hibiscus

1 1/2 oz Puerto Rican Rum (Don Q Cristal)
1 tsp Dry Vermouth (1/2 oz La Quintinye)
1 tsp Grenadine (1/2 oz)
Juice 1/4 Lemon (1/2 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass; I added a lemon twist.

Two Fridays ago, I reached for my 1948 edition of the 1947 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide and settled upon the Hibiscus that reminded me of a rum Scofflaw (minus the bitters). Since Trader Vic's later books are often more verbose, I turned to the 1981 Book of Food & Drink where Trader Vic commented, "You know, bartending is a lot of hokum. You leave out one ingredient, or put in another and give the thing a different name, and you've got a new drink. Or have you? Don't be fooled. This is just another version of the Cuban Presidente." The Cuban Presidente varies from El Presidente by having lemon juice in addition to the rum, curaçao, grenadine, and dry vermouth. This drink leaves out the curaçao from the equation though.
The Hibiscus greeted the senses with the lemon oil from the twist I added, and that flowed into lemon juice and the pomegranate's berry notes on the sip. Next, the swallow combined rum, dry herbal, and pomegranate flavors. Perhaps the Cuban Presidente would have added a bit more citrus complexity to the mix.