This weekend I felt creative and decided to tackle a couple of cocktail projects. In quarantine, I’ve been working my way through recipes and techniques in Death & Co’s two cocktail books. Since they are written by professional bartenders, I have challenged myself to try new things each week. My chemistry degree is handy for conversions, but not so much for technique. Since my husband went to the store for our twice-a-month shopping trip, we had some new ingredients in the house. As I surveyed the books, I decided to make the most of a 5.5 pound pineapple and create some pineapple cocktail recipes. I started with a pineapple infused rum.
There are literally hundreds of things you can do with pineapples. From pancakes to sorbets to jam, the list is endless. Since, I had five pounds of pineapple, I figured I could get at least two projects accomplished. One thing that’s been hard about not having people over is that we need to get through whatever I make. Since I like to make new cocktails, I want to make things that are versatile. I recently made a fresh strawberry syrup and used it in at least five different cocktails. So, I looked through my books, figured out what to do, and got to work. I picked one easy recipe and one that seemed more advanced.
Experiment 1: Pineapple-Infused Rum
I started with the easy recipe. The hardest part was deciding which rum to infuse. I landed on the aged, Cuban rum because it seemed like the best option for multiple drink recipes I had in mind. The process to make the infusion is very simple and starts with skinning and cutting up the pineapple. Since I was planning for two recipes, I started with the one that required the least amount of fruit. I cut the fruit into one-inch squares and measured out two and a half cups.
Luckily, I have two friends with the 850mL Crew Bottles that are perfect for projects like this. I picked them up from their front porches and got to work. (If you need any bottles for your cocktail or cooking projects, you can use COCKTAILS-AWAY for 10% off your order.) I added in the fruit first and then added 400mL of Havana Club 7 Year. The rum is full flavored and rich. Since pineapple has a strong flavor of its own, my hope is that it can handle more flavor without masking the rum.
The infusion takes five days. So, I labeled the bottle with washi tape and put the bottle in the fridge. If you’re making this, you need to shake the bottle once a day, or stir if you have in a different container. (Full transparency, I used up the rum before the date that it was technically “ready”.)
Pineapple Cocktail Recipe #1: Pineapple Mojito
This drink is as easy to make as the pineapple infusion. It’s light and refreshing. The perfect sipper for the summer or beach day.
Pineapple Mojito
Ingredients
- 2 oz pineapple-infused dark rum
- 1 oz lime juice
- 0.75 oz simple syrup
- 10 leaves fresh mint
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a shaker.
- Muddle mint leaves well with a muddler.
- Add ice and shake.
- Single strain into a glass with ice and garnish with mint sprig.
Pineapple Cocktail Recipe #2: Pineapple Jungle Bird
This cocktail is a very easy variation on a delicious classic, the Jungle Bird. The infused pineapple eliminates the need for fresh pineapple juice and is the most refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
Pineapple Jungle Bird
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz infused pineapple rum
- 0.75 oz Aperol (you can use Campari if you like it more bitter)
- 0.75 oz simple syrup
- 0.5 oz lime juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
- Double strain over ice in a rocks glass.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge or an umbrella.
And there you have a pineapple infused rum and two great cocktails to use it in. What are you planning to make? I’d love to know. And if you still have pineapple left over, head on over to this post and make yourself a grilled pineapple cocktail syrup. Cheers!
