Why so many RUM Recipes???

And remember, no tax...

Pineapple BAY BREEZE

A classic - in fact, one of the original Rum cocktails.  Often, when you order a Rum Punch, you will get this drink.  Jackie is such a fan of the Cruzan Pineapple infused Rum that I just substituted that for the "normal" light rum commonly used in a Bay breeze...

2 ounces CRUZAN Pineapple Rum
2 ounces Pineapple Juice
2 ounces Cranberry Juice

Combine and serve over ice for a Pineapple Bay Breeze on the rocks, or add a cup of ice, mix in a blender till it reaches a milkshake consistency to make a frozen pineapple Bay Breeze.

Not sure if Jackie was just celebrating a "thank God it's Friday" moment, but this was the first of the rum drinks I have made that she sucked down quickly and asked for a second one.

Skinny Pirate

The lowly Rum and Coke...

Well, use Black Cherry Rum, add a bit of Grenadine and you have an adult version of a cherry-Coke.  And if you use a Diet Coke, you can even claim low-cal...

1 can of Diet Coke
2 ounces of CRUZAN Black Cherry Rum
1/2 ounce Grenadine

Mix well and serve over ice

Or for a special treat, put it all in a blender, with a cup of ice blend til you have a milkshake consistency.

So far, this is Jackie's favorite!

Girl Scout Cookie - the Drink

This drink recreates the taste of those addictive thin mint cookies the girls in green sell every year.  And does a really great job of it.  It is important to use clear Cream de Cacao, and not the brown.  The two taste the same, however the drink needs to be that pretty minty color of the deluded Creme de Menthe.

But I am ahead of myself... Here is the recipe...

1ounce Light CRUZAN RUM
1 ounce Creme de Menthe
1 ounce Cream de Cacao
1 ounce Half and Half

Tastes great chilled, straight up, or on the rocks

OR, for a frozen Girl Scout Cookie ... add 1 cup of ice and use your blender to achieve a milkshake consistency.

'Cause we all know that a thin mint cookie out of the freezer is best!

Pina Colada

It's the drink of legend... It's the drink of song and cheating spouses everywhere.

It is also among the easiest of all the tropical drinks to make...

Equal parts Pineapple Juice, CRUZAN coconut Rum and Cream of Coconut

I like 2 ounces Cruzan Coconut Rum
2 ounces Pineapple Juice
2 ounces Cream of Coconut

Blend... Can be served over ice, or add a cup of ice to the blender and use the ice crusher setting and blend till you get a milkshake consistency.

These are best sitting on your deck while you watch the hard working maintenance crew give the palm trees a trim.

ST John Spice CO and a BRAND NEW DRINK RECIPE!

Over the weekend, we took the ferry for the short boat trip to neighboring Virgin island, ST JOHN!  ST John is mostly a national park, but with incredible beaches, great places to hike, 4,000 wonderful residents and 400 asses in residence (There is a large group of wild donkeys roaming the park); St John is also a near perfect tourist destination.

The ferry drops you off at the only town on the island.  Bay side restaurants, jewelry stores, tee shirt shacks and one very special store (for me) greet everyone as you debark (disembark???) the ferry.

The ST JOHN SPICE CO is paradise in paradise... Shelves upon shelves upon table displays upon table displays of spices, teas, coffees, hot sauces, a few cooking supplies, coffee mugs, tee shirts and beach supplies.  But mostly, I was there to see the spices, and they did not disappoint.

What I really appreciated was the prepackaged spice mixes.  Grilling rubs and Jerk spices were a highlight for me and I certainly did not leave the island without them.

Their website... http://www.stjohnspice.com/  handles mail order for you land locked souls (and for me in 5 months and a week ;(

But also a really fun thing, they have the ST JOHN SPICE CAM set up.  So, you too can enjoy all the folks visiting the island.

And just in case you think I sobered up during my short little jaunt to ST JOHN, here is an original rum recipe for you.  We are naming this the...

DIRTY FERRY RIDE

in honor of our trip to ST JOHN.  The ferry was fun, very scenic, but it makes hourly trips to the island, so cleanliness was not it's priority.  Much like this drink.  It uses Cruzan rum cream, which makes the drink just a little dirty looking  It has cream to symbolize a smooooooth sailing (and a smooth drink).  It has a couple of kinds of rum to show add a sense of anticipation on what the new island mixture will bring.  And it has a banana because I like bananas...

Here's what I did...

2 ounces CRUZAN Rum Cream
2 ounces CRUZAN Coconut Rum
2 ounces Cream (I had a bit left, so I made a milkshake thick drink, "regular" milk would work as well)
1 banana

Mix in a blender and serve over ice for a cocktail

or add a cup of ice to the blender and serve as a frozen drink!

SHARK in the WATER!

I went to St John yesterday and had an adventure.  I went snorkeling with sharks!!!  This guy, that I was able to capture on film was about 5 feet long.

He was only a Nurse Shark, a bottom dweller that mostly feeds at night, so he is a rare sight among daytime swimmers.  But, a shark non the less!

So, in honor of my bottom dwelling new friend, I have an original drink...  I added a splash of grenadine, which gently floats to the bottom of the drink.  I made a frozen version (Ice in a blender makes a "milk shake" consistency drink) for myself, as well as an "on the rocks" version.

SHARK IN THE WATER

Equal parts and a splash.  Serve up, on the rocks or frozen...

2 ounces CRUZAN Coconut Rum
2 ounces Orange Juice
2 ounces Pineapple Juice
splash Grenadine

serve on the rocks, or combine in a blender with a cup of ice.  Use the ice crusher setting and blend.  If you do the frozen version, add the grenadine after the blending.

BANANA BOAT - Great Frozen Drink for the End of the Day-O

Name of the drink and the "real" name of the song...



This one is very easy, only 3 ingredients and ice...

2 ounces Cruzan Coconut Rum
2 ounces Milk
1 ripe Banana
1 cup Ice

Shove in a blender and mix!

It is best if you take these down to the beach and ponder if you should take sailing lessons...

Maybe tomorrow

PINEAPPLE PRINCESS - An Original Pineapple Rum Milkshake Recipe

My wife's drink of choice when we go out has become a Pineapple Rum and Pineapple Juice.  A simple 1 part rum to 3 parts juice drink any bartender can make.

But my beautiful princess deserves a bit better... how about a milkshake made with the same ingredients???

I did a long check through the internet, and could not come up with an exact match to this recipe, so I am claiming naming rights for this original recipe...

I have two beautiful Pineapple Princesses in my life.  Of course, my tropical island princess, Jackie deserves to have the drink named for her.  But my very first crush in the world back as a foodie child, Annette Funicello also deserves inspirational credit for this drink.

So, sit back, click PLAY on the Youtube video and imagine your own Pineapple Princess...

Jackie's Pineapple Princess
Milkshake

2 ounces Cruzan Pineapple Rum
1 ounce Cointreau (Orange flavored liqueur)
2 ounces Pineapple Juice
4 ounces Whipping Cream (thick rich shake, can sub whole milk, but my wife deserves the thick rich Cream)
1 cup Ice
Fruit for garnish

And blend away

So, while I was mixing the drink, was I thinking of my wife or of Annette???

Well, Annette gets the song and all the royalties and honors for that contribution to society... But my wife gets the credit for being my ...

Pineapple Princess

FROZEN MUDSLIDE - Famous the World Over

Since this features a coffee based Liqueur, I am thinking of starting to make these for breakfast everyday!

1 ounce Cruzan Rum
1 ounce Cruzan Rum Cream
1 ounce Coffee flavored Liqueur (I found a bottle of Patron Coffee Tequila!)
2 ounces Milk
1 teaspoon Chocolate Syrup
1 cup Ice

Everything in the blender and you may never go to Starbucks again!

Today, I recommend you put this drink in a plastic glass and take it out to your pool, overlooking your beach and the bay that feeds into the Caribbean Sea, with a view of St John in the background.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT - Strawberry/Orange/Mango Milkshake (just add the RUM)

I couldn't find a recipe, so maybe this is an original...  But like all these milkshake style drinks, very easy , just add a few flavors, some fruit and bingo bango MONGO - you are in for an AFTERNOON DELIGHT!!!

1 1/2 ounces Mango rum (would also work well with a coconut rum)
1 1/2 ounces Cointreau
1 1/2 ounces Half and Half
3 medium size Strawberries
1 cup of ice

Toss everything in a blender and enjoy!  You may need to add more ice to get the desired milkshake consistency.  Remember, it is important to get you daily serving of fruit!

A little controversy with this one.  Jackie loved it as listed.  Me, I added a whole peeled banana to mine to make a strawberry/banana/orange/mango milkshake...

Mine was better.

As always, drink on your deck overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  Or, take it down to the beach... after all, it is only 30 yards (this time next year, it will be 2,000 miles and 30 yards, but the drink will taste good in Kansas too).

FUNKY MONKEY - Having trouble getting the kids to eat fruit? Just add Rum and Chocolate!

It's a chocolate- Banana milkshake!!!  And it is very easy and would be great at a backyard party... I have got to set up a blender station in my backyard kitchen area... but I am digressing from the recipe...

1 ounce Gold Rum
1 ounce Creme de Banana Liqueur
1 ounce Creme de Cacao Liquerur
2 ounces Cream of Coconut Milk (comes in a can, sweetened)
1 ripe banana peeled (Yes, one entire piece of fruit, I am feeling very healthy this morning)
1 ounce chocolate syrup
Coconut Flakes (the sweetened ones from the package)
1 cup ice cubes

Combine everything in a blender and mix away!  If you need, add more ice cubes to the blender to get a milkshake consistency.

Serve on your deck looking out over the Caribbean Sea, with a view of St John and the British Virgin Islands, Have a tray of Blue Cheese and Apple slices handy, and just in case, take a bottle of wine out with you so you don't have to go back to the liquor cabinet and interrupt your Zen experience.

Coconut Banana Daiquiri

 

Booze is cheaper than the mixers here, so i am going to use my time wisely... That is, I am finally going to start mixing all those drinks I have heard about for years.  A couple years ago, I did spend a couple weeks at a bartender school (newly retired, thought why not?).  So, I know the mechanics, now it's time to learn the tastes...

And let's start with the famous adult banana milk shake.  A great little item to have on your deck while watching the boats in the bay at sunset...

You need a pretty good blender with this drink, something with an ice crusher attachment.

1/2 large Banana
2 ounces Dark Rum
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 ounces Cream of Coconut
1 cup ice

in a blender, add all the liquid ingredients, the add the banana.  Finally add the ice and puree smooth in the blender.  Add ice if need be to make a thicker shake.

It does indeed taste of an adult Banana Milk Shake!

Rum during our first week here

Cruzan Rum... made in the US Virgin Isles, We bought these two bottles 6 days ago. Best price I have seen is the $7.50 I paid for these.

Every night we enjoy a little cocktail on our deck.

Jackie likes the Pineapple in a little Pineapple Juice.

I like the Banana in some orange juice.

Look close for the two blue lines I marked the level we have drunk so far...

Not on purpose, but I guess I make mine stronger...

Good to be the bartender