Bacardi Cocktail
- 1½ oz light rum
- 1/2 oz London Dry gin
- 3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- 3/4 oz 'real' grenadine (Liber & Co)
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.
The Bacardi Cocktail began in Cuba just before Prohibition descended upon the USA. It was probably just a Daquiri being ordered by the brand of rum to be used. The grenadine was likely added when it came to the States at the end of Prohibition. It quickly became so popular that in 1936 the Bacardi Company felt the need to protect its brand by filing suit in New York, and winning the case. The Bacardi Cocktail must legally only be made using rum from the Bacardi Company. Its the law!
Follow the letter of the law if you wish but any light rum suitable for a Daquiri will work fine. We like Plantation 3 Stars though our investigations are not yet complete. Denizen 3 year and Foursquare Probitas are still on the list.
The drink is simply a Daiquiri using grenadine instead of simple syrup but it is well balanced and the pomegranate flavor makes a big difference. Do make sure to use grenadine made from real pomegranates or you'll miss the whole point. The red colored artificially flavored corn syrup is, well, red colored artificially flavored corn syrup. The recipe above comes from The Educated Barfly. We like his addition of a little gin but you can go with the original 2 oz of rum if you prefer.