Street Meat

Sean Frederick

Song: "All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie

Song choice rationale:
THE SONG: Lionel Richie's smooth tribute to the joyful rhythms and late nights of the Jamaican street scene. The track features a dialectical chant that was coached by the Jamaican gynecologist of Mr. Richie's wife. Seriously.

THE DRINK: My tribute to the smokey, spicy, jerk meat available from Jamaican street vendors that fuels dancing in the streets... all night long.

THE SENTIMENTAL CONNECTION: Lionel Richie's "All Night Long (All Night)" was the first musical recording ever owned by Sean Frederick, a 3-year-old who promptly put it into heavy rotation on his Fisher-Price record player.

Recipe:
2 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz pineapple juice
.25 oz pimento dram
.25 oz falernum
.25 oz ginger-demerera syrup
1 dash chili sauce
.25 Del Maguey Vida mezcal

Build all ingredients except for mezcal in vessel and pour mixture into collins glass filled with crushed ice. Swizzle. Float mezcal; garnish with mint and fresh-grated nutmeg.

Cocoa Exchange

Logan Lavachek

Song: Brown Sugar by Rolling Stones

Song choice rationale:
This has always been one of my favorite tunes. I love the Stones, and - not unlike most of their other songs - while the lyrics have a deeper and sometimes very serious meaning, the group has a way of coming of as a fun rocker tune simply about sex, drugs and rock & roll. What could be better? By the same token I find that while Appleton Estate Reserve is by many standards a wonderful sipping rum... it is great to have fun with in cocktails. Brown sugar (quite literally) is an obvious pairing with such a fantastic spirit. My housemade cacao brings out the cocoa and vanilla notes of the Reserve. I was inspired by the Twentieth Century Cocktail, and wanted to deepen the palate of that fun combination with the Reserve and addition of orange zest and bitters. Watch out ;) Brown sugar, how come you taste so good!?

Recipe:
2 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz Logan Lavachek's housemade cacao liqueur (vanilla bean and cocao-nib... recipe available upon request)
1-2 dashes Angostura orange bitters
1 1/2 oz Appleton Estate Reserve
Garnish: orange zest

Feel (Can't Explain)

Stephanie Clarkson

Song: Solid Bond in Your Heart by The Style Council

Song choice rationale:
The song chose the drink. I had nothing to do with it; I started out wanting to make a long cold rum drink for Style Council's Long Hot Summer, and then I took one sip for this, and it....wasn't the right drink. But I really liked it. So I listened to the band some more, and sipped, and just felt it was right when I heard the opening 'Feel is a word I can't explain'...I knew this was this drink.

Recipe:
3 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve
1/2 oz white Curaçao
1/2 tsp bar sugar barspoon orgeat
The white of one fresh egg

Dissolve the sugar in the Curaçao, and add the Appleton Estate Reserve, orgeat and egg white. Shake for 90 seconds, to get a velvety foam texture. Serve in a chilled coupe glass (or cocktail glass...but I do so love the champagne coupe). If so inclined, increase the tikiness by grating cinnamon on top.

Flaming Hysteria

William"English Bill" Codman

Song: Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard

Song choice rationale:
I went straight to this song because of its use of sugar, the source of rum, in the title, plus it is TOTALLY awesome. It has a great up beat feel that definitely makes me want to drink. But like the over the top ridiculousness of the 80's, I wanted to channel the Rock n Roll feel in a cocktail. I translated the lines "I am hot, sticky and sweet", into a spiced tiki cocktail. The spice of the chili works well with the strawberry and Yellow Chartreuse and pineapple play well together, like 2 rock chics in a Corvette. There is a line "red light, yellow light, green light, go". For that I layered the drink with these 3 colors. And garnished it with flaming green chartreuse, every rock concert must have pyrotechnics!!!!!

Recipe:
2 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve
Muddle 3 strawberries
4 dashes Peychauds bitters
1 Thai chili, 1oz simple syrup

Double strain into a tall glass. Fill with crushed ice. In another mixing glass, mix 1 1/2 oz Appleton 12yrs Rum, 1 oz Yellow Chartreuse, 1 oz Pineapple juice, 1/2 oz Lemon juice, Dry shake and pour over crushed ice. Garnish will a flaming green Chartreuse filled lime disc. Bam, Rock n Roll baby.

Smokin' Cane

Alex Homans

Song: Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple

Song choice rationale:
Smoke on the Water is about a pretty tumultous time in the band's life- They'd been to Montreaux, Switzerland to record an album, and while doing so, witnessed the complete and utter destruction of the Montreaux Casino, due to an audience member firing a flare gun into the ceiling of the casino, and burning the place down. The mezcal sets up a smoky nose for the drink, evoking a memory of what it must have been like to witness that horrific event, and the Rum, sweet-tangy Strawberry, and bitter Cocchi work together to help create a new, positive memory for the drinker. The garnish is there to tie the drink together, and add some seasoning as well.

Recipe:
2 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve
.5 Home-made Strawberry Shrub
.5 Cocchi Americano
.25 Lime
1 dash Bittermens Burlesque Bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker tin, shake, and strain into a Del Maguey Vida-rinsed & chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Vida-soaked Strawberry slice topped with fleur de sel.