Here are the Rum based cocktails I make during my reviews.
The title of the cocktail is linked to the source, since I am by no means a mixologist, and can claim none of these as my own creation.
Please don’t drink and drive, and if you are under 21, do not try this at home… or in public. Always drink responsibly.
The Devil’s Kiss
1 part Rum
1 part Coffee Liqueur
1 part Grand Marnier
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour into a shot glass and enjoy.
My inaugural cocktail was a good choice for reading The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson.
Mixed on 10/24/2021
Manifest Destiny
1.5 oz Aged Rum
1 oz Coffee Liqueur
1/3 oz Amaretto
1/3 oz Frangelico
1/3 oz Grand Marnier
1/3 oz Banana Liqueur
Add to mixing glass, add ice, stir well, strain into a chilled glass.
Manifest Destiny is the national policy president James K. Polk implemented during his tenure in the White House, making this a tasty choice for this weeks book, Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America by Walter R. Borneman
Mixed on 02/27/2022
Mongolian Dingbat
1 oz White Rum
1 oz Coffee Liqueur
1 Scoop Ice Cream
Put all in a blender and blend. Pour into a glass and enjoy!
I was unable to find the traditional Mongolian alcoholic beverages of Arak, those being something of a specialty item here in the States, so I went with this delicious alternative instead while reviewing Genghis Kahn and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford.
Mixed on 11/14/2021
Psychosis
1/2 shot Malibu Rum
1/2 shot Lime Juice
1 shot Coke
1 dash Grenadine
1 shot Apple Juice
1/2 shot Absinthe (red)
1/2 shot Lemon Vodka
1/2 shot Blue Curacao
I could not find absinthe red, which has hyacinth for color and flavor, so I went with traditional...except for the government interference...Absinthe. Overall this cocktail was...ok. Drinkable. A bit sour. Could definitely taste the wormwood.
A good pick for United States of Fear: How America Fell Victim to a Mass Delusional Psychosis by Dr. Mark McDonald. Because frankly, we were all a little psychotic these last few years.
Mixed on 04/10/2022
Tom and Jerry
1 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Cognac
1 Tablespoon Tom & Jerry Batter
Hot Whole Milk to top off
Garnish with Nutmeg, Cloves, Allspice
Tom and Jerry Batter: Separate 3 egg yolks and whites and set aside. In a nonreactive bowl, whip the egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks with 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 ounce Jamaican dark rum and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. When the yolk mixture is completely combined, gently fold it into the egg white mixture. Keep refrigerated.
The Tom and Jerry was rumored to be a favorite of Earp Family Patriarch, Nicholas Earp, and so I mixed some up for this weeks book, Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West by Tom Claven.
Mixed on 11/13/2022
Roosevelt
1 3/4 oz Dark Rum
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Orange Juice
1/4 tsp sugar
Orange Twist to garnish
Place all by orange twist in shaker with ice and shake till chilled. Pour into cocktail glass and garnish with the twist.
I mixed up an eponymous Roosevelt cocktail for this weeks book, Theodore Roosevelt by Henry F. Pringle.
Mixed on 06/25/2023
The Witches Cradle
1 oz Gold Rum
1/2 oz Cherry Liqueur
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur
1 oz Fresh Coffee
2 dashes The Bitter Truth Roots Drops and Dashes*
I substituted chocolate bitters since I did not have time to wait for The Bitter Truth to be delivered. A cocktail subtitled The Wrath of the Burning Times was a good…absolutely delicious…pick for this weeks book, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience by Emerson W. Baker.
Mixed on 01/07/2024
Rum Swizzle
2.25 oz Dark Rum
2.25 oz Gold Rum
1.5 oz Triple Sec
2.5 oz Orange Juice
Juice 1 Lemon
1 oz Falernum
3 dashes Bitters
Mix with ice and enjoy. This was apparently FDR’s favorite drink as he cruised around the Bahama’s while recovering from Polio, so this was my delicious pick for this weeks book, FDR: A Biography by Ted Morgan.
Mixed on 03/31/2024
The Magician
50 ml Malibu Rum
45 ml Irish Cream
100 ml Coconut Milk
25 ml Heavy Cream
Chocolate Powder for Garnish
Mix the Irish cream, Malibu Rum, and Coconut Milk in a glass with ice. Pour the Heavy Cream over the top and garnish with chocolate powder.
Martin van Buren was known politically as The Magician, making this the perfect cocktail for Martin van Buren and the American Political System by Donald B. Cole. While he is not among my favorite presidents, this is among my favorite cocktails.
Mixed on 11/28/2021
Dictator
1.5 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Bonal
3 dashes Boker's Bitters (or substitute Cardamom Bitters)
2 dashes coffee extract (I substituted double espresso vodka)
Put all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a cocktail glass.
How to be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century by Frank Dikötter. And the accompanying cocktail is called Dictator, which I found on YouTube, actually, so that is linked to the title of the cocktail above.
Mixed on 07/10/2022
Petals and Pride
1 oz Rum
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1 oz Triple Sec
1 oz Lemon
1 Blackberry
Edible Flower for Garnish
Combine all ingredients into a shaker, muddle blackberry. Double strain into a coupe glass, garnish with an edible flower.
In honor of Titania’s ecosexuality, the accompanying cocktail for this weeks book, Woke: A Guide to Social Justice by Titania McGrath is called Petals & Pride.
Mixed on 05/07/2023
Doomsday
2 oz of Rum
¾ oz Lime Juice
1 oz simple syrup
½ oz Fernet
6-7 fresh mint leaves
Muddle the mint leaves with the simple syrup, add ice and the rest of the ingredients. Shake. Pour over ice.
Doomsday was a delicious cocktail for this weeks book, Prepared: A Manual for Surviving Worst Case Scenarios by Mike Glover.
Mixed on 07/09/2023
Eggnog
4 eggs
½ cup maple syrup
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup brandy
1/3 cup rum
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
Cinnamon for Garnish
Blend the eggs and maple syrup for four minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cinnamon garnish and blend for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until chilled. Blend for 10 seconds before drinking. Garnish with cinnamon.
A classic cocktail, for a classic Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.
Mixed on 12/24/2023
The Dark Horse Cocktail
2 Tblsp of Rum
2 Tblsp of kahlua OR coffee liqueur
1 tsp of vermouth
dash of lemon
Coke
Add the rum, kahlua OR coffee liqueur, vermouth, and lemon to a shaker with ice. Shake and pour over crushed ice. Top with coke.
An excellent drink to go with an excellent book, about a most excellent President, President Without a Party: The Life of John Tyler by Christopher J Leahy.
Mixed on 01/30/2022
Naked Lady
1/2 oz Rum
1/2 oz Vermouth
1/2 oz Apricot Brandy
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Put all in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well, strain into a cocktail glass.
Is there any other choice of cocktail for a book called Vacuuming in the Nude and Other Ways to Get Attention, by Peggy Rowe? If there is, I couldn’t find it.
Mixed on 09/11/2022
The Wake Up Call
2 oz rum
½ oz simple syrup
1 ½ oz espresso
2 dashes orange bitters
2 dashes smoked chili bitters
Put all in a shaker with ice and shake til chilled.
The Wake Up Call is something America desperately needs, which is why I picked it for this weeks book, Woke, Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam by Vivek Ramaswamy.
Mixed on 05/21/2023
Survivor
1.5 oz White Rum
.25 oz Creme de Cacao
1 oz Pineapple Juice
.25 oz Lime Juice
Put all in a shaker with ice and shake. Pour over ice.
Survivor was the best most delicious cocktail to go with this weeks book, The Survivor’s Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood.
Mixed on 07/23/2023
El Presidente
50 ml gold rum
30 ml dry vermouth
10 ml orange liqueur
2.5 ml grenadine
2 drops saline solution
Put all in a shaker with ice and STIR the cocktail. Strain into a cocktail glass.
In 1928, Coolidge made a trip to Cuba, and while there, the president of Cuba, General Gerardo Machado y Morales, offered him this cocktail. Coolidge abstained, due to Prohibition was still the law of the land, proving why Coolidge was completely awesome as a president: he did not believe in rules for thee but not for me. So this was my pick for this weeks book, Coolidge by Amity Shlaes.
Mixed on 01/01/2024