Black Sam

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 45 ml Aged Blended Rum
(Come Hell or High Water Reserva)
- 15 ml Riga Black Balsam Cherry
- 15 ml Demerara Simple Syrup
- 22,5 ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 Dashes of Cacao Bitters

GARNISH:
- Dehydrated Lime Wheel
- Pair of Fresh Cherries

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Strain into a cocktail glass over fresh ice.
• Garnish with some fresh cherries and dehydrated lime wheel.

Cocktail author: Grouchy Bartender.

For me, rum and summer go hand in hand. There are few things more satisfying, than sipping on a rum laden tropical tiki style cocktail in the heat of the summer sun. Black Sam is my latest creation blending rum, a staple of the Caribbean with cherry flavour associated with the Northern European summer. This cocktail has been created in collaboration with Come Hell or High Water utilising the qualities of their Reserva rum.

Base of the cocktail is blended aged rum, preferably Come Hell or High Water Reserva, with aged notes of molasses, tropical fruit, toasted nuts and oak, laying a solid and complex foundation. Riga Black Balsam Cherry, brings sophisticated bitter-sweet herbal quality to the drink with a distinct boldness of cherry. A touch of demerara syrup, further expands on the base flavour of rum, while at the same time pairing incredibly well with the balsam. Fresh lime juice gives the cocktail a fresh tart kick, helping to reign in the sweetness while a couple of dashes of cacao bitters binds everything into a satisfyingly delicious drink.

Black Sam is named after one of the famous pirates of the golden age, Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy and is full of strong flavours from the first sip to the last. It will definitely be a part of my summer cocktail rotation from now on.