Q.B. Cooler

Don the Beachcomber’s 1933 Q.B. Cooler (inspiration for Vic’s 1944 Mai Tai)

Components

  • Falernum

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. gold jamaican rum

  • 1 oz. light puerto rican rum

  • 1/2 oz. demerara rum

  • 1 oz. orange juice

  • 1 oz. lime juice

  • 1 oz. falernum

  • 1 oz. honey syrup (1:1 honey:water)

  • 1 oz. soda water

  • 2 dashes bitters

  • 1/2 tsp ginger syrup

  • 4 oz. crushed ice

Directions

  • blend for 5 seconds

  • pour unstrained into double rocks glass and top with more ice

  • garnish with mint sprig

  • OR shake on ice, strain into highball glass filled with crushed ice

  • garnish with fruit and serve with straw

↓ This is a component-based recipe (fancy talk for making the dish in pieces, then assembling). ↓

Falernum

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. white overproof jamaican rum (Wray & Nephew)

  • 2-4 oz. lime zest

  • 40-50 whole cloves

  • 42.5 g ginger

  • 30 g blanched almonds

  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

  • 14 oz. demerara sugar

  • 7 oz. water

  • 0-2 oz. lime juice

Steps

  • skin and chop ginger

  • zest limes

  • chop and lightly toast almonds in a pan, toss regularly

  • add ginger, lime zest, almonds and cloves to a carafe or other sealed glass container

  • add rum to carafe and steep for 24 hours

  • create rich simple syrup using 2:1 demerara syrup to water

  • slowly incorporate sugar to water over low heat and stir regularly to incorporate

  • drain spice mixture through fine strainer or cheese cloth

  • combine spice mix, demerara syrup and almond extract and let cool