Here in Arlington it has been very rainy and cool the last few days.? I honestly like the cool weather and the rain doesn’t really bother me.? But tonight, I decided that I wanted to start the night off with something a little tropical . . . something a little tiki.? Maybe a little something with rum and falernum . . .

I flipped through some recipes and came across the Bermuda Rum Swizzle.? Hmmm . . . sounds interesting.? What’s in it?

Bermuda Rum Swizzle
2 oz Dark Rum
1 oz lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1/4 oz falernum

Take everything and shake it well over ice.? Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.? You can garnish any way you please, but a cherry, slice of orange, pineapple or lime would seem apropos.

Here is the finished product.

The things sticking out of the top are two stirrers.? The brown one is a tiki god sitting on a tiki paddle and green one is palm trees.? Just the kind of tiki vibe I was looking for.

This drink itself is kind of interesting.? The three juices are very strong in this drink.? They cover the rum, I used Gosling’s Black Seal, to the point where you can taste a bit of the molasses but not much.? The lime juice comes through very strong and provides a sharp acidity that I really wasn’t expecting.? The flavor of the falermun is lost too.? Of course, you don’t want any flavor really jumping out at you, it should be a balance, but my personal preference would be to taste just a little more falernum and a little less acidity from the lime.

I may play around with the proportions a bit.? Maybe take the the lime down to 3/4 oz.? Maybe add a little more falernum.? Maybe add a dash of orange bitters.? Who knows.? That is one of the great things about cocktails.? You can try different ratios until you get something that pleases your palate.

Cheers!