rum runner

1 1/2 oz Lime Juice
7/8 oz Blackberry Brandy (3/4 oz Marie Brizard)
7/8 oz Crème de Banana (3/4 oz Giffard)
5/8 oz Grenadine (1/2 oz)
3/4 oz 151 Proof Caribbean Rum (1 oz Don Q 151)

Blend with ice until smooth, and pour into a pint glass or Tiki mug (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice).

Two Thursdays ago, I turned to Beachbum Berry's Remixed and decided it was time to make a Rum Runner. I was first introduced to the drink name back in 2009 when I was visiting the Mixoloseum bloggers' house at Tales of the Cocktail, and Robert "RumScout" Burr entered the room demanded one. Despite the well-stocked bar, it could not be done and Robert replied, "What sort of bar can't make a Rum Runner?" I bumped into Robert 7 years later this year at Tales of the Cocktail and reminded him of that story, and he laughed and replied that it was his youthful enthusiasm that took over. So all these years later, I decided to finally figure out what this drink created circa 1972 by "Tiki John" Ebert at the Holiday Isle Resort in the Florida Keys tasted like. If I blended with enough ice to be smooth, the result would be a lot mellower in the flavor profile (as I learned from the Blender Bender this past May).
The mint garnish I added contributed aromas over the drink's banana-fruity nose. Next, lime and a vague fruitiness that was perhaps dark berries filled the sip, and the swallow offered rum and blackberry flavors with a banana finish. For a recipe that was allegedly cobbled together with bar leftovers, it did not turn out too badly. And a few days later, I revisited blackberry brandy in the 1937 Don's Own Grog so that ingredient does indeed have some history to it in the Tiki world.