Creative Drinking

It's a refreshing Long Way Down...

A few months ago, my better half and I were in Denver for a business (his)/pleasure (mine) trip in Denver and we managed to find the time to seek out a couple great classic cocktail bars. My favorite drink was from Williams & Graham, a true speakeasy styled bar complete with hidden entrance and jazz and an atmosphere that really spoke of the prohibition era. 

I immediately zoned in on this rummy tropical concoction that uses some of my favorite fixins. Smith & Cross Rum, Velvet Falernum, and Allspice Dram. Alas, it was one of my few nights as driver so I only had one, but the bartender was nice enough to give me the recipe and I pulled it out tonight. Memorial Day, 80 degrees, the unofficial start of summer. Plus it was a day full of yard work and I deserved it.

Note the frost on the outside of the glass. You want that.

The Long Way Down 
(courtesy of Williams & Graham, Denver, CO)

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum
• 1 oz Appleton V/X Rum
• 3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 1/3 oz Orgeat (almond syrup)
• 1 teaspoon St Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Combine all ingredients in highball glass. Add crushed ice and swizzle until you have formed frost on the outside of the glass and the ice mound has reached the top. Add several dashes Angostura bitters to the top of the ice. Garnish with an orange slice, a cherry, a sprig of fresh mint,  and an umbrella. 
Stick a straw in. Mmmmmmmmmmm.......

The bitters will follow you through the drink and it is a remarkable experience. 

Falernum is a sweet syrup used in Caribbean and tropical drinks. It contains flavors of almond, ginger and/or cloves, and lime, and sometimes vanilla or allspice. It is a staple in several old Tiki-style recipes and can be found as a non-alcoholic syrup or as a liqueur, Velvet Falernum. If you enjoy these sort of drinks and would like to experience the traditional flavors vs a "tropical tiki mix", this is a bar staple. It's not that hard to find, it's under $20 for a 750ml, and it will last you all summer if you don't get crazy.

Allspice Dram (also known as Pimento Dram) is a liqueur flavored with allspice berries. It adds a dark, spicy (and strong) counterpoint to sweet tropical rum drinks. It also is a staple in many old Tiki recipes and was impossible to find in the states until a few years ago. It too is a home bar staple if you're looking for that real traditional flavor and will last you all summer, and then some. It's a very strong taste and a trigger to be pulled very lightly.