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New Appleton 8 Year Old Reserve

Appleton Reserve is the “middle tier” of Appleton’s mainstream rum brands, sitting in between the lightly aged Appleton Signature and the long aged Appleton 12 Rare Casks. It’s a longer aged rum but is still generally positioned as a mixing rum.

The new edition is an updated blend at 43% ABV (up from 40%) and confers a full 8-year age statement. As with all Jamaican rums, the age statement is the minimum number of years for the rums blended in the finished bottle.

I loved the old Appleton Reserve and it’s wonderful in a Pampanito cocktail from Smuggler’s Cove, and of course in a 1944 Mai Tai. But the new blend definitely is more suited for sipping. I’m tasting a bit more of the vanilla and caramel typically seen in rum aged in oak.

I’m really happy with the new Appleton 8 Year Old Reserve release.

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Lemon Juice in a Mai Tai?

It isn’t a state secret that Trader Vic’s often uses lemon juice in Mai Tais made with the Mai Tai Concentrate. The taste test is comparing a Mai Tai made only with Lime Juice and one made with Lemon and Lime.

¾ oz Lemon Juice (or Lime)
¾ oz Mai Tai Concentrate Mix
2 oz Royal Amber Rum
Shake with crushed ice and pour into glass
Squeeze juice of ¼ Lime Wedge
Garnish with wedge and mint.

Overall this was pretty close but the one with Lemon Juice indeed had a brighter overall taste and just a tad more balanced.

This tasted just like the “Trader Vic’s Mai Tai” from the restaurants.

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Fab Lunch from Trader Vic’s Emeryville

It was pleasant enough for lunch on the lanai, an Aloha Bowl and a Samoan Fogcutter. Both were quite excellent. I did some walking around admiring the tikis at Trader Vic’s.

The trip to Trader Vic’s was because I wanted to get a bottle of the Royal Amber rum, which comes in a 1 Liter bottle (compare to an older 750ml bottle of Trader Vic’s Dark rum). I’m going to do some taste tests with this, though the initial reaction is that this Puerto Rican rum has a bit of a navy style flavor. More on the Royal Amber rum later.

Aloha Bowl and Samoan Fogcutter
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Innovation Cocktail

We’re having Spirit Week at my company, Juniper Networks. So I submitted this for a Happy Hour event on Friday.

For those looking for something to prepare for Happy Hour on Friday, here’s an original cocktail with a uniquely Juniper theme. The yellow passion fruit syrup and the blue curacao liqueur should give you something close to Juniper Green, without the use of food coloring. The name is a play on words for a famous Gin-based cocktail, the Aviation.

This uses ingredients you can find in many mainstream liquor warehouse stores (e.g. BevMo). Of course the spirit (for Spirit Week!) has to be a juniper-forward Gin.

Innovation Cocktail by Kevin Crossman
1 ounce Passion fruit Syrup (or, passion fruit puree, such as Finest Call)
½ ounce Orgeat (or Almond Syrup, such as Toriani)
½ ounce Blue Curacao Liqueur
2 ounces London Dry Gin (I used Beefeater)

Shake with ice cubes and strain into a coupe glass or wine glass.

Cheers!

Innovation Cocktail