The Tippler: Demerara 1823

March 4, 2011

I am excited to introduce a new column here at The Year in Food! The Tippler is dedicated to cocktail culture, homemade bitters and liqueurs and the like, and the people who make it amazing. My pal James from Slow Club agreed to share one of his favorite cocktails for this, the inaugural installment. Thanks, James!

The drink’s name is in reference to an 1823 uprising in what is now Guyana. Upwards of 10,000 slaves from the region’s sugar plantations rebelled against the British in the town of Demerara. The rum he uses in the cocktail comes from the same town.

One of the things I enjoy most about James’ drinks is that they are always well-balanced – never cloyingly sweet or too heavy on the acids, and this is no exception. The Demerara 1823 is a cozy, late-winter kind of affair with a pleasing interplay of spicy notes and citrus. Bottoms up!

DEMERARA 1823
by James Goad, Slow Club

2 oz. of El Dorado 5 year rum (or any rum that’s aged 4+ years)
1/2 oz. maple syrup
3/4 oz. lemon juice
2 dashes creole bitters
2 dashes mulling spice bitters
1 egg white
1 mint leaf, garnish

Shake contents without ice (dry shake). Add ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into chilled coup glass. Garnish with sprig of mint. Enjoy!

by Kimberley

show hide 8 comments

LINK TO THIS POST

EMAIL A FRIEND

Andy - March 4, 2011 - 11:37 pm

Ah, you cheated! “Mulling spice bitters” is James’s secret code name for “distilled crack.” Or something. It sure ain’t googleable. Now everybody will just have to stop by and try to spy it out for themselves.

ps. Serious question (besides the secret bitters ingredient): what are the amber drops he puts on top to make the ivy pattern? More maple?

/andy “I coulda been a hand model”

kimberley - March 5, 2011 - 11:00 am

Ha! I promise it wasn’t on purpose! I will consult with our resident expert on the matter and get back to you. And the amber drops are the elusive mulling spice bitters, I’m pretty sure.

Vicky - March 5, 2011 - 11:45 pm

Ahhhh love. Nothing welcomes the weekend more openheartedly than a delicious cocktail. Can’t wait to see what cool new ‘moxology’ type drinks you’ll feature next!

Mika - March 6, 2011 - 12:04 am

Five years ago I attended a class to become a bartender…That was really funny but I never worked as bartender, such a pity…
I wanted to do something like that in my blog too, but I’m really happy to read that you made it first…I don’t have bartender friends to help me to write the true…

Tricia - March 6, 2011 - 3:24 pm

That’s a sexy little number—may have to introduce that baby to the east coast!

kimberley - March 6, 2011 - 10:51 pm

@Vicky: Indeed! I’m pretty excited to call on the talents of the people I know for inspiration in the cocktail department. Stay tuned. :)
@Mika: Even though you never worked as a bartender, I imagine you’d still have the skills to make a mean cocktail.
@Tricia: Do! It was a knockout drink.

kickpleat - March 13, 2011 - 11:21 am

Man, I really enjoy a good cocktail and this one looks like a winner! I’d love to see a recipe for some homemade bitters too because my Fees Bros habit is getting out of control. I remember having a great cocktail in Seattle that had an “allpsice dram” which to me seems like it could have been another word for bitters – but then again, I have no clue! Anyway, I love egg white in a cocktail and I’d love to make this with some bitters-improvising!

kimberley - March 14, 2011 - 9:53 pm

@kickpleat: Bitters are high on my list to make and you just bumped it up a notch! Glad to hear the interest is there. I too am a huge fan of egg white in cocktails. (Which I find amusing, because there seems to be no other context in which I’ll consume raw egg willingly. Ha!)

The Year In Food » Fine Seasonal Eating

The Tippler: Demerara 1823

CONNECT: