum
1 apple
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 orange, thinly sliced
2 quarts apple cider
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon allspice
Pinch grated nutmeg
Cinnamon sticks, garnish

Stud the apple with the cloves. In a medium pot, combine the studded apple and remaining ingredients except the rum. Slowly bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Zaya rum. Discard the apple. Ladle into mugs and garnish each with a cinnamon stick and apple slice. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 quarts, about 8 servings

more Halloween Cocktails and Punches
Recipe & photo courtesy Zaya Rum

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Pumpkin Caipirinha

2 oz. Leblon cachaça
1 oz. Pumpkin spice syrup
1/4 oz. French vanilla syrup
½ oz. Frangelico
1 tbsp. Pumpkin puree
1 dash Orange juice
1 dash Nutmeg & Cinnamon

In a cocktail shaker, shake all ingredients vigorously with ice. Strain into a frosted cocktail glass. Garnish with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon.

more Halloween Cocktails and Punches
Photo and recipe courtesy of Leblon Cachaça

No Halloween festivity is complete without a pumpkin jack-o-lantern. This year, impress your friends by serving up this delightful rum punch right inside a pumpkin! Make it at home, bring it over, serve it up, it’s as easy as pumpkin pie. Nicaragua’s Flor de Cana rum is slow-aged and highly acclaimed for its flavor profile. Subtle hints of caramel and vanilla mesh perfectly with the fresh lemon juice, cloves and apple juice to make this drink that ultimate party punch.

Jack-o-Lantern Punch

2 oz. Flor De Caña 7-year Grand Reserve
4 sugar cubes
3 oz. club soda
2 whole cloves
1 pinch of fresh nutmeg
1 oz. lemon juice
2 oz. apple juice
Toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

Dissolve the sugar cubes in 1 oz. of club soda (this generally involves muddling to help process). Muddle the cloves with the sugar cubes. After the sugar cubes and cloves are muddled/dissolved, add the rest of the ingredients one at a time and stir as added. Add ice once all of the ingredients have been added and stirred. Stir the punch until it is chilled

Strain the punch into a glass, punch bowl, or carved out pumpkin depending on the size of the portion, top with 2oz. club soda and garnish with apple slices, cinnamon sticks and pumpkin seeds.

more Halloween Cocktails and Punches
created by Phil Ward, Mayahuel
recipe & photo courtesy of Flor de Cana

The Green Crush

1 oz Lucid Absinthe
1 ¼ oz Cruzan Rum
¾ Vanilla Syrup
½ oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
2 Dashes Regan Orange Bitters
Orange Soda

Shake with Ice
Serve in Highball filled with Crushed Ice. Top with Orange Soda (Either Fanta or Orange Crush)
Garnish with Orange Wedge

Courtesy A Muddled Thought

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I chatted for a bit an then headed into a session titled “Choosing the right glassware” lead by none other than Dale de Groff. If you don’t already know, Dale is a bartending legend and responsible for championing the cocktail revolution going on today. Mr. de Groff dazzled the crowd with an amazing collection of vintage barware, each with a different purpose. As he talked about the different glasses, Dale told us a history of their evolution. Then things got fun, we started making cocktails! Taking volunteers from the audience, we made 1/2 a dozen cocktails using a variety of glasses. Yours truly had the honor of making a Coffee Cocktail for the class. Think there is coffee in this one, guess again, this coffee cocktail is made from port, cognac, Simple syrup and an egg with a bit of nutmeg on top. Shaken well the egg gives it a bit of foam and the drink taste like, you guessed it, coffee. After several more cocktails were made the whole class was treated to Dale’s famous Irish Coffee.

Next, I was off to “The History of the Cocktail in New York City” with Professor Dave Wondrich. We were all taken back to the origin of the cocktail in the Hudson Valley and through it’s evolution in New York Cities greatest Hotels and Bars. From the famed City Hotel of the early 1800s to and all the way through prohibition, Professor Wondrich wove the tale of what was always the hotbed of cocktail innovation, NYC. We were also treated to some vintage cocktails to help us channel the past.

After a bit more schmoozing and cocktails at the Astor Center Bar (and a short nap), I was ready for the closing gala. It was held in the main hall of the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue. All I can say is WOW! This event did the room proud. Attended by over 1000 guests, the night featured a big band, great food and of course, cocktails poured by some of Americas best mixologists. James and Estaban from DonQ are pictured below mixing up a wonderfully fruity rum concoction.

This just being the preview, I can’t wait until the full event in May 14 -18, 2010.

Manhattan Cocktail Classic

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Enjoy Brian’s scary Halloween take on the classic fizz.

Sleepy Hollow Fizz

1 1/2 oz. Flor de Caña 7yr old rum
1/2 oz. El Dorado 151 proof demerara rum
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. maple syrup
2 barspoon pumpkin puree
1 egg yolk
Top club soda

Dry shake, shake with 3 ice cubes and strain into a fizz glass -no garnish

Pumpkin Puree
Take one 15 oz can of Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin, add 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp of ground cloves and 15 oz of simple syrup and blend it all together in a blender or Cuisinart. Store in the fridge.

past drink of the week cocktails
recipe and photo courtesy Flor de Caña Rum

Today, August 16th, we celebrate Rum, the wonderful spirit that is the base of many classic cocktails including the Daiquiri, Mai Tai and Pina Colada. Rum was instrumental in the growth of the American colonies, Australia and was a staple for British sailors until 1970.

So what is rum?

It is a spirit distilled from molasses, which is a by product of the sugar manufacture. There are a few instances where Rum is made from straight cane juice. Rum is produced just about any where people grow sugar cane, but it’s true home lies in the West Indies. The style of Rum differs from island to island, with lighter rums coming from Spanish speaking islands, darker from English speaking islands and cane juice based from the french speaking islands.

Rum is produced in 3 main styles. White, Gold and Dark.

White Rum, the best coming from Cuba or Puerto Rico, are unaged and are create base for many cocktails.

Gold Rum, is basically white rum that has been been barrel aged giving it a but more flavor and character.

Dark Rum, is aged the longest in heavily charred barrels. This type of rum is synonymous with Jamaica and Bermuda, but some very fine Dark Rums are now being produced in Nicaragua and Honduras. Dark Rum is also used in cooking quite often.

There are also seveal other types of rum that are really variants of the main 3, including Spiced Rum, flavored and the oh so scary 151, which is an over proof rum. Many distilleries are also making super premium Rums that compete with fine Cognac and Whiskeys.

Interestingly, Rum is the base of many “Polynesian” drinks found in Tiki bars around the world. Still, most of these drinks originated in the Caribbean or in the case of the Mai Tai, Oakland, CA.

Rum is a now experiencing a Renaissance, much like Bourbon and Tequila before it. There is som much more to it that Coke.

Rum cocktails

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