Coda

Lengthy aging (8+ years) lends some color and lots of flavor to the rum. Most often bottled as a blend of pot and column-distilled rums ('Blended' category). Varieties are available from all over the Carribean and the world.

A type of unaged rum made from fresh cane juice rather than cane syrup or molasses. Rhum agricole originates in the French Caribbean and has grassy and vegetal flavors that are key such drinks as the Ti' Punch and Port Au Prince. Classic recipes calling for Martinique rum are actually closer to today's Jamaican pot-still styles.

The second most common juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; 4% from citric and 2% from malic, with small amounts of succinic acid (this is what gives it a little bloody taste). Lime juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

Also known as pimento dram, this is an allspice berry flavored liqueur; from the pimento tree. You can make your own! Here is a recipe from Serious Eats: Measure out 1/2 cup whole allspice berries, then crush them in a mortar and pestle or grinder. Place the crushed allspice in a sealable glass jar with 1 cup rum, steep for 4 days, shaking daily. On day 5, add 1 broken cinnamon stick. Let steep for 7 more days, after 12 total days of steeping, strain out the solids through a cheesecloth. Make a syrup by combining 1 1/2 cup water and 2/3 cup brown sugar, heat until it dissolves then add it to the alcholoic mix. Let rest for an additional day, and enjoy!

This syrup swaps in golden-hued demerara or turbinado sugar as opposed to processed/bleached white sugar. This gives a deeper, almost caramel-like flavor with a funky molasses nose popular in tropical drinks. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

You know what eggs are. In cocktails, eggs are used for their foaming properties, giving the drink a rich and creamy texture. The eggs proteins form a 'net' that traps air and liquid extremely well; for this reason, drinks that contain eggs are shaken. They are also used for egg washing, a type of booze washing. Some cocktails use only the egg white (fizzes) and some use the whole egg or only the yolk (flips). There are common non-egg substitutes out there, check out insta-foam

The seed from an evergreen tree, used as a grated garnish in many cocktails. A must for egg-nog and egg-nog like drinks. In sufficent amounts it gives a numbing sensation.