#florida drinks

Swamp Water

I thought I'd never make this drink for myself, so when a guest asked for it at the bar, I had to take a photo. I'm not surprised that a drink with an unappealing name like Swamp Water came from Florida or Louisiana, where it is still popular. But by now there's many recipes for this monster cocktail. All of them are so sweet that there's a danger of tooth decay as well as intoxication.

Notice the toxic blue-green of this drink. If that doesn't scare you, nothing will.  

2 oz. dark rum

1/2 oz. blue curacao

1 1/2 oz. orange juice

1/2 oz. lemon juice

Fort Lauderdale

A Florida cocktail needs to represent orange, and this one is no exception. Ripe and juicy naval oranges fresh squeezed and used as a garnish make a big impression. This is a rum drink and very similar to the Florida cocktail I posted a few days earlier. As a side note, the recipe calls for sweet vermouth but I have Byrrh Quinquina, which is pretty much the same thing except it has more quinine and sweet berry and lavender notes as well. What better combination to show off the sunshine state.