lapu lapu

1 oz Dark Rum (Coruba)
1 oz Light Rum (Uruapan Charanda Blanco)
2 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
3/4 oz Vanilla Syrup

Shake with ice and pour into a goblet (whip shake, pour into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with 2 pineapple leaves and a cherry picked together (mint sprigs and orange twists).

Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted Blair Reynolds' riff on the mid-century Chief Lapu Lapu that he posted on the B.G. Reynolds' Facebook page. To the classic, he had altered the rum amounts and citrus proportions as well as swapping the simple for vanilla syrup. Overall, I was intrigued by the passion fruit-vanilla combo that dates back to Trader Vic with the Ponch and Foul Weather and got a bit of notice with the more recent Porn Star Martini. The vanilla syrup here took the drink a step further away from looking like a gussied-up Hurricane.
Once prepared, the Lapu Lapu donated a mint, orange, passion fruit, and vanilla bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and orange mingled on the sip, and the swallow came through with dark rum, passion fruit, and vanilla flavors.