Scarlet Macaw

Shake Jamaican Rum, Dark Rum, Campari, Lime Wedge with ice. Strain into a rocks glass.

Inspired by both the Blackstrap cocktail and its early 2000s rendition, I set out to create something better. The original blackstrap version leaned too heavily on molasses, while the earlier iteration missed that depth entirely. Using Dave Arnold’s Morgenthaler improvement technique as a guide, I chose Coruba rum for its unique banana flavor and molasses notes, complemented by Planter’s Original Dark rum for complexity. I swapped simple syrup with raw sugar syrup, reduced the quantity, and added a touch of fancy molasses syrup to enhance spiciness and bitterness. Pineapple juice was cut back to avoid overwhelming other flavors. To emphasize the Jamaican rum's character, I initially used Giffard Banane du Brasil but found it too artificial. Instead, I opted for Cooked Banana infused Campari, which perfectly captured what I wanted in a Jungle Bird cocktail.

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