Sharkbait’s Cocktail of the Week: We’ve Hit Oil

Well, the warm weather didn’t last very long. It’s currently snowing once again, and I’m over it. I like winter, but I’m much more of a summer/beach person so I have no use for snow after January1st. It’s nice and seasonal up until then, but come the new year? Keep that shit in the mountains where I can visit it if I want to.

That mindset gave me inspiration to think more tropical this week. That’s why I decided to concoct a drink I saw and bookmarked a while ago: Corn n’ Oil. It is a rum based drink from the Caribbean that seems like just the thing to ward off the last snowfall of the year (hopefully).

Corn n’ Oil:

2 oz. Blackstrap rum (or aged Barbados rum)
.5 oz. Falernum
.5 oz. Lime juice, freshly squeezed
3 Dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: Lime wedge

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the rum, falernum, lime juice and bitters and stir to combine. (Alternatively, you can add the rum last by slowly pouring it over the back of a bar spoon so that it floats on top of the drink.) Garnish with a lime wedge.

Speaking of rum, I think rum might be the least used base spirit in this column. I don’t know why but I rarely have it on hand, and the ones I do I tend to not use, case in point here. The rum I used here is a bottle that I’ve had for way longer that I care to admit. It was brought back from our trip to St. Martin, from a restaurant which unfortunately no longer exists due to Hurricane Irma (R.I.P. Calmos Cafe). Which I think is why we’ve held onto it for so long. It was the bar’s own blend and once this bottle is done, there is no replacing it. That said, I’m not sure if it counts as a blackstrap rum (it probably doesn’t) but it is the closest thing I have to an aged Barbados rum, so it is what I went with.

The nose is very lime forward. The garnish and fresh juice combined with the falernum will ensure the lime is the dominant aroma. I do also get a little bit of the ginger and almond notes from the falernum as I go back for more and more whiffs. I kind of thought the rum would come through but it doesn’t. Not even a little bit. Again, this could be due to the house rum not being blackstrap

The flavor is very bright. Again, very lime forward, with ginger flavor coming in from the falernum underneath. The rum adds some natural sweetness which plays well here. It also adds a nice depth of flavor. With these bright and citrus-y flavors going on, the rum brings everything back into balance. I do wish it was a little stronger though. I can also detect some of the angostura bitters come through towards the end, as they provide a little bit of a bitter finish. The lime lingers for a some time after the sip, but not too long.

This is a classic Caribbean drink. I envision making more of these once it gets warmer out, or making them in bulk and bringing them to the beach.

(Banner image found here)