As I sit and write this it's early October. The nights have started to draw in and there's a definite chill in the air.
There's something comforting about Autumn. After being out on blustery beach walks with our Black Labrador Darcy there's nothing like coming home, lighting the log burner, getting the blankets out and snuggling up on the sofa with a warming drink.
We created the recipe for Barry Island Spiced Rum at the start of the Autumn a couple of years ago. It was only ever meant to be a seasonal release for us, but the response to our botanical spiced rum was so wonderful that we decided to make it part of our core range. I love the response we get when rum drinkers discover our rum and we're incredibly proud that Barry Island Botanical Spiced Rum was awarded a Great Taste Gold Star in 2022.
Whilst our rum is very sippable on it's own with a cube or two of ice, for those times when we fancy a longer drink our Rum Cooler recipe has become a tasty go-to. In the summer we change it up slightly by adding lemonade instead of cinnamon syrup and soda water. But in the Autumn and Winter, this spiced version of our rum cooler is as comforting as a warm blanket. The subtle sweetness of the cloudy apple juice and the mellow warmth of the cinnamon syrup work so well with our molasses-based rum.
What's even better is that our rum cooler is incredible easy to make. You don't need a cocktail shaker, there's no muddling, just simple ingredients blended together in a glass with a couple of cubes of ice.
For the cinnamon syrup you can either buy this online or from a supermarket, or if you have some cinnamon sticks it's incredibly easy to make. You just need equal parts water and granulated sugar (for example 400ml water and 400 grams of sugar). Heat the water in saucepan, add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove it from the heat, add 3 or 4 cinnamon sticks to the mixture and leave it to infuse as the liquid cools (around 5 - 6 hours). When it's cooled strain the liquid out into a sealed bottle and keep it in the fridge - it should store in a sealed contained for up to a month (unless you drink it all in that time of course).
Spiced Rum Cooler Recipe
You'll need:
50ml Barry Island Botanical Spiced Rum
50ml cloudy apple juice
25ml cinnamon syrup
25ml soda water
A glass and some ice.
Simple pour all the ingredients into your glass and give them a gentle stir to blend them together. Add a couple of cubes of ice and garnish with a slice of apple or orange.
See, how easy is that? But its absolutely delicious. you could even make a large batch in a jug to share with friends at your Halloween, bonfire or Christmas gathering.