Cocktail #38: Sol y Sombra

You win some, you lose some. Luckily a great majority of the previous 37 cocktails were definitely winners. For me, unfortunately, this week's drink the Sol y Sombra did not come out a winner. But who knows, you may come away with better results or a more favorable opinion.

I sourced this one from what seems to be my go-to source more and more, Jeff Berry's Potions of the Caribbean. He presents the recipe for the Sol y Sombra (translation: Sun and Shadow) as being invented by star bartender Joe Scialom from his time at the Caribe Hilton, 1957. 

The recipe was previously unpublished and was found amongst Scialom's private papers. 

1.50 oz. gold Puerto Rican rum (I used Bacardi Gold)
0.75 oz. dark Jamaican rum (I used Plantation Original Dark)
0.50 oz. apricot brandy (I used DuBouchett*)
2.00 oz. fresh pineapple juice**
0.50 oz. fresh lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters

* Possibly one of the causes of the downfall of this drink - I found this stuff for $11 at Binny's and I'm sure it's far from the highest quality apricot brandy out there. I have no experience with this spirit until now so I cannot really judge it one way or another. I probably should have read this first. Also I seem to remember Martin Cate recommending Rothman and Winter spirits in Smuggler's Cove but those can be pricey. Anyway, your mileage may vary.

** Meaning not canned. I didn't listen to this and used canned, so perhaps this affected the quality ... To get fresh pineapple juice, Berry recommends dicing the meat of a pineapple, then muddling it, or liquefying it in a blender, then straining.

Shake with ice cubes. Pour unstrained into a hollowed out baby pineapple. Secure pineapple in specialty bowl full of crushed ice. Garnish with a "large hanging parasol."

I did not serve this one in a pineapple, but as you can see used a tiki mug instead.

Hula girl figure by Jen LiMarzi (www.jenlimarzi.com)

It's hard for me to put into words what I didn't like about this drink. I just felt like it was too heavy on pineapple juice, for one, and that the apricot brandy didn't really play nice with the two rums.

So it goes! I'll just have to keep trying ...

In other news, this past week we lost one of the greats of music, period. He more or less invented rock and roll. Rock on, Chuck.