killdevil cocktail

1 1/2 oz Old Monk Rum
1/2 oz Spiced Molasses Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1 dash Fee's Old Fashioned Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass. Top with Clownshoes Lubrication Black Ale.
(*) Equal parts molasses, brown sugar, and water. Spiced with star anise, clove, allspice, and cinnamon.

Two Wednesdays ago, Andrea and I went down to Trina's Starlite Lounge for dinner. To accompany my meal, I tried their most recent beer cocktail after enjoying both their Word to Your Mom and Beer Sangria. Moreover, this most recent one, the Killdevil, got some press in the current issue of Beer Advocate Magazine. The name is a reference to one of the old slang terms for rum, and the recipe is distinct from Green Street's Kill Divil.
On the nose, the Killdevil presented molasses, beer, and cinnamon aromas. The molasses continued on into the sip along with the beer's dark roast, sour malt flavor, and carbonation. Next, a rum and hops swallow finished with ginger, allspice, and clove notes. When I later inquired about the spiced syrup with bartender Beau Sturm, I had correctly identified all of the elements except for the star anise.