Mixology Monday LXIV: Tiki!

Yeah, I've missed out on a few MixMos lately, but there was no way I could skip this one. Doug over at The Pegu Tiki Blog has declared that in conjunction with Tiki month, it would also be the theme of this month's Mixology Monday. So I present to you further evidence that rum and tequila can play nice together.

The Ahau's Dram
1.5 oz añejo tequila
0.5 oz Demerara rum
0.5 oz lime juice
0.5 oz orange juice
0.5 oz honey syrup
0.25 oz orgeat
0.25 oz allspice dram
1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients with a handful of cracked ice, blend for five seconds and pour unstrained into a chilled rocks glass with more cracked ice.

This drink began as a fairly simple adaptation of the Three Dots and a Dash, as the vegetal flavors of tequila have some passing resemblance to those of rhum agricole. In this drink I went with Sauza Hornitos Añejo, which is a totally respectable and relatively inexpensive añejo tequila. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it toes a nice line between tequila funkiness and more subdued barrel flavors. With a nod towards Jim's Special, I subbed out the falernum for orgeat to help bridge the rum and tequila. Lastly, in keeping with the fact that this is a slightly lighter drink than the original, I went with El Dorado 5 Year rum rather than the heavier ED12 or Lemon Hart 80. ED5 is nice and fruity while retaining a lot of the classic Demerara rum flavors.

The opening sip is surprisingly dry, with hints of orgeat nuttiness, leading into the fruity notes of the Demerara rum. This segues into a burst of lime and orange, followed by the spices of the Angostura bitters and allspice dram, then finishes with the vegetal agave flavors of the tequila. Amidst all of that, the honey works its magic to smooth everything out. In a sense, this opens like a rum drink, but finishes like a margarita.

Once again, thanks to Doug for hosting this month and a good MxMo to all!