Ron Bokers — Rum, falernum and lime under a nineteenth-century bitters

Ron Bokers

Rum, falernum and lime under a nineteenth-century bitters

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 ozAged Rum
    An aged rum with some weight to it
  • 2 dashesBoker's Bitters
    The bitters the first golden age was built on
    Substitute: Any cardamom-led aromatic bitters
  • 0.85 ozLime Juice
    Fresh, and more of it than the falernum
  • 3/4 ozFalernum
    Sugar and spice in one; do not add syrup as well

Instructions

  1. Add 1 1/3 oz aged rum, 3/4 oz falernum, 0.85 oz lime juice and 2 dashes Boker's bitters to a shaker
  2. Fill with ice and shake hard
  3. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe

Technique Notes

Falernum is doing the sugar and the spice at once, so do not add syrup on top of it. Twenty millilitres against forty of rum and twenty-five of lime is already a sweet-sour balance; anything more and the bitters has nothing dry to work against.

Why the Ron Bokers Works

Falernum is lime, clove and almond already, so it agrees with the bitters rather than competing. Boker's brings cardamom and catechu, which is a drier, more astringent set of spices than a tiki drink usually gets, and the lime keeps the whole thing from turning syrupy.