Jupiter Confused: The Fancy Rum (It's Even in a Box!!)

Everyone knows the best gift is booze. Ok, maybe I should say the best gift for me is booze. But a new bottle of just about anything (ok, let's be honest, I'll probably take one that's already been opened, too) is always welcome.

So, I was delighted when we (my boyfriend and I) were the recipients of a new bottle of rum. And not just any rum. This was Limited Edition, 15 year aged in sherry barrels, only sold in Venezuela, and only 2,000 bottles of it were made rum. This kids, is not your grandfather's Bacardi.

I have to admit that it took some poking around online to discover just how primo this primo booze we've been gifted actually is. Given that this is Venezuelan rum, it isn't a brand I am at all familiar with. All I really knew is that it is dark rum and came in a box, and if there is anything I've learned about booze it is the universal truth that booze with extraneous packaging is good stuff.

I should say the official name of the rum is "Diplomatico Single Vintage Rum". So far, we've only taken the tiniest sip of it to get a general idea for its flavor. What I can tell you is that it starts sweet (reasonably enough), gets a little oak-y/wood-y (also, I suppose as to be expected), once the alcohol burn gets off your tongue, then a caramel and almost honey flavor coats your tongue to finish.

So, now here's the problem: I have no idea what to do with it. This is the good stuff, right? It seems completely wrong to throw something of this caliber in your run of the mill mai tai. I know a good bourbon or tequila is made for sipping and can be elevated with the right cocktail. However, any rum based cocktail I can think of seems too sticky sweet. I don't want to do a disservice to a great product.

This is where you come in, if you happen to have stumbled your way to this blog. Do you have any ideas? I have to admit, I'm not well versed in rum. It isn't something that I immediately reach for when making drinks at home. So, all ideas will be entertained. If you have a thought, leave it in the comments down there. I'll be sure to post what I end up coming up with.

Jupiter Travels: OXO Tower Bar, London UK

For me, it's a given that a part of any travel experience has to be an attempt to find a good cocktail.

While on a recent trip to London for New Year's Eve, I discovered the OXO Tower Bar. What I found was not only one of the most fantastic views of London, but some of the most inventive cocktails I've ever encountered.

If you're going for a proper evening out, then it's probably a good idea to make a reservation. The lure of the view alone seems to get plenty of folks in every night. However, we managed to show up just before prime happy hour without a reservation and were given seats at the bar. Even though our backs were to the amazing wall of glass looking out onto the Thames, if you're at all interested in watching the crafting of your cocktail, I can't stress enough how much you should sit at the bar. Each drink took several minutes to get proportions right and flavors balanced and it ends up being quite the unintentional show.

From our seats at the bar, not only did we befriend a delightful girl from North Carolina, but we also struck up a chat with the bartender. What ensued was a little slice of heaven. I began my night by ordering a "Gothic Manhattan". The menu described the drink as "Woodford Reserve bourbon, stirred with Antica formula vermouth, Jerry Thomas bitters. Black licorice rinse. House-brandied cherry".  

I'll give you a moment to go re-read that. Amazing, right?

Our friend the bartender set to work making the drink right in front of me. I was immediately horrified, because he started making the drink with a different bourbon than the Woodford listed on the menu. Now, let it be known that I'm a fan of just about any bourbon, except one. My distaste for this particular bourbon is so high, that any time I order a drink, I eye the bartender just to be sure it isn't used. To my taste, it's awful. I'll be diplomatic and not name names, but it's a fairly common brand. Unfortunately, this was the bourbon he used to make the drink. (To his credit, he said the drink menu had just been revised and he was still getting accustomed to it). However, my look of horror was apparently obvious enough for him to ask why I was looking so scared.

This opened the door to a chat about my being from Kentucky, knowing my bourbon and about my love for crafting cocktails. After explaining my disdain for the bourbon he used by mistake (and him kindly offering to make a new one), I agreed to give the original drink he made a go. What I discovered is the first drink I've ever had with the Bourbon-That-Shan't-Be-Named that was not only palatable, but was fantastic. It no doubt tasted of the usual sour mash, caramel and citrus flavors that I love in bourbon, but it also had a depth and not-too-sweet sweetness that I've never found in any other drink. The sambuca (black licorice) rinse was there in the background, but not just hanging out. It balanced what could have been a case of too many things going on at once. I'll definitely be recreating this one at home.

After much more chatting with my new friend the bartender (and sadly, we never caught his name), he was gracious enough to let me try several of the other drinks he was making for various patrons. He'd leave a little in the bottom of the shaker or glass he was using to mix drinks in, and then he'd give me a taste of what he'd concocted. As you can imagine, these were the best leftovers of my life.

The two most notable were "At the Drive In" and "Due South". (See the link to OXO Tower Bar for a look at the menu and official drink descriptions). "At the Drive In" featured a butter infused Four Roses Bourbon to create a drink that managed to taste like liquified popcorn with a kick, while "Due South" was refreshingly light, yet with complex flavors that came to surface with each sip.

Four Roses Bourbon, butter infused

The view across the Thames from the terrace of the OXO Tower Bar. 

If I'm ever back in London, I'll certainly go back to the OXO Tower Bar. While the drinks aren't cheap (even by London standards), I'm not sure there's any other place in the City that could measure up to the caliber of cocktails or the experience and view. And look for some upcoming posts where I do my own take on some of the drinks featured on their menu.

Jupiter Drinks

Welcome to my little corner of booze.

I know. There are already about a million blogs about booze. What I hope to bring here is not only my take on the drinks that I discover, particularly in my hometown of Lexington, KY, but also my own recipes as I play bartender in my kitchen. 

What you need to know is that I'm a spirits/alcohol/booze enthusiast, and not just for the buzz. To be honest, after having my gall bladder removed a few years ago, I'm really not capable of too much intoxication. But, what I do love is tasting flavors I've never had before. I also love mixing, concocting and just playing around with libations to create drinks that are meant to be both sipped and chugged. 

I'll warn you that from here forward, it's going to get both pretty high brow snooty as well as syrupy sweet trashy on here. Just like I can enjoy Bjork and Ke$ha, I love a complex, infused drink, but I'm also not afraid to sip on something with a paper umbrella in it. I plan to share a little bit of both. 

Hopefully, you'll see some posts about the drinks that I find as I move through the world. Upcoming, there will be some posts about my favorite cocktails in Lexington, a post about my experience in the OXO Tower bar in London, and a few words about the cocktails at Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City (Pop Rocks martini, y'all!!). 

Finally, there will also be a few of my own recipes and ideas. Everything from the perfect drink to serve your guests for various parties, to tips and tricks on how to create that perfect nightcap to unwind at the end of the day. 

So, let's get to mixing and drinking (21 and over, of course) and raise your glass to the beginning of Jupiter Drinks.