Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: Island in the Sun

Happy Friday once again! For this week’s tasty beverage, I’m kind of sticking with the Island vibes I was channeling a few weeks ago. I didn’t necessarily intend to go with the vibe, but in perusing my library, I came across this daiquiri riff from The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book and having some geriatric limes that needed use ASAP, this drink became the front runner. Plus, after spending the morning shoveling 3 inches of slushy, heavy wet snow, I could use a mental break to somewhere warm once again. I really hate to go to this well of inspiration yet again, but I might as well go with what works right?

I enjoy living in the Northeast, I swear.

Anyway, here is the Island in the stream:

2 oz. Banks 5 Island white rum or Plantation 3 Stars white rum*

1 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur

.75 oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice

2 dashes Reagan’s Orange Bitters #6

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and shake well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel

*Once again the Don Q white rum I have on hand was substituted for those two suggested rums

The bitters and the garnish contribute heavily to the very pronounced orange-y citrus nose this drink has. The more I go back to sniff the cocktail the more I can pick out the elderflower. It’s subtle, but it is there, underneath the orange. It plays nicely and sets the table nicely for the subsequent sip.

The sip is cool and crisp. It starts out very mild when you consider the ingredients involved here. The sip itself is very citrusy in nature. The lime and orange bitters combine to lead the flavor charge. This combination is supported with a subtle sweetness brought to the table by the elderflower liqueur. Like the aroma, the flavor isn’t too powerful, but the more you sip, the more you can pick it up underneath the lime/orange flavors.

As to the base spirit, the rum is nigh undetectable here. Which I don’t hate, but I do wish it had a little more of a punch.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a nice twist on a daiquiri, but not as strong. So if you don’t like your drinks on the stronger side, I highly suggest making this. Its slightly dry, sour fruitiness hides the booze, and makes this an easy drinker, and one to have when you want a mental getaway, to pretend you are on a beach somewhere relaxing without a care in the world.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)