My Baron Samedi hat was in use at New Year at a masked party & although sadly we didn’t have a rum-based cocktail at the time, I thought I’d properly honour the spirit of the Baron with his favourite spirit, and mix up a voodoo-themed cocktail this weekend.
The recipe comes from Difford’s Guide. and he describes it having been invented by the sculptor and bartender, Alex Kammerling in 2002.
I like the drink – the base is a rum Manhattan variant, made fresh by the addition of fresh lime and apple juices. This turns it into a longer drink, but with plenty of alcoholic heft. The Baron would approve. My only change is to add some bitters to give it a little more zip – and with a nod to the voodoo theming, I have used Peychaud’s bitters (Peychaud was born in Haiti, before settling in New Orleans). These seem to complement the apple and lime perfectly, but ginger would probably work just as well.
Method:
2 shots dark rum (I used Havana Club 7 Años, Diffords suggest Bacardi Carta Ocho)
3/4 shot Martini Rosso
2 1/2 shots of fresh apple juice
1/2 shot of lime juice
1/4 shot sugar syrup
Option – dashes of bitters to suit
Garnish by sprinkling cinnamon through a flame onto the drink.
Shake well over ice, then strain into a Collins (Diffords method) or Old Fashioned glass (my preference), filled with ice.
Ice & Bitters 