Don Q: Flor de Encanto

Don Q annually hosts a cocktail competition in conjunction with the USBG, and this is my first year participating (I joined too late to participate last year).  Our competition is on Sunday, and so I thought I'd share my entry.  Don Q rum is from Puerto Rico, and they ask competitors to showcase the spirit of the island in their cocktail in some way.  The state flower of Puerto Rico is a type of hibiscus, so I used that as my base idea.  Once I nailed down the recipe, I was lost on a name.  I thought a great idea might be to look into some of the folklore, and I came across the legend of Guanina--a star-crossed lovers sort of story.  I decided on "The Enchanted Flower" (also fitting, as the nickname of Puerto Rico is "Isle of Enchantment").  Then, seeing as how I work with a girl from Puerto Rico, she helped me translate the name.  The dash of cinnamon is a nod to the Spanish history linked with the island, as the Spanish were (of course) quite into the spice trade.

Flor de Encanto

Glass:  Large cocktail

Garnish: Dash of ground cinnamon

Method:  Shake and Strain

Ingredients

1.5 oz Don Q Gold rum

.25 oz Fruitlab Organic Hibiscus liqueur

1.5 oz Fresh Orange juice

.25 oz Fresh Lime juice

.75 oz Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio)

Shake with ice and strain into a large cocktail glass.  Garnish with a dash of cinnamon over top and enjoy! 


And, as a little bonus, some photos from the competition:

 

Siren's Song

Okay...working on this whole "making up for lost time" thing, and posting my second blog this week!  This came around when I decided that me not particularly caring for spiced rum meant that I needed to practice mixing with it.  People who like spiced rum seem to have approved of the result (and so do I, actually...I surprisingly enjoyed it thoroughly).  

The name for this one came around when I decided it needed to match the cocktail and be simultaneously feminine (it uses elderflower liqueur) and nautical (Sailor Jerry rum), with a little bit of evil implied.  Apparently that was an appropriate thought, because the first person who ordered it told the server "You need to tell your manager that this one needs to come with a warning!  It could be dangerous!"  Perfect!

Siren's Song
Method: Shake and Strain
Glassware: Large cocktail
Garnish: Dash of cinnamon

Ingredients:
1 oz Sailor Jerry spiced rum
.5 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
2 oz Fresh squeezed orange juice (seriously...using oranges makes all the difference)
.25 oz Simple syrup
3 dashes Regan's orange bitters

Add all ingredients to mixing glass and shake well with ice.  Strain into glass and garnish with a dash of cinnamon.  Enjoy!

For anybody unfamiliar with the Sirens (most known and remembered through Homer's Odyssey): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren