Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Rum Cocktails

Storm the Beach

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Liquor.com
Liquor.com

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Updated 03/11/21
hand placing a bamboo straw in Storm the Beach, a cocktail served in a Tiki mug with flaming lime shell garnish

The Cocktail Club

Cocktails like the Mojito and Daiquiri give rum its refreshing reputation and often relegate it to a summer drink, one that is associated with sunshine and island locales. The reputation is deserved, but limited. Rums—and particularly aged rums—work just as well during winter. The flavorful sugarcane spirit is complex and versatile and can be combined with ingredients like winter citrus fruits and warming spices to create seasonal drinks even during the coldest months.

Storm the Beach hails from The Cocktail Club in Charleston, South Carolina. Bar manager Ryan Welliver puts an inventive spin on the usual rum cocktail by merging two types of rum with two types of citrus. That pairing receives a little sweetness from falernum and a spicy kick from an infused syrup made with cinnamon sticks and toasted cumin seeds, while a couple dashes of Tiki bitters lend additional complexity and balance.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Storm the Beach is affixed with a flaming lime shell garnish that is created simply by pouring overproof rum into a spent lime shell and setting it alight. Prepare for the resulting oohs and aahs of thirsty onlookers followed by their requests for you to keep the drinks flowing.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Hamilton 86 demerara rum

  • 1/2 ounce Plantation O.F.T.D. rum

  • 1/2 ounce falernum

  • 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed

  • 1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

  • 1/2 ounce cinnamon-cumin syrup*

  • 2 dashes Bittermens Elemakule Tiki bitters

  • Garnish: flaming lime shell

Steps

  1. Add the rums, falernum, grapefruit juice, lime juice, cinnamon-cumin syrup and bitters into a shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled.

  2. Strain into a Collins glass or Tiki mug over crushed ice.

  3. Cut a lime in half, squeeze out the juice of one half, set atop the drink, pour overproof rum inside the shell, and carefully light on fire.

*Cinnamon-cumin syrup: Toast 1 tablespoon cumin seeds in a sauté pan on medium-low heat until fragrant. Let cool, then grind into a coarse powder. Bring 2 cinnamon sticks and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan, and allow to boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add 2 cups granulated sugar and the toasted cumin powder, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Bottle and refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.