Trinidad via Kingston

Angostura bitters – and bitters in general – are used a dash or three at a time to add a little extra punch to a cocktail. Bitters don’t need to be used a few drops at a time, however, and you can use a lot more of the highly infused spirits if you want a cocktail with a more dramatic flavor. One example of this is the Trinidad Sour, a drink that we enjoy when we’re looking for something spicy to warm us up. Our Trinidad via Kingston cocktail is inspired by that bitters-heavy cocktail, but has a distinctly tiki twist to it.

The drink uses Angostura bitters along with both white Angostura rum and Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum. The white rum is smooth and helps mellow out the intensely spicy bitters – which have a strong allspice and cinnamon note that comes through when they’re used in a large quantity. The Smith & Cross (one of Nicole’s favorites) is an intensely funky Jamaican rum that is bursting with the flavors of overripe tropical fruits and molasses. It’s a rum that can overwhelm some ingredients, but works well with the bitters here. The cocktail also has a dash of lemon, lime and pineapple to brighten it up and balance out some its spice. On top of being delicious, the drink is a gorgeous deep red color, too.

We’re serving this in a large rocks glass with a wedge of orange, a cherry and a cocktail umbrella. If you’re using a Luxardo cherry for garnish, like we are here, you can add a barspoon full of the cherry syrup to your shaker. It won’t make the drink overly sweet, but it will add a hint of cherry that compliments the bitters and other fruits very well.

Trinidad via Kingston
1 oz Smith & Cross Navy Strength Rum
1/2 oz Angostura White Rum
1/2 oz Angostura Bitters
1/2 oz apricot brandy
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz orange juice
1/2 oz pineapple juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1 barspoon Luxardo cherry syrup (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker or mixing glass and fill with ice. Shake vigorously until chilled, the strain into a large rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with an orange wedge, cherry and a cocktail umbrella.