The main problem I have with today's drink, the Bacardi Cocktail, is that after the Aviation it is a significant letdown. There is nothing wrong with it, and I'd feel comfortable ordering it at a bar in some sunny place where I just want something cool and slightly inebriating.
There is also some interesting history: apparently during prohibition this drink, whether or not it was actually made with Bacardi, was insanely popular. The basic drink is just a daiquiri, which though delicious is rarely anything to write home about. Grenadine started to become popular on mainland America (the "pink" daiquiri), and the Bacardi name ended up stuck to the drink. The Bacardi family had earned a level of notoriety for producing rum for the Spanish court and then using the proceeds to fund Cuba's independence movement. They had enough clout on the US mainland that they convinced a New York appellate court in 1936 that the Bacardi cocktail could only be made with authentic Bacardi rum. It may still be illegal: I'd love to hear if anyone has ever ordered this and had it made with another rum.
There is also some interesting history: apparently during prohibition this drink, whether or not it was actually made with Bacardi, was insanely popular. The basic drink is just a daiquiri, which though delicious is rarely anything to write home about. Grenadine started to become popular on mainland America (the "pink" daiquiri), and the Bacardi name ended up stuck to the drink. The Bacardi family had earned a level of notoriety for producing rum for the Spanish court and then using the proceeds to fund Cuba's independence movement. They had enough clout on the US mainland that they convinced a New York appellate court in 1936 that the Bacardi cocktail could only be made with authentic Bacardi rum. It may still be illegal: I'd love to hear if anyone has ever ordered this and had it made with another rum.
Drink #4: Bacardi Cocktail
- 1.75 oz Bacardi light (Wiki recommended superior)
- 1 oz lime juice
- .5 tsp simple syrum
- dash grenadine
Shake with ice and strain.
The handsome man in the background is our friend Shamik, who was over and helping us taste. Since we'd already gone through a round of Aviations, we decided that this made an acceptable second drink.
I have has rum on my mind recently after having tasted a wonderful spread of rums last weekend. Now that I've has some more interesting rum, I'm more and more convinced that crossing the Bacardi family is necessary to enjoying this drink. We had some rums that tasted like scotch and smoke and some that tasted like candy. Some of the complex candy rums (Matusalem, in particular) would be delicious in this, as I bet a real Cuban rum would be (but, of course, we would know nothing about real Cuban rum).
Final Verdict
Boring with Bacardi, possibly tasty with something more complex
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