Sunday, June 1, 2014

Swilling the Planters


We have a tradition in my demense of picking a drink each summer to be served throughout our brief but glorious summer season.  This season we have two candidates currently vying .

Bumbo

The first, also known as Bombo or Bumboo, was popular with pirates and colonial politicians.  George Washington's papers state that he used 160 gallons of rum to treat 391 voters to bumbo during his campaign for the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758.  It was so popular in colonial electioneering that the practice of rewarding voters was known as "swilling the planters with bumbo".

2oz rum (amber or dark preferably)
1oz chilled water
2 sugar cubes
Up to 1/4 tsp cinnamon to taste
Up to 1/4 tsp nutmeg to taste
1/2 tsp Grenadine
splash and garnish with lime

Surprisingly, despite the Christmasy ingredients, this goes quite well in the summer heat, although you may wish to consider that summer 'heat' in my neck of the woods is somewhere in the 70's.

Papa Doble

This drink was supposedly the favorite of Ernest Hemmingway from the El Floridita Bar in Havanna, hence its other name... the Hemmingway Daquiri

2 oz Agricole Rum (can substitute Cachaca)
1/4 oz Maraschino Liquer (no, not the juice from the cherry jar)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/4 oz grapefruit juice
Shake with ice, strain and serve.

What are you drinking this summer?

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