I'll be here all summer, folks.

What can I say? The internet was clamoring for the return of 'back deck cocktails.' And by internet, I don't mean the thousands of Twitter users Dave is addressing collectively as "Internet" during his David on Demand experiment in Cannes this week, but rather the 3-5 people who read this blog last summer.

Plus, I guest blogged for Achy's new gig over at Vocalo.org last week about Canadian Club and Canada Dry (seriously, still reeling from this one—who knew it was so good??), and felt like the groove was back upon me.

OH RIGHT, and I got to Chicago late Friday night because it's SUMMER BREAK. (Whatever that means in graduate school...) Except that I am taking a few days to loll about and do nothing for a change.

Post-workout today, Achy requested that I make her a shake. But she didn't want protein powder or silken tofu or any of that nonsense in it. She wanted rum. And mangoes.

We bought five mangoes today at Whole Foods. It was unplanned, but they were at the door when we walked in, 5 for $4. They're not regular mangoes. Whole Foods had them labeled as "yellow mangoes," and the sticker on them says "champagne mangoes," but I had one in Oakland a few weeks ago that was sold to me as a "Manila mango." Whatever they are, they're delicious. Really sweet and creamy, less fibrous than regular mangoes can be. Plus, I've been craving oysters, mangoes, and champagne for weeks, and we've had oysters twice since I got here (TWICE! I'm so spoiled). We haven't had champagne or mangoes, though, so thank god there's such a thing as a champagne mango.

Oh, and this drink? It's amazing.
Make it how?

into the blender, put:
the meat of 1 champagne/yellow/Manila mango
3 shots coconut rum (I used Malibu to keep it college-style)
2 medium strawberries
two two-cupped-handfuls of ice (that's a precise measurement)

Serves two, but you'll need to do it all again for the second round. You can't drink just one of these.

paaaaaaarty!

Photo fail! I neglected to photograph...anything last night, with the exception of this shot of Sarah finishing off the kiwi/lychee cocktail ('lycheetini'). The pitcher she's emptying out was surprisingly popular, given its less than stunning color. The tartness of the kiwis, though, disguising the surprising punch, is hard to resist.

(recipe given for approx. 3/4 pitcherfull)
in the blender, mix up:
the fruit of 3 kiwis
2 lychee
2 shots of the syrup from the lychee can
10-ish shots of vodka

pour mixture into pitcher, add approx. 1 liter of ginger ale (I busted out the new soda machine)
stir, serve over ice

Additionally, I re-visited the rum cream, made a modified Conquistador with dark rum and bitters instead of bourbon and Fernet Branca (working with what I got on hand, you know), and set out our range of rums of all colors. I ended the night with a couple of light rum, elderflower, club soda mixtures. Feeling pretty awesome this morning.

Failed to make: avocado daiquiris...maybe later in the week.

spicy pear mojitos

These cocktails weren't consumed on the back deck -- they were sucked down in bed, watching TV, exhausted. Forgive the photography.

The exciting thing: we got a soda maker from SkyMall (don't hate). Once the water is carbonated, you can add whatever you want. We got crazy and poured in some of the chipotle infused simple syrup I'd made, and voila! Chipotle soda.

Surprisingly, we were kind of stumped from there about what to DO with chipotle soda. Enter Spicy Pear Mojitos.

Muddle 1 shot pear puree/syrup with one sprig fresh mint. Add 1.5 shots light rum (I used 10 Cane), and top off with chipotle soda.

using up leftovers...

Jenny came over to watch cable, and I crushed up some strawberries, shook some leftover coconut cream with some gold rum, and poured it in a glass. No name, no frills, but Diego the kitten thought it was tops.

Rum Cream

Our version.

A sweating plastic cup of Sangster's Rum Cream on our balcony (kind of like the back deck) at the Sunset Beach Resort.

Achy has a tradition of drinking a ‘White Witch’ shot at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant in the Montego Bay airport whenever she goes to Cuba via Jamaica. This trip, my first, we had an additional surprise layover after being turned around midair en route to Havana. (Air Jamaica told us that the Havana airport was closed, the result of a ‘hole in the runway.’) Long story short, we were put up overnight in the Sunset Beach all-inclusive resort and stuck on a flight the next day. Meanwhile, we discovered Sangster’s Rum Cream, which to our surprise and delight/dismay was an identical taste match to the White Witch.

In our desire to make the customs process go as smoothly as possible upon entry in Miami, we didn’t bring any liquor back with us. We did, however, whip up a little batch of homemade stuff when we got home.

[recipe modified from this]

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Bacardi Select or other dark rum
1 cup heavy whipping cream
5 Tbsp espresso, freshly brewed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut cream

Blend ingredients in blender and serve over ice or in coffee.

Note: This recipe is toooooo cinnamony. Next time we’re going for a pinch to 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Otherwise, it’s pretty delicious.