cocktail review no. 7 - Barkis is Willing

I've bloviated frequently about cocktails which, in my opinion, have too many mixers in them, which obscure the flavor of the liquor upon which they are based. I believe I have now found a cocktail which has made me recant that view, or at the very least given me reason not to regret said obscuration.

1½ ounces light rum

1 ounce lime juice

1 teaspoon grenadine

½ teaspoon superfine sugar

2 ounces club soda

2 ounces ginger ale

1 orange slice

First, mix the rum, lime juice, grenadine and sugar in a shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Strain the results into a collins glass almost filled with ice cubes, top with the club soda and ginger ale, and garnish with the orange slice. (As always, all my recipes for drinks and cocktails come from Gary Regan's excellent reference book, The Bartender's Bible.) This is excellent stuff. It's fruity, yes, but it's damn tasty. The ginger ale, lemon juice, grenadine and sugar combine to form a singular flavor that create an overture for the rum's subtle undertones (even despite the fact that the rum itself can hardly be tasted in its own right). Thanks to the combined efforts of the ginger ale and club soda, the drink is pleasantly fizzy in addition to being flavorful. The orange slice provides just the right touch of extra sweetness. In all, it's an exceedingly pleasant experience, perfect for a warm summer evening...and people of all tastes in drinks.