Don’s Own Grog

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.

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.

A commonly used syrup made from pomegranate juice, characterized by a flavour that is both tart and sweet, and by a deep red colour. Coming from the French spelling of pomegranate, 'grenade.' To make it yourself (don't buy it premade) combine 100% pomegranate juice (like the Pom Wonderful brand) with equal parts sugar by mass. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

A French liqueur made from blackberries, drank in cocktails or as an aperitif; 16% ABV.

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.

Often referred to as silver or white, these rums are actually lightly aged (1-3 years), but have had any color filtered out. They are typically molasses based (as opposed to the cane juice-based rhum agricole, clairin, or cachaça). Flavors range from light (Bacardi, Caña Brava, Plantation 3 Star, El Dorado 3) to more flavorful blended options (Probitas, Ten-To-One).

These rich rums get their dark color from added caramel, not necessarily aging. Flavors are caramel and brown-sugar forward. Common examples are Meyers's and Coruba (Jamaican) or Gosling's Black Seal (Bermuda). A key ingredient in many classic tiki-era cocktails.

A concentrated aromatic bitters made in Trinidad from water, ethanol, gentian and other herbs and spices; used in many classic cocktails like the Manhattan.

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.