dunderstruck

3/4 oz Jamaican Rum (1/4 oz each Smith & Cross, Rumfire, and Coruba)
1/2 oz Campari
3/4 oz Strawberry Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
6 drop Absinthe (St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large cube, and garnish with a pineapple leaf (omit).
(*) Imbibe recommended a 1 quart scale of each ingredient; they also did a 24 hour incubation of lightly crushed strawberries in the sugar. That seemed like too much and too long -- I wanted the drink now! So I made mine as a small batch using a microwave. I microwaved 3/4 oz sugar with 3-4 small frozen strawberries (3/4 - 1 oz) until it was boiling. I muddled, added 3/4 oz water, microwaved briefly to help dissolve the sugar, and fine strained. Made over an ounce which was perfect for a single drink here.
Two Fridays ago, I was tempted to finally make the Dunderstruck that appeared in Imbibe Magazine. The recipe was crafted by Matthew Roedel of The Public House in Bay City, Michigan, and it seemed like a winner since Campari and strawberries are an elegant duo such as in the Louanalao and Shrugroniz and both work well with pineapple juice. Once prepared, the Dunderstruck appeared as a rum funk nose with red fruit and bitter orange accents. Next, pineapple and strawberry mingled on the sip, and the swallow had funky rum melding into bitter orange flavors and ended with delightful tropical notes. Overall, the 6 drops of absinthe was a bit lost in the mix of strong flavors here but may have added to the brightness and complexity in the end.