Festivus Daiquiri

For the rest of us

I have nothing in particular against Christmas or Hanukah, but let's just say that in my family Festivus is more appropriate and in fact is what we celebrate. We have a pole, and we're very big on grievances, but the feats of strength always seem like too much effort as no one wants to get hurt. Despite our disdain for trees and lights we still have gifts and stockings because why not? We also have a get-together with family and I love to force cocktails on everyone and of course need to test out my newest holiday themed concoctions.

This one was the result of many experiments, but came down to a simple 3 part daiquiri, but with the prep of infusing the rum and making a flavored simple syrup. This means thinking ahead several days to really develop the flavor of the infusion. I chose to use Worthy Park's overproof Jamaican rum for my base which clocks in at a whopping 63% alcohol (126 proof) because most of my guests don't have more than 1 or 2 cocktails so I want to make sure they feel the effects.

This particular rum has a strong "funk" flavor and aroma typical to Jamaican rums that give it a distinctive heavy molasses-y sweet flavor profile despite it's clear appearance. The other rum you can use is Wray & Nephew's overproof rum, which is essentially the same thing, but maybe not quite as strong in flavor. I wouldn't necessarily use Bacardi or Don Q's overproof rums because they lack the funk, and we need the funk. Gotta have that funk.

So to create my infusion I wanted to switch up the usual cinnamon that is often paired with rum and decided on star anise because I had some and thought it would create an unusual licorice enhancement. I also added allspice berries because they tend to work well with rum and I also had some on hand. The amount I chose was overkill, so you could tame it a bit, even though I think it came out marvelous. Like black licorice with molasses cookies! In any case, I put 4 star anise pods and 2 tablespoons of whole allspice berries in a 16 oz pint jar and let it infuse for a week. You could probably use three quarters or half that amount with good results.

The cranberry syrup was a lot simpler than working with whole cranberries. I just used unsweetened cranberry juice as a 1:1 ratio with pure cane sugar and simmered it a good 20 minutes to get it thick enough to be actual syrup. You could probably get away with regular sweetened cranberry juice but would need to reduce the sugar and simmer it longer to get a pure syrup and not just some watery liquid with barely any flavor.

I played around a bit with different ingredients and proportions but nothing really stood out, so I stripped it all back to a basic 2:1:1 daiquiri and it was incredibly well balanced and all the flavors came through playing nicely together with depth and variety. A daiquiri for the rest of us!

Festivus Daiquiri

• 1½ oz Jamaican overproof rum infused with star anise and alspice berries

• ¾ oz cranberry syrup (1:1 unsweetened cranberry juice to natural cane sugar)

• ¾ oz fresh squeezed lime

Shake, strain, serve up in a coupe.

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