Sunday, May 8, 2011

kingston fizz

1 1/2 oz Rum (Appleton V/X)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Allspice Dram
1/4 oz Pastis (or Absinthe)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Egg White

Dry shake without ice, then add ice and shake again. Add 2 oz of Coca Cola to a Fizz Glass (or other 8 oz sized glass), and strain shaker's contents over the top. Rinse ice cubes in shaker with 1/2 oz more Coke and strain foam on top of drink. Add straw.

For Mixoloseum's Thursday Drink Night two weeks ago, I decided to act on an idea I had been mulling over for a Fizz. About a month before, we were sitting at No. 9 Park talking to bartender Ted Kilpatrick. Ted had just made me his Angostura-heavy take on the Cuba Libre, the Mentirita, and we began discussing other ways the drink could be improved. One drink I mentioned was the Mandeville and how the touch of Pernod in the drink was quite complementary to the spice notes in Coca Cola beside donating a slight Tiki feel to the drink. Since Ted is a fan of egg white-laden Jerry Thomas-style Fizzes, such as his Morning Glory Fizz variation, I later thought of including an egg white into the drink. Actually the concept of a Coca Cola morning rejuvenator is close to my heart for Coke was my breakfast for a good part of grad school. Combining all of these elements together, I opted for a Jamaican instead of a Cuban direction with my version. When I needed a name, Colonel Tiki came to the rescue in the Mixoloseum chat room and proposed the name the Kingston Fizz.
In the Kingston Fizz, the anise notes from the pastis contributed to the Fizz's aroma. Next, the sip offered up a sweet caramel and lime flavor that was chased by a smooth swallow with a hint of spice. Indeed, the egg white took the rough edges off of this drink and made it into a delightfully easy drinking Fizz. Recently, there was an interesting article in the Washington Post about the Rum & Coke and Cuba Libre; there, D.C. bartender and author Derek Brown "dub[bed] the rum and Coke the drink of the shiftless, idle and indolent." Instead of being a wild party drink like the Rum & Coke, I could definitely see the Kingston Fizz being both a morning recooperative as well as a stylish way to celebrate a classic mixed drink during the other waking hours as well.

2 comments:

Dagreb said...

This may end up being the vehicle with which I test drive my own pimento dram.

frederic said...

Do remember it being tasty. The more I look at the recipe now, the more it reminds me of a Lion's Tail.