Who said tiki drinks are reserved for summer? I've featured winter cocktails for the bitter cold in the past, including Strike Gold (possibly my favorite of the season). But I want to sip something strong and fruity right now, transporting myself to a much, much warmer place.
I believe guava made its first appearance in On the Sauce when I made a cocktail for the Tampa screening of The Infiltrator. I wanted to spotlight an ingredient that screamed Florida — Cigar City, specifically — and was a less obvious choice than citrus. Guava's subtle sweetness and distinct flavor make it a great addition to your cocktail-mixing repertoire. Lucky for us, there's usually an abundance at the grocery store, as the fruit is available year-round.
While I like to use fresh, local and in-season ingredients whenever possible, sometimes I take shortcuts — like opting for store-bought guava juice instead of making my own. If you'd rather go for the latter, all you need is a blender, strainer, water and maybe some sugar to sweeten the juice to your liking.
For this week's recipe, rum is also essential, as is the case with many other tiki cocktails. However, we're using spiced rum to add an extra layer of flavor. The following drink has many layers, of course, but its beauty is in the balance. You can enjoy several of these, which is always my goal anyway, because getting half tipsy? Pffft.
Drink this to forget how damn chilly it is outside — or, if you're reading this long after it's published, in any sort of outdoor setting. As long as the temps are warmer.
Guava Gotta Be So Mean
Makes 1
3 ounces guava juice
1 ounce spiced rum
1 ounce coconut rum
2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
Juice of 1 lemon wedge
In a cocktail shaker filled two-thirds with ice, add all ingredients. Shake until well-chilled. Fill a rocks glass (or your go-to tiki glass) with ice and strain in cocktail. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Connect with CL columnist Chris Fasick on Twitter, or email him at cdfasick@gmail.com if there's a cocktail or recipe you'd like featured.
This article appears in Jan 18-25, 2018.