The Art of Rum and Relaxation

I was brought up on Jimmy Buffett music. I loved his songs about beaches, islands, and relaxing before I knew what all the words in his songs meant. My favorite book as a little girl was The Jolly Mon, a kids’ book written by Jimmy Buffett and his daughter, Savannah Jane Buffett. I think this influence on my early life has led to the secret I am about to reveal to you. Here is my confession:

I am a rum girl. I can endure vodka, whiskey, bourbon, and gin, for the most part, but but rum is the only kind of booze that has ever gone down smoothly for me. Clearly Jimmy Buffett’s island escapism has permeated not just my taste in vacations, but also my taste-buds. I also just found out he has recently put out a line of rum– Margaritaville Premium Jamaican Rum— which I would like to try.

I bring this up for two reasons:

1) My anniversary. The other night was my boyfriend’s and my anniversary, and we celebrated by going out for dinner, then making rum spritzers and watching Pirates of the Caribbean. He knew I had been obsessed with pirates for years as a little girl, and threw us a pirate-themed anniversary in honor of my obsession! Here is the recipe for the delicious lemonade rum spritzers we shared (though ours were a bit simpler)– a great summer drink to sip on as the sun goes down.

Lemonade Rum Spritzer

Ingredients:

3 oz. white rum (I suggest Bacardi)
club soda
lemonade (fresh-squeezed or from concentrate)

Preparation:

Mix 3 oz. white rum with any proportion of club soda and lemonade. Use more lemonade if you want more flavor, more club soda if you want your drink more diluted.
Add a lime or lemon as a garnish, if desired.

2) An article, posted by Islands Magazine. The article, entitled “5 Surprising Island Rum Drinks” includes five unique rum drink recipes for readers to try. The five are Sparkling Sunshine, Black and Blue Mojito, Botran Papa Doble, DonQ Island Juju, and David Boxwill’s Black Cherry. I personally think the Papa Doble looks the most delicious. It has lime juice and grapefruit juice, two of the most summery fruits.

Here is the recipe for the Papa Doble. Be sure to check out the link for the other recipes.

Botran Papa Doble

Recipe Courtesy of Botran Rum

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 oz. Botran Solera rum
1/4 oz. Luxardo Maraschino liquor
3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
3/4 oz. cane sugar simple syrup
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

Preparation:

Combine rum and other ingredients in a shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously and strain into a martini or cocktail glass, garnishing with a lime slice.

3) I lied. I said there were only two reasons, but actually there are three. The third is that “If You Like Pina Coladas” played a few times on a TV show I watched the other day. What a quality song.

What drink will you make this summer? I’ll let you know which drink I think is best when I’ve sampled all five. Ahhh, summer . . .

The Art of Rum and Relaxation

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