It’s not common you’ll find classic cocktails from the days of Jerry Thomas calling for spiced rum, let alone the new wave of spiced whiskies and bourbons. And though we would have loved to see what he did with them — can you imagine him blazing away a mixture that incorporated Ancho Reyes, a 40% ABV liqueur from Mexico made from ancho chilli? — that means that if you want to get these spiced spirits into your drink, you’re going to have do a little experimentation.
And where else is a better place to start your experimenting than with the classics? Take a look at the four cocktails we’ve assembled and start thinking about how you can hack the classics to get something altogether new.
Photography: Christopher Pearce
Ancho Margarita
20ml Ancho Reyes
45ml Blanco tequila
30ml fresh lime juice
15ml Agave nectarShake all ingredients and serve over ice in a rocks glass.
We’ve tried — and can certainly recommend — Ancho Reyes in a Manhattan variation before. Given this new to our shores liqueur is from Mexico, though, it makes sense to pair it with its compatriot spirit tequila and make a complex, moreish Margarita.
Photography: Christopher Pearce
Blood Rum Sour
45ml Bacardi Oakheart
15ml Amaretto
10ml sugar syrup
3 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
15ml egg white
30ml lemon juiceShake all ingredients thoroughly, double strain over ice into a rocks glass.
Garnish with an orange wedge.Adapted from a recipe by Hemant Samtani, The Victoria Room, Sydney
Many bartenders will add a little bitters to their sours, giving the drink a touch more complexity and better structure on the palate. But if you’re employing a spiced rum like Sydney’s Hemant Samtani has here, those drops of bitters help to accentuate the spices of the rum even more.
Photography: Christopher Pearce
Spiced Rum Crusta
30ml Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
30ml Aperol
30ml lime juice
15ml lavender and pink peppercorn syrup
1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters,
1 dash Gary Regan’s BittersShakey Shakey, double strain into a chilled down coupe with a sugar rim.
Recipe by Jessica Page, Angel’s Cut by Trustee, Perth
The Crusta is one heck of an underrated drink, but this recipe from Jessica Page over in Perth is a fine example of taking a classic idea and turning it into something completely different.
Photography: Christopher Pearce
Spiced Rum Derby
45ml Rebellion Bay Spiced Rum
30ml lime juice
15ml Punt e Mes
15ml sugar syrup
1/2 passion fruitShake all ingredients, double strain and serve up. No garnish.
Adapted from a recipe by Dean Simpson, Wilhelmina’s, Sydney.
Dean Simpson, group bars manager for 8 Hospitality (think Grandma’s, The Wild Rover, and Wilhelmina’s) whipped this tidy little number up for us. We’ve featured a Brown Derby before (made with rum, lime and maple syrup — there’s also one with bourbon and honey); Simpson’s variation uses that as a base and lightens it up with passionfruit and gives it depth with Punt e Mes.
Bacardi Oakheart: Fresh tropical fruit, pear on the nose; great mouthfeel, vanilla, maple syrup and lots of fruit on the palate and a long finish. Bacardi Lion
Sailor Jerry: Intense vanilla, dry buttery toffee and cinnamon notes on the nose. Cinnnamon and nutmeg on the palate along with vanilla, and a long dry finish. William Grant & Sons
Rebellion Bay Spiced Rum: This rum is imported from Trinidad, and offers flavours of vanilla, caramel, and hard spices. Vok Beverages
Wild Turkey Spiced: A nose of vanilla, cloves and ginger leads to a subtly sweet palate of spices and vanilla, cloves and cinnamon, and a highly sippable finish. Campari Australia
Ancho Reyes: Despite being made with ancho chilli, this 40% ABV liqueur is a complex, layered and very well made addition to cocktails. There is some heat thanks to the chillies, but it’s kept in check, allowed only to open up the heat on the finish. de Vino Mezcal