Hi, Randy, I’m delighted that you enjoy Cold Glass. You’re right, it would have been good to get together before you headed west.

I remember once trying to carve a pineapple in a spiral. Made a terrible hash of it, and haven’t attempted it since. That glass is the Baccarat “Spin Tumbler.”

Anyway, I am a long time fan. We started writing at about the same time. We should have gotten together to trade ideas over a drink before I moved to Portland. The cocktail scene is really booming now in MN.

Cheers!

I’ve never met Jeff Berry to ask him that very interesting question, so I can only speculate that he was mainly trying to control the drink’s alcohol level. Berry does say in Remixed that he started out trying to emulate the flavor of Trader Vic’s Navy Grog, and that certainly guided his choices. More speculatively, the “original” Navy Grog, as served by the British and American navies, was not a particularly strong drink, and that may have partially guided the choice of rums, too.

I finally tracked down a bottle of El Dorado 12 but I’m curious why you think the recipe calls for “not the 151 kind” of demerara (from Ted Haigh’s book)? I think it adds just the right kick in the pants. I’m curious to see if the El Dorado changes things…

I’m delighted that you found Cold Glass, and even more delighted that the Ancient Mariner turned out to be just the thing. Thanks!

I finally acquired a bottle of Lemon Hart 151 and I can say I’m glad I was patient and waited. This drink is amazing. The grapefruit and the allspice are perfect together. I was looking for a refreshing cocktail to beat the heat yesterday and wanted something more imaginative than a gin and tonic and I remembered being interested in trying it. This is officially my new favorite summer drink.

Thanks. The Ancient Mariner reminds me of a streamlined Zombie, with the lime and grapefruit juice combination and the cinnamon notes of the allspice. I’ve only recently started making these, but already I can see why it’s one of your favorites.

Scot, I haven’t tried it, but I would think you could make an excellent drink just using all dark rum, or perhaps a rum that blends from various areas, and which may have a dose of Demerara included with other styles. (Banks, maybe?) Demerara syrup would give a hint of the original direction of the recipe. Definitely use what you have; while it may not be according to original design, it should turn out pretty good.