Comments on: Negrita Grog

By: sc'Que?

sc'Que? — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 06:41:18 +0000

@Yaov: Most PCs come with a handy little program called Notepad (notepad.exe–I keep a shortcut on my taskbar just for this reason!) Simply highlight the recipe, copy and paste into Notepad. Easy-peasy! =)

@Colin S: That sounds stupendous! Thank you–and can you recommend a second-choice on the rum?

@Matt Robold, et al: I’m enjoying an Earl Grey Negrita Grog right now! What a great way to end a shitty night at work! Here, a star anise pod works great as a garnish.

As for my own favorite rum tea-toddy… Well, outside of my usual job as bartender, one of my hobbies is that I blend tea for a few local coffee shops. I have over 20 blends, but I’m pretty proud of my Garuda Chai–a traditional Indian-style masala tea that includes blended Indian and Ceylon teas, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, coriander, clove, peppercorn, cayenne, Chinese and Vietnamese cinnamon…–you get the idea!

At home I do it up coffee-shop style: brew the chai extra-strong, using sugar to sweeten during the 5-minute steep. (This helps extract more nuances in the spices.) Strain with a french-press and add 8 ounces to a 16-oz mug… along with a shot of Smith & Cross Navy-strength Jamaican rum. Fill with 7 ounces of frothed, organic whole milk. Top with a spiral of wildflower honey. Dust with nutmeg or cracked peppercorn.

I’d been having difficulty figuring out how to appreciate Smith & Cross rum. Luckily, I tried this recipe before my first bottle kicked!

ps. If you’re in central-PA, you can pick up Garuda Chai (and several other of my blends) at Cafe Lemont (on the square in Lemont, PA).

By: Colin S

Colin S — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:04:11 +0000

Sure,

2 Shots of Ron Zacapa 23
.5 Shot of Licor 43
.5 Shot of Lemon Juice
.5 Shot of Honey Syrup
Between 4-6 oz of Jasmine Tea-Cinnamon Infused Apple Cider (depending on your preference)

To make the cider: Steep jasmine tea and a Cinnamon Stick in simmering apple cider for around 5 minutes. I use the filtered apple cider because it looks better, but cloudy tastes just as good. Pour in a mug and garnish with the cinnamon stick.

By: Matt Robold

Matt Robold — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:57:15 +0000

That sounds freaking awesome. What are the proportions on that?

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:54:18 +0000

My favorite way to use tea with rum: I recently made something I called Winter Cider. I infused Apple cider with Jasmine Tea and then mixed it with Licor 43, honey, cinnamon, and a generous helping of Ron Zacapa. It was glorious.

By: Matt Robold

Matt Robold — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:18:37 +0000

Yoav: The “recipe cards” are actually in the works, along with a few other enhancements to the site.

Frederic: I was really pleased with the drink and plan on having a few more with different rum/tea combos as long as the weather stays chilly.

By: Frederic

Frederic — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:07:07 +0000

Thank you for your Mixology Monday submission! My favorite way to use rum and tea is clearly the punch, especially using green tea. Although trying some smokier teas with smoky rums might be a fun experiment.

By: Yoav

Yoav — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:28:05 +0000

Great idea for a winter drink. And may I say, a nicely executed picture.
As a more general request for your blogness, can you add a feature that lets me print the recipe, sans the surrounding prose? Just the take-home-and-drink-it message, if you will.
Ciao…

By: Carolyn Jung

Carolyn Jung — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:07:39 +0000

This sounds like the perfect drink to relax with in front of a roaring fireplace. I love the addition of the tea to give it more complexity.

By: Blair, aka Trader Tiki

Blair, aka Trader Tiki — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:20:45 +0000

Oh bless the sweet beast that is the Cocktail DB!