Monday, November 26, 2012

Rum Runner

Drinks that call for crème de banane had been far down on my list for a long time because the commercial bottlings available looked suspiciously like scented lamp oil. But in a moment of wild abandon, I ordered a Rum Runner with a friend while in Nevada and was ruined forever. It was a bubble gum flavored orgy of ecstatic perversion. “Banana! Banana!” I demanded, stamping my gorilla feet.

Luckily, it’s really easy to make crème de banane, as this Serious Eats recipe demonstrates. I pretty much just followed the recipe, waiting until my bananas were at the peak of aroma, and using Mount Gay Eclipse Silver for the base. I also add a few drops of vanilla extract for complexity. Worked great.

The Rum Runner recipe itself presented a few problems. All the ones I saw in my drink book library were blended. The ones my buddy and I got were made with bar ice. More importantly, they were made with things I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole if shopping for the house. How can you lose all dignity with a shelf full of only the good stuff? Well, that’s where we aim for the chopping block here at the old Fogged In Lounge. Below are a couple of craft Rum Runners that should toss you on the seas of dementia.


Rum Runner #1
  • 1 oz Bacardi 151
  • 1 oz crème de banane (homemade)
  • 1 oz blackberry brandy (Leopold Bros)
  • 1/2 oz grenadine (Small Hand Foods)
  • 1 1/oz lime juice
Shake with crushed ice and pour into a chimney glass or tiki mug.

This one was adapted from the original by “Tiki John” Ebert, as presented in Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log. I went with crushed ice and slightly rounded off measures. It makes a fine Rum Runner. For a solution of my own that captures something of my Reno insanity, try the next one.

Rum Runner #2
  • 1 1/2 oz Bacardi 151
  • 1 1/2 oz crème de banane
  • 1 oz blackberry brandy
  • 1 oz lemon juice
Shake with crushed ice and pour into a chimney glass or tiki mug.

If that seems like a lot of 151, maybe it is, but it sort of dries the whole thing down and you’ll feel like you’ve been to the casinos, for better or worse—probably both.

2 comments:

  1. Well, since I've made serious eats pimento dram I guess I have no excuse for NOT making creme de banane. I may sub for the Bacardi though. Stay tuned!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mount Gay Eclipse Silver is my favorite white rum, precisely for those sweet overripe banana notes.

    ReplyDelete

 
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