Years ago, my friend's parents were cleaning out their liquor cabinet and gave me the above -- Ermita Ron Escarchado (translated to Ermita Frosty Rum). Holy crap, this stuff is good.

Ecarchado is liqueur enriched with sugar by putting an aniseed branch inside. Sugar than pulls itself out of the liqueur and crystallizes around the sprig and the base of the bottle, which ends up creating a thicker, more sugary liqueur. In the words of my friend, the rum becomes "viscous sh*t." (In the good way.)

The two main types of escarchado, after searching the web, seem to be the ron/rum variety and the anisette variety, although I've also seen brandy listed occasionally. It's not the easiest thing to find (if anyone finds it in Canada, please let me know), but can be scored in the states through sites like this, and much more readily in Europe.

They call New Orleans the Big Easy, but yesterday was big, but not easy, as I spent my first full day here, prior to the start of Tales of the Cocktail. I am one of the 24 judges for the 2008 Ministry of Rum Tasting Competition, a strict rum judging event coordinated by the Ministry of Rum at Tales. There was a long list of people who were considered as judges for this event and Ed Hamilton, the head of the Ministry, spent several weeks winnowing down the list to some of the top rummies around.

We met at the famous Arnauds restaurant for the event. As we chatted before the judging began it soon became evident just how knowledgeable this crew was. Rum distillers, importers, writers and bloggers, and of course rum collectors. I thought I had a nice collection of spirits with over 500 bottles, of which around 100 of them are exceptional rums. I've given away more than that of mediocre rums over the past year or three, saving just the best. One of my fellow judges has over 800 top of the line rums in his collection. The least of which makes my best look like a cheap $1.99 pint of generic white rumbullion. When you have pre-embargo Cuban rums and rums over 100 years old in your collection you're on a different level of connoisseurship than I. I just want to try some little 1/4 ounce sips of a few dozen of his collection one day and I'll be happy. Just the thought has me drooling like a drunk.

. . . and I know a few of you do during the dog days of summer, here's an alternative to that ubiquitous coconut libation.

The original Painkiller has its genesis in the wonderfully named Soggy Dollar Bar, on the island of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands. Since there is no dock for sailors to tie up to, they are forced to swim to shore. Of course, the money gets wet so the proprietors had the novel idea of stringing up a clothesline to air-dry the money. So there you have it, the Soggy Dollar Bar.
The owner, a British expat named Daphne Henderson, became locally famous for a cocktail she dubbed The Painkiller. Though it's recipe was kept secret, the rum she used has it's own interesting back-story.

Looking for a good, slightly boozy way to beat the heat? If so, consider checking out the Mojito Granita recipe that Rob at the Foo(d) Bar Blog has concocted. He'd been considering making one of the granita recipes featured on NPR last summer, but an overgrown backyard mint patch convinced him that he needed to devise a way to use what he had. Thus the Mojito Granita was born.

He cooked up a simple syrup that he infused with several sprigs of mint, mixed that with freshly squeezed lime juice, rum and chopped mint leaves and froze it in a glass baking dish (although metal is preferred). As it spent time in the freezer, he'd stir it every so often to ensure that it didn't become just one giant ice cube. Head over and check out the full recipe (which is accompanied by a series of step-by-step pictures).

I've never made granita myself, but I do have a big bunch of mint sitting on my kitchen counter, even as I type. I may have to devote some of that mint to making this recipe for myself. Thanks Rob!

Here is the recipe from Pairings Food & Wine Education Center, and Chef Robert Waldron, of Pairings Coconut Ice Cream with Warm Rum Glazed Pineapple, mentioned in Chapter Five of "Diary of a Distiller."

Coconut Ice Cream
Chef Robert M Waldron

Ingredients

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 quart Half & Half
2 cans coconut cream
1/2 Tbs vanilla extract
1 (15 oz avg) bag coconut flakes, 3 oz. reserved for toasting.

tools
ice cream maker
measuring cups and spoons
plastic containers
large whisk or slotted spoon
cookie sheet
candy or instant read thermometer
parchment paper
lg sauce pot

In a heavy bottom sauce pan combine the cream, Half & Half, and canned coconut cream and heat to 170'F over med/ med-high heat. Stir more frequently as you approach the 170'f mark. Do not Boil
At 170'F you may see a bubble or two, remove from heat and add vanilla extract and 12 ozs. of the coconut flakes.
Let mixture cool enough to work with and transfer to a large plastic container and refrigerate overnight.
The next day the coconut flake will have risen to the top and be "locked" into the coconut fat, break the fat and flakes into large pieces and pulse in a food processor a few times, this will give a creamer texture. Depending on the size of your work bowl you may want to do this in 2 or 3 small batches. This can be messy so use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl.
Combine the processed coconut cream and flake back into the rest of the chilled batter.
Follow the manufacturers instructions for your ice cream machine, making sure you don't overload it.Patience is key, will be rewarded. the ice cream should make a soft serve consistency initially, store in the freezer for a couple hours to firm up.

Pre-heat your oven to 350'F and place a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil down on a cookie sheet.
Spread the 3 ozs. of reserved coconut flakes over the foil, thinly.
Place in hot oven, watching carefully, and brown to a light gold, rotate pan once every 3-4 minutes. Do not over cook. It is better to pull it out a little early since it will continue to brown for a minute or two after being removed from the oven. Just keep an eye on it and you'll be rewarded with golden coconut flake to top your delicious ice cream.

The recipe for the Rum Glazed Pineapple is after the jump.

Though I drank a lot of root beer years ago, these days all of my soda needs are taken up by Diet Coke and Pepsi (yes, I have someone learned to love both of them). But icy cold root beer can hit the spot on a warm day. I have to admit I've never had it with alcohol involved.

But AOL Food has the recipe (from DrinksTV) for Hard Root Beer, which is basically 8 ounces of root beer and 2 ounces of spiced rum. Pretty simple and delicious-sounding (unless, of course, you don't like root beer and/or rum, I guess). Some people, however, think the amount of rum should be kicked up a notch. This one calls for some experimentation.

Know what gives a Mai Tai its signature sweet, or what morphs a Martini into a Gibson? Just wanna know a dram more about mixology? We've got the quiz for you.

There's an exceptionally steep curve when it comes to spirits savvy, so we're just hoping there's a li'l something in there to quench everyone's thirsts. Take the quiz and c'mon back to gloat or glower.

Cocktail Ingredients Quiz

Nothing signifies late spring/early summer better for me than to see a bartender muddling mint for a cocktail. The light, clean flavors of mint bring a certain delicacy and refreshing quality to a drink, whether it be in the iconic Mint Julep, the omnipresent Mojito or any number of classic or new creations. On a hot summer day, nothing beats a cocktail elevated with the crisp flavor of mint.

Given its fragility, mint is an easy herb to abuse. I've been to a number of bars and home parties where the bartender or host absolutely punish the mint, leaving a bitter, limp cocktail that loses all its intended charm. Truth be told, a great Julep or Mojito is harder than you'd think. Personally, I struggled for a long time with mint cocktails, simply because, like most people, I didn't understand what I was dealing with.

I've never been one for cocktails with a lot of fruit flavor. The sweetness of many of these drinks gets to me after a while.

But this one sounds both refreshing and strong (though not too strong) and seems like a perfect drink for spring. It's the Blueberry Smash. You have to muddle blueberries and mint leaves. I'm not sure I've ever muddled anything, but it's one of my favorite words. Muddle! Full recipe after the jump.

Pusser's British Navy Rum is 42% abv. / 84 proof. Pusser's was the official rum of the British Navy. From 1655 until 1740 sailors were issued their ration, called a 'tot' of a pint a day, with a double tot before and after battle. Then the tot was cut to 1/2 a pint a day and then it was mixed with water, and sometimes sugar and lime juice, to make grog. it wasn't until July 31, 1970 that the British Navy finally stopped issuing a daily tot to their sailors. The brand went out of business for a few years and then an enterprising business man bought the recipe and started production of Pusser's rum for the general public in 1979, for which I'm grateful.

The color is a lovely medium coppery gold. The aroma is full of caramel, tropical fruit, floral note, hints of baking spices and faint peppery notes, and sweet and dry comes through. I really like the aroma of Pusser's and I can just sniff it for minutes on end.

The taste is a semi-dry melange of everything in the aroma, caramel, tropical fruits, spices, and more. Complex, long finish, aromatic, yum! I keep a stainless steel hip flask full of Pusser's for when I go out tobogganing and on long winter walks to keep the chill off. I wish I could track down some of the other Pusser's rums to try. Until then I am making do with some of their t-shirts and their colognes.

Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole is 45% abv. / 90 proof from the Depaz Estate on French Martinique. I have been trying to locate Depaz for quite awhile and finally a friend gave me one tiny little 50 ml. mini-bottle. But I'm not greedy, that's all I need for quite a few sips.

The color is that of light, fresh hay. The aroma is lush, earthy, and redolent of fresh crushed sugar cane. just from the aroma I can instantly tell that not only is it a rum agricole made from fermented cane juice and not molasses, but that it is from Blue Sugar Cane. Every other rum agricole that I have tried made from the Blue Cane has had a similar aroma. It is unmistakable. Add on hints of toffee, grassy and herbaceous notes, followed by tantalizing tropical floral tones. I instantly fell in love with the aroma of this rum.

The taste is dry, earthy and herbaceous, full and intense, spices follow along quickly, almost too much to grasp. Stretching out into an exceptionally long finish that continues to cycle through different flavor notes.

This is a fine sipping rum for when you want to relax and focus on your drink. Dry as can be, full flavored, straight in a snifter or on the rocks. It's even better than I had expected. This is another rum that I am anxiously hoping to have the chance to try more in their lineup.

Cockspur Bajan Crafted 12 Year Old Rum is 40% abv. / 80 proof and made in Barbados. It is made from a select blend of the oldest rums reserved at the Cockspur distillery. The color is a pronounced coppery gold that grabs your attention immediately.

Just like the color, the aroma grabs your attention forcefully. Not overwhelmingly strong, but deep and aromatic. it starts dry and then develops a dash of sweeter notes. Complex as I have ever experienced in an aged, molasses based rum, and like it's baby brother the Cockspur Five Star, unique and unusual in the nose. This is one of those spirits which I had to keep thrusting my nose into the glass and smell deep and say to myself, "What the hell are those spices? What's happening here!" So much is going on that I was completely confused at first. Mace, banana, cinnamon (not cassia), dark toasted brad, sweet purple plums, fine molasses, bourbon, hints of vanilla that became stronger over time, and a woody oakiness that balanced it all.

The taste is light, dry, and fine. This is definitely a sipping rum meant for a snifter or on the rocks. Mixing this with anything would be a shame, no a crime. The flavors are those of the aroma but muted, a dash of water or on the rocks brings them out more, but it still stays nicely dry with just enough sweetness in the background to keep it from being too dry. this is a rum for when you want something elegant, without it being too overwhelming. A perfect after dinner dram to wind down a long day.

Rum, Rhum, Ron, Cachaca, Aguardiente... The Rum family is a large one. The only thing you can say they have in common is their ancestry. They are all descended from Great Granpa Sugar Cane in one way or another. Sugarcane juice, sugar cane syrup, or molasses (which is a by product of cane sugar manufacturing) are the only things that rum may be made from.

Rum first came about back in the days soon after the discovery of the Americas. Sugar cane was imported and planted and the processing of sugar from its juices began. Molasses, a byproduct of sugar manufacturing was either thrown away or used as fertilizer when some slaves drank some of the waste molasses that had been sitting in the sun and rain for a few weeks ad had fermented into a sweet/sour 'beer' that was highly flavored but only mildly alcoholic. first only slaves drank this crude 'rum beer' but it came to the attention of the plantation owners and soon they started playing around with distilling it and rum was born. By 1651 it was already in widespread production and documents from Barbados, what may be the home of rum, show that 'rumbullion' aka 'kill devill' as it was known, was a fiery and cheap spirit.

Over the years rum came to be made wherever sugar cane was processed into sugar. Every sugar cane plantation also became a rum distillery as a way to make money off of the waste products. Soon more care was used during the process and fine rums were being made. The high temperatures, fast fermentation, long aging in barrels, and other factors of the tropics made rum become a spirit unique from any others being produced. The intense flavors were so different from the other spirits of the time like cognac, fuller and sweeter.

Cockspur Five Star Rum is 40% abv. 80 proof and is made in Barbados. The color is a light yellow gold. The aroma is full, dry, and strong up front with up front spices and warm honey tones. It is absolutely delightful and unique from many other rums I have tried. A soft, sort of a sweet, almost cognac aroma develops as it opens up with light hints of clove, allspice, and mace. Finally just a wee dash of fine molasses peeks through pleasantly. The Cockspur Five Star has a most engaging aroma without being overwhelming.

The taste follows the nose. Dry at first with a hint of sharpness, that rapidly warms up on the tongue, with the slight spices and a touch of sweetness coming through. This develops slowly on the tongue over the long, slow finish. This rum is in the light amber/gold range in taste and would be suitable for premium cocktails, or plain in a snifter or on the rocks when you want a spirit that is more on the dry vs. sweet side. I look forward to trying some of their other products.

Rhum J.M Agricole Blanc is 50% abv. / 100 proof white rum agricole from Martinique in the French West Indies and an Applelation d'Origine Controlle Martinique rum. Agricole comes from the term agriculture, meaning it is made not from molasses that is fermented and distilled, but from fresh squeezed sugar cane juice that is fermented into sugar cane wine called vesou and then distilled. This makes a much dryer style of rum similar to a fine brandy. This white rum is aged for a period of time to smooth it out, but not to pick up excess color or flavor and is crystal clear.

The aroma is a pleasant and warm earthy tone with hints of woodiness, herbaceous notes, lemon zest, and many more complex aromas with floral themes, some of which for some reason make me think 'Blue", I know not why. The taste starts off delightfully tart on the tongue and then warms up to a delightful woodiness, hints of musk, citrus, and like the aroma complex floral arrangements. It has an exceptionally long and pleasant finish. I thought with its higher strength there might be a burn while sipping but I was pleasantly surprised.

Rhum J.M Agricole Blanc is a premium rum that is that rare thing for a white rum. One that can be pleasurably sipped from a snifter, served on the rocks, or used to make a fine cocktail. I tried making mojitos and daiquiris and several other white rum based cocktails and was very pleased how its unique flavor both blended well, but showed through in the finish.