Our friends, Pete and Pat, went to Bermuda every couple of years and would tell us about this rum drink called the Swizzle. They described it as fruity but not sweet, spicy without the heat, and so smooth that it set you on your bum before you could say, “Yes, I will have another.” Since we haven’t made it to Bermuda yet, this month the Swizzle Inn came to us.
The origin of Bermuda’s national drink dates back to 1932 when the Outerbridge family opened the Swizzle Inn. Needing a signature drink, they began with Gosling’s rum, blended it with Barbados rum, fruit juices, and falernum, a liqueur that contains ginger, lime, and almond, and frequently cloves and allspice. The cocktail was made in a pitcher and agitated enough to make it foamy. Over the years, the Swizzle has become a staple at establishments in Bermuda with each bartender putting their own twist on the drink.
Our first cocktail was made using the original Swizzle Inn’s Recipe.
Honestly, we were skeptical of how the falernum was going to play with the fruit juices. This drink was everything Pete and Pat described it to be. The cocktail went down so smoothly, with all the ingredients in balance, that the glass was empty before we knew it.
Next up was Gosling’s Recipe (from their website) using the falernum instead of grenadine. Here, the balance shifted to showcasing the two rums leaving the fruit juices behind. Cloves and ginger from the falernum were also more pronounced.
The CEO of Gosling, Malcolm Gosling, makes his own version of a Swizzle. The cocktail was good but we definitely missed the falernum. Be careful of the rum floater on the top. It will kick you when you get to the bottom.
It’s worth finding the falernum for this cocktail.
You can find it in the cordial aisle. We would also experiment with the gold rum as well. We’re not kidding when we say that the original recipe goes down so smoothly that you won’t know what hit you after a couple. Maybe that was Outerbridge’s plan all along.
Send your Swizzle recipe to editor@allatsea.net.
The first two recipes: Make in a shaker, shake until foamy, and pour over crushed ice.
SWIZZLE INN’S Rum Swizzle RECIPE
4 oz. Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
4 oz. Gosling’s Gold Bermuda Rum
2 oz. Triple Sec
2 oz. Bermuda Falernum or sugar syrup
5 oz. Pineapple Juice
5 oz. Orange Juice
Juice of 2 lemons
4 dashes of Angostura bitters
GOSLING’S Rum Swizzle RECIPE:
4 oz. Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
4 oz. Gosling’s Gold Bermuda Rum
5 oz. Pineapple Juice
5 oz. Orange Juice
¾ oz Grenadine or 2 oz. Falernum
6 dashes of Angostura bitters
MALCOLM GOSLING’S Rum Swizzle RECIPE:
1.5 oz. Gosling’s Gold Bermuda Rum
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
2 oz. Orange Juice
Splash of Grenadine
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Mix in cocktail glass, gently stir and float Goslings’s Black Seal Rum on top.
About Clint and Terry: We have sampled many a dram over our 33 years of marriage and quite often we don’t fully agree. Could be the difference is male/female taste buds. Or, somebody is just wrong.
