Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Rupert Holmes Special

Rupert Holmes? Isn’t he the guy who sang the pina colada song? Yes, yes he is. Also, you’re welcome for getting that song stuck in all of your heads.

What does a song from 1979 have to do with this week? No, I’m not making a pina colada (yet). This week, I’m making another tropical/summer drink called The Escape, from the New York Cocktails book. Before we get into the recipe, can I go on a tangent for a second here? As catchy as hell as that song is, both people are terrible right? They are cheating, on each other, with each other. Then at the end, they laugh it off like “hey, I didn’t know you liked all this stuff.” Sure, it may have been funny in the moment, but that must have been an awkward next morning, that’s for sure.

Terrible people in 1970s songs aside, here is The Escape:

2 oz. El Dorado dark rum

1 oz. Pineapple juice

1 oz. Coco Lopez

3/4 oz. Sweet vermouth

Shake all ingredients except vermouth vigorously with ice. Note: The bar has no blender, but go ahead and blend if you have one

Strain into the glass if shaken. Pour the whole lot in if blended. Float the vermouth and garnish with a pineapple and cherry flag.

As noted in the recipe, this drink can either be shaken or blended. I opted for shaking, as A) baby shark was sleeping, and B) blenders are a pain in the ass to clean, and I’m not making that kind of a mess for one cocktail*. I also subbed Goslings for the El Dorado.

The coconut is the first flavor I get, but it’s quickly undercut by the pineapple juice and the rum. The combination is quite good. It almost is reminiscent of a coffee milkshake which makes no sense. There must be some sort of black magic fuckery going on with all the ingredients. Anyway, the rum lingers, and finishes the sip with a little bite, which is nice. Given this is a tropical type drink, one wouldn’t necessarily expect the rum to finish as strong as it does, but it was a nice surprise to me. The vermouth float adds a bit of initial sweetness that gets stepped on by the coconut. But, omitting I think would detract from the overall flavor.

I ditched the garnish after two sips, not because it didn’t add anything, but it quickly became a safety hazard. The appropriate glassware for this drink is a goblet. Lacking one, I used a stemless wine glass, and nearly poked my eye out. Use proper glassware when you can, kids.

Overall, this is a good drink, with little effort needed. I highly suggest you go out and get the ingredients and mix one up this weekend and pretend you’re planning your escape with your mistress-wife.

*There may have been a second Escape involved here.

(Banner image found here)