Arsenic Lace

rum cocktails

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

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Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

Recently I teamed up with Red Bull to make some Summer mocktails to celebrate the release of their Red Bull Summer Edition Coconut Berry. The Coconut Berry might be my favorite flavor yet but I’ve also put together mocktails using Red Bull Green Editon and the Yellow Edition (my other two favorite flavors). The Green Edition tastes like kiwi and apples and the Yellow Edition tastes like a mix of tropical fruits with passionfruit shining through the most.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy Red Bull was to mix with. These flavors are fruity and absolutely perfect for topping off your drinks with for Summer. Because who doesn’t love a little energy boost in their drinks? I certainly need all the energy I can get! I loved how these mocktails turned out which is why I decided to share them with you here.

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

In Love with the Coco, makes 1 serving

4 oz. Red Bull Summer Edition Coconut Berry

1 oz. coconut milk

1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

1/2 oz. orange juice

4 strawberry halves

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

First add pineapple, orange, and strawberries to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Next, add coconut milk and then shake with ice and pour into your serving vessel over ice. Finally, top with Red Bull Coconut Berry. Garnish with coconut flakes, freshly grated nutmeg, and a strawberry wedge.

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

Lime So Fine, makes 1 serving

4 oz. Red Bull Green Edition

1 oz. lime juice

1 oz. cucumber juice

Splash Red Bull Lime Edition

mint, green grapes, green apple slices, for muddling

Summer Mocktails with Red BullFirst add lime and cucumber juice to a cocktail shaker with a handful of mint, 5 green grapes, and 2 apple slices. Next, muddle and then add ice and shake. Strain into your serving vessel over ice and top with Red Bull Green Edition and a splash of Red Bull Lime Edition. Garnish with 2 cucumber slices and a mint sprig.

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

Hello Sunshine, makes 1 serving

4 oz. Red Bull Yellow Edition

1 oz. lime juice

3/4 oz. ginger syrup

club soda

5 mango chunks

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

First add lime, ginger, and mango to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Next, add ice, shake, and then strain into your serving vessel over ice. Top with Red Bull Yellow Edition and a splash of club soda. Garnish with a lime wheel and ginger candy.

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

Summer Mocktails with Red Bull

I’m totally in love with all of these Summer mocktails that it’s hard to pick a favorite! I hope you’ll be giving these Summer mocktails with Red Bull a try at home. I’ll be enjoying quite a few myself. xo

Frozen Cantaloupe Daiquiri

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With the end of Summer just a month away I had an itch to make a frozen drink. What’s more fun than a frozen drink? Drinking one out of fruit, right? I have drunk many piña coladas out of a pineapple and was trying to brainstorm what other fruits I could possibly turn into a serving vessel. Watermelon has had its fair share of the spotlight this summer with being the perfect addition and vessel for frosé. While I was perusing the produce at my local market last week I spotted a cantaloupe and I knew this fruit was THE ONE. When perfectly ripe it is juicy, sweet and has a floral aroma which sounds perfect to pair with rum. My mind went directly to the daiquiri which is a classic and simple drink but can be completely transformed with the addition of some fresh fruit. So I present to you a Frozen Cantaloupe Daiquiri!


Frozen Cantaloupe Daiquiri, serves 1

1 1/2 oz. rum (I used Plantation Dark)

3/4 oz. rich simple syrup (cane or demerara sugar)

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

1 cup of fresh cantaloupe

Cut your cantaloupe evenly into two and scoop out the seeds in center. Carefully scoop out the insides of the fruit and reserve the shells as your serving vessels. You can freeze the shells and the fruit beforehand. Using frozen fruit in drinks or smoothie bowls yields a better and more slushy consistency.

Add all your ingredients to your blender pitcher and blend with a cup of ice. Pour into a cantaloupe shell and garnish with a mint spring and a slice of lime.

This Frozen Cantaloupe Daiquiri is super fruity, refreshing, and so simple to make. I used dark rum in this cocktail because I thought the flavors would mesh well with the richness of the demerara simple syrup and floral aromas of the cantaloupe. Frozen recipes sometimes need to be reworked because of how much water content they have. I like to cut the citrus in half and up the sugar to compensate for all the dilution. Using a richer sugar for your simple syrup, like demerara or cane, instead of plain white sugar also helps to combat an over diluted and tasteless frozen drink. I hope these tips help you next time you’re making frozen daiquiris at home. I’m super excited about how this frozen drink in a fruit cup turned out. I hope you try this recipe at home and if you do don’t forget to chime in on the comments below. Cheers everyone! xo

8 Cocktails for National Rum Day

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Rum is delicious and by far my favorite spirit. Not just because I have a sweet tooth, but because it is such a versatile category. It is made in so many different countries, which means depending on where it’s from will dictate what it tastes like. For National Rum Day I wanted to go over a brief history of the spirit, characteristics, and of course how it can be used in cocktails.


Brief History

Rum is a spirit distilled from the fermented juice of sugarcane, sugarcane syrup, sugarcane molasses, or other sugarcane by-products. Sugarcane was introduced to the New World by European explorers starting with Christopher Columbus, and the invention of rum — or at least the fermented “wash” it’s distilled from — is thought to have occurred by accident. Basically, the molasses, which had been considered a useless waste product of the sugar refining process, was observed expelling bubbles when left to mingle with the warm, humid tropical air. Sugar manufacturers rightly identified this phenomenon as fermentation: wild, airborne yeasts were getting at the sugar content left in the molasses and releasing carbon dioxide. They knew that with those bubbles came alcohol, too, and it wasn’t long before fermented molasses became the basis for a distilled spirit, which we now know as rum.

Rum is distilled at less than 95% alcohol by volume (190 proof) and bottled at no less than 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof), maybe except for some flavored ones which are less. The legal definition of rum tends to vary from country to country, so establishing a strict definition that applies to all rum from everywhere is impossible. What’s consistent, though, is that rum is always made from molasses, sugarcane juice, or other cane by-products. Factors that influence rum style is source of sugar, yeast type, length of fermantation, type of still, type of barrel, time in barrel, and strength of rum at distillation or bottling.


Rum Styles

  • White/Light/Silver: Light bodied, crisp, and subtle in flavor, these rums are highly mixable. They marry very well with fruit flavors, so they’re excellent for daiquiris and piña coladas. A common misconception about white rum is that it’s unaged. White rum is aged in oak barrels for a short period of time to smooth out the flavors; it’s then charcoal filtered to remove color.
  • Gold: Medium bodied and a little stronger in flavor than light rums, gold rums are aged in oak barrels. Like light rums, they mix well into fruity cocktails.
  • Dark/Black: Full-bodied, with rich caramel flavors, these rums are usually pot-stilled and aged for long periods. Used in tiki preparations such as the Mai Tai, the best of these rums are also sippable on their own, neat or on ice.
  • Rhum agricole: Full-bodied rums, made from sugarcane juice instead of molasses. As with molasses-based rum, agricoles range the color spectrum, from white to gold to dark. Agricoles are often funky and have floral and vegetal aromas and flavors.
  • Cachaça: This is called the rum of Brazil. The major difference between cachaça and common rum is in the juice. Most rum is distilled from sugarcane juice that has been processed into molasses, which has a higher sugar content. This makes cachaça have a more grassy, herbaceous flavor than its relative.

Other types are Navy Rum which is the kind formerly given to members of the British Navy. It’s usually proofed at 50% ABV or higher. Overproof rums refer to those with an ABV over standard value, usually 60% ABV (120 proof) or higher.

I’ve rounded up some of my favorite cocktails that I have created to get you inspired to drink rum on this most special holiday! 😉

Pineapple Old Fashioned– Plantation pineapple rum, campari, allspice, and macadamia nut orgeat.

Frozen Passionfruit Daiquiri– White rum, Jamaican rum, lime juice, honey, passionfruit syrup, and tiki bitters.

Frozen Caribbean Coffee– Jamaican Rum, coffee liqueur, coconut, cold brew, and coffee gelato.

Piña Colada Popsicles– Coconut milk, coconut cream, dark rum, pineapple juice, and lime zest.

Coconut Guava Daiquiri– Dark rum, lime juice, coconut milk, simple syrup, and fresh guava.

Boozy Matcha Latte– White Rum, almond milk, matcha, orgeat, and coconut whipped cream.

Dark ‘N Stormy Popsicles– Gosling’s rum, ginger beer, fresh ginger syrup, lime juice, and lime wheels.

Mango Mai Tai– Jamaican Rum, curaçao, orgeat, lime juice, and fresh mango.

I hope you all get to enjoy your National Rum Day. What will you be doing today to celebrate? Is there a rum cocktail that’s your favorite? Let me know in the comments below. Happy sipping! xo