carioca

1 1/2 oz Zaya 12 Year Gran Reserve Rum
1/2 oz Kahlua
1/2 oz Cream
1 Egg Yolk

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a wine glass and garnish with grated nutmeg.
Thursday after the Chartreuse Industry Night, Andrea and I took the Red Line part of the way home and caught a nightcap at Green Street. There, I asked bartender Derric Crothers to make me the Carioca off of the A-to-Z cocktail menu. I was drawn to it for two reasons: one, I had never had the Carioca before, and two, I wanted to try a cocktail with Zaya Gran Reserve which is a rather rich and spicy rum in the same league as Zacapa 23. The drink started with a coffee and nutmeg aroma, and the sip yielded a thick mouthfeel filled with creamy coffee notes in the middle. The rum's spice level was almost reminiscent of tequila; moreover, the egg yolk and cream did not smooth out all of the rough notes in the drink so it still had a rather pleasant bite to it.

I was able to find the Carioca in the 1972 but not the 1947 edition of Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide. There the Carioca is listed in the after-dinner drinks section as a brandy drink and not a rum one. The other major difference beside slight ingredient ratio variances was the garnishing with cinnamon which I have found to complement coffee flavors quite well. The cinnamon would probably work rather well with the spicy rum in Green Street's version as a substitute for the nutmeg.

Carioca
• 1 oz Brandy
• 3/4 oz Cream
• 1/2 oz Kahlua
• 1 Egg Yolk
Shake with ice and strain into a champagne saucer. Garnish with ground cinnamon.