The Planters Punch (Smuggler’s Cove recipe)

We couldn’t have a summer menu without some TIKI in the mix! The Planter’s Punch is a quick and easy tiki cocktail that can be made with either a blender or a cocktail shaker. The blender is the traditional way to make it, and there are cheap options that also make excellent milk shakes!

Rum is a tricky element in tiki, because the magic is found in the specific type and often (though not in this drink) in the combination of flavors. Stick with an aged rum for this one (not white, spiced, or (yikes) coconut!). The flash blend is also pretty straight forward here. Get all the ingredients in the tin, along with a bunch of ice that you smashed into a crushed state with your Lewis Bag and Mallet, and then pound that high button and run for 5 seconds. And then do it 1-2 more times. That will nicely mix and aerate the cocktail. Then simply open pour straight into your chilled glass and grab a straw (this one is VR Enabled!

Cheers!

3oz Jamaican Rum (appleton 12 year is nice)

0.25oz All Spice Dram

1oz Fresh Lime Juice

0.75oz Demerara Syrup

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Semi-Crushed Ice – best (and most enjoyable!) method is using a Lewis Bag and Mallet to create the ice, starting with standard cubes

Add all ingredients to a stainless steel cup (comes with blender)

Fill with semi-crushed ice (made with Lewis Bag and Mallet, see above)

Flash blend (4-5 second bursts, 2-3 times)

Open pour into a chilled highball or Zombie glass

Garnish with sprig of Mint (slap it to wake it up first)

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker

Fill with semi-crushed ice and shake for 10-12 seconds

Open pour into a chilled highball or Zombie glass

Garnish with sprig of Mint (slap it to wake it up first)

Source: Smugger’s Cove Recipe (also found in their great BOOK)

Greyhound (VR Enabled Cocktail**)

This is a super simple Spring/Summer cocktail. They key with any cocktail that is mostly juice is to do the hard work of juicing. There are juicers that can handle a grapefruit, but my best practice is just doing it by hand. Don’t use juice from a jug, no matter how “no artificial ingredients added” it says it is!

2oz Vodka or Gin

4oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice (juicing these sucks, so I use this bottle)

Lemon or Lime for garnish

Combine everything in a High Ball glass

Add ice and stir 15-30 seconds till chilled

Garnish with Lemon or Lime

Drop in your straw and put on your VR headset

Cheers!

**VR Enabled means you drink this with a straw

Source: MasterClass Greyhound Recipe

Tom Collins (VR Enabled Cocktail**)

It’s a classic. It’s easy. And since I discovered Old Tom style Gin, it’s the only way I would drink it. If you aren’t a big fan of the drier forms of gin (read: Beefeater London Dry style) you should definitely try out Old Tom Gin. It’s not a brand, it’s a style. My fav, at the moment, is Hayman’s Old Tom Gin. Stick with freshly squeezed Lemon Juice versus bottled, and you might consider making your own simple syrup as it is super easy to do. Just 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of water. Heat on medium till the sugar is totally dissolved (meaning the liquid is clear). Allow to cool and then put it in a glass container for up to a month in the fridge. I hesitated getting into the syrup making game, but now I’m all in since learning how easy it is to do. I’ll talk about Home-Made Grenadine somewhere down the road (spoiler – that red stuff in the Rose’s bottle is NOT grenadine).

2oz Old Tom Gin

1oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.5oz Simple Syrup

Top off with Sparkling Water (Lime La Croix is nice)

Add Lemon Juice to High Ball Glass

Add Simple Syrup

Add Gin

Fill glass to the halfway point with Soda Water

Add ice to fill the glass to the top

Top off with more soda water if needed

Garnish with Lemon Twist and optional Maraschino Cherry

Drop in your straw and put on your VR headset

Cheers!

**VR-Enabled means you should drink this with a straw

Source: Cocktail Explorer