Tuesday, January 3, 2017

canton

2 oz Jamaican Rum (Coruba)
2 tsp Grenadine (1/3 oz)
2 dash Maraschino (1/6 oz Luxardo)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. A recipe in another Trader Vic book included a lemon twist (but I saw that recipe afterwards and thus did not have a garnish here).

Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for Trader Vic's 1981 edition of the 1946 Book of Food & Drink and spotted the Canton that was listed as a Trader Vic original. The recipe read like a rum Old Fashioned with the sweetener being a combination of grenadine and Maraschino seen in other drinks of that era like the Mary Pickford and the Champs-De-Mars Daiquiri. After the drink was made, I later found the recipe in Trader Vic's 1947 Bartender's Guide, and it included a lemon twist.
The Canton began with a nutty aroma from the Maraschino, a funk one from the Jamaican rum, and an allspice aspect from the bitters on the nose. Next, caramel, berry, and a hint of cherry filled the sip, and the swallow mingled funky rum, nutty, and clove flavors. Instead of an Old Fashioned, the drink reminded me of a rum Fancy Free with the pomegranate here taking the place of the Fancy Free's orange bitters fruit note.

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