blue mountain daiquiri

2 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Demerara Simple Syrup (1:1)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail or coupe glass. Flame an orange twist over the top and then dust with grated nutmeg and finely ground coffee.

On Monday night, we headed down to Green Street for Appleton Estate's Soul Shakedown Cocktails event co-hosted by Willy Shine of Contemporary Cocktails and Misty Kalkofen of Drink. We had previously met Willy when he was co-hosting another Appleton event at Eastern Standard last October. Shortly after arriving this time, Willy handed us a cup of the Little Monster Exotic Punch that he had whipped up. The punch was created by Erik Castro of Rickhouse in San Francisco and features Appleton rum matched with sherry, allspice dram, and lime juice:

Little Monster Exotic Punch
• 12 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
• 4 oz Drysack Oloroso Sherry
• 2 oz Allspice Dram
• 6 oz Lime Juice
• 4 oz Turbinado Syrup (1:1)
• 8 oz Club Soda
Combine in punch bowl with block of ice. Add soda water before serving and garnish with lime peel oil and grated nutmeg.

While Andrea spoke highly of the 12 Year Rum Old-Fashioned, I rather enjoyed the Blue Mountain Daiquiri that Willy made me. The drink name references the mountain range where the best coffee in Jamaica is grown, and the combination of coffee, lime, and rum lured me into ordering.
The Daiquiri had an amazingly robust coffee aroma aided by the spice notes of the nutmeg. The sip proffered a rich aged rum and demerara flavor that was countered by the crispness of the lime. Over time, the coffee was not just in the nose as the grounds infused their way into the flavor aspect as well. Overall, the drink was a little on the sweet side for my palate, but the recipe's flavor balance definitely agreed with me.