Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Blackbeard's Revenge

This drink has not only a location and a story, but even has a date: March 31, 2010. On this day we're in the middle of our Caribbean cruise, stopping off at St. Thomas for the day. We've chosen a walking tour for our activity, starting at Blackbeard's Castle and wandering down the hill. The end point of the trip is the Amber Museum (meh) and Hotel 1829.

The view from the bar. Hotel 1829, St. Thomas
We've been walking a chunk of the day, it's warm but not unpleasant, and all of the house tours along the way take advantage of the temperate breezes for cooling (read: no air conditioning). We're warm but not uncomfortable, but ready for a break from walking downhill for a couple of hours. The hotel has a small bar attached that looks out over the bay (the bar is the former kitchen of the house, from when it was built in 1829), and we pull up a couple of chairs in the small, empty bar and survey the scene.

There's a sign attached to the woodwork touting the bar's signature drink: the Blackbeard's Revenge. We are not predisposed to turn down something new, so Julie and I each order one.

The bartender ignores the variety of glasses surrounding him and drops two translucent plastic beer glasses filled with ice on the counter. I was in college for 7 1/2 years, so this is not unfamiliar territory, even if a seems a bit odd to skip straight to the plasticware.

Next, he grabs four different bottles of Cruzan flavored rum. There's a little part of me that sighs; Cruzan's the $10 rum back home, so I'm apparently getting the cheap stuff in this drink. He gives each glass a shot from each bottle, and returns the bottles to the bar.

A dose of orange juice is next, followed by a grenadine sink to the bottom of the glass. My pancreas is now setting up protest signs for what, to my mind, has to be a syrupy-sweet tourist trap of a drink.

Then, he grabs one more bottle: Cruzan Blackstrap rum. Now THIS gets my attention. I've not had the blackstrap rum before, and I'm now much more interested in seeing what the drink will shake out like. The bartender floats a scant shot over the top.

The final drink has a pretty red base, the light orange torso, and a roiling black top, all masked and softened by the translucence of the cup. We're handed the drinks, we hand over some cash (less than I expected, as I recall), and took a sip. Fruity, clean, certainly sweet but with the blackstrap rum holding it just in check, cold, full of alcohol but not strong to the taste. The glass is even a welcome touch, giving the layers of the drink soft edges without hiding the dramatic shifts in color. At the moment we had our first sip, it was the perfect drink for the place and time: a cold, fruity rum drink in a old, wooden shady bar on a warm day overlooking paradise.

I've come to appreciate the Cruzan rums as light additions to drinks; not something I would often go to, but they have the ability to unobtrusively add delicate rum flavor to drinks that concentrate their flavors on the surface. I'm a biiiig fan of the Cruzan Blackstrap, and have found several common uses for it. In replicating this drink, the only deliberate change I've made is to reduce slightly the amount of coconut rum in the mix; it seems to take over the drink if you're not careful, and I prefer it to be more balanced in the drink. And, I totally recommend a glass with a bit of frost to it; it really does make the effect of the drink more dramatic.

The drink is pictured in the
Etched Squiggle 16 oz pint glass
and is available for purchase
on the Contemporary Complements website.
Blackbeard's Revenge (from Hotel 1829, St. Thomas USVI)
1 oz. Cruzan Pineapple Rum
.75 oz. Cruzan Coconut Rum
1 oz. Cruzan Mango Rum
1 oz. Cruzan Citrus Rum
1.5 oz. orange juice
.5 oz. grenadine (pomegranate syrup; I use Monin)
.75 oz. Cruzan Blackstrap Rum


Add the four flavored rums and the orange to a glass filled with ice; stir. Sink the grenadine to the bottom by tilting the glass slightly, then pouring the grenadine slowly so that it runs down the side of the glass to the bottom without mixing. Float the blackstrap rum on top (pour the rum over a spoon, bottom side up, positioned close to the top of the drink so that the blackstrap floats on top of the drink).
Stir before drinking.


10 comments:

  1. I love this drink, but it wasn't made like this when I had it at 1829.

    The bartender didn't use Cruzan, he used the local rum that you could buy next door at the rum factory - definitely cheaper than Cruzan.

    And It was Pinapple, Coconut, Mango, and BANANA rum.

    Also, the fruit juice was a blend of island juices - not orange. The predominant juice was passion fruit, but I believe it also had pineapple and orange. The passion fruit adds some needed tartness to the drink.

    This was the best drink I had when in St. Thomas, and I made sure to ask the bartender for the ingredients.

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    1. And when we went back several years later, it was also not the same drink (and was not as good). Sounds like their recipe may be more about convenient ingredients than consistency....

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  2. I've no doubt you are correct slicey, however, having joined Alex on a number of drinking expeditions he rarely asks for the ingredients but instead uses a taste memory and creates his own version of the drinks rather than attempting an exact recreation. Cruzan is certainly readily available in most parts of the (western) world. :)

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    1. Don't give me that much credit; for this I took careful notes when we ordered our second round (and may have asked for the orange juice quantity specifically). We absolutely can confirm Cruzan on our first visit; I can't recall if they were using it on our second visit (although I feel like I would have made a mental note if they weren't).

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  3. My wife and I went there in April 2012 for our first trip to St. Thomas and I absolutely fell in love with the drink! Sadly, we just got back from our second trip and they had closed the 1829 bar! I was absolutely crushed!

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  5. I'm going to get involved here because the cocktail Blackbeard's Revenge is something I consider a legend in the making. I discovered the cocktail in January of 2009. Bartender/inventor Michael Campbell served cocktails to our party on the porch of the 1829 as we waited for friends to finish tours we'd completed earlier. We moved into the bar and I announced I was "all in" for Blackbeard's Revenge, getting behind the bar with Michael who was already lining up bottles. "Slicey" is correct. The original cocktail was made using the rums from the nearby USVI rum factory. I had earlier helped to fill and seal (with wax) several bottles there, remarking that this experience was far better than the "fake" tour you get at Bacardi. Michael was still perfecting Blackbeard's Revenge in 2009 when I first experienced it. Due respect, I don't believe that orange was ever in the combination. My wife and I would go back to visit Michael occasionally, and he developed quite a following. The last time we saw him behind the bar at 1829 a dozen people ducked their heads thru the door inquiring, "Is Michael here"? Learning he was, they came in and ordered the drink! On the wall - the legend was posted. Michael and I talked about it becoming the next Pina Colada, but better! Alas, the 1829 closed. Michael became a port agent. On my most recent trip to St. Thomas Michael took the day off and my wife and I and he restaurant, bar, and shopping hopped. Michael is also a "foodie". I'd like very much to organize a food and drink crawl that would end up somewhere with Michael behind the bar mixing Blackbeard's Revenge. While we wait, ladies and gentlemen, let me put to rest all the speculation....I have in my possession a document written and signed by Michael January 9, 2014. "To Gary, one of my best guests and friends to ever come to St. Thomas".

    Michael wrote out the recipe as follows:
    Based on a 12 oz drink / Cruzan rum is a must
    1 1/2 oz each of Pineapple, Coconut, Bananna, and Mango rum
    1 oz each of the following juices: Passion fruit, mango, and pineapple
    Pour the four rums into a cup. Combine all juices.
    Shake
    Add a splash of grenadine (which sinks to bottom)
    Top with Blackstrap rum (which floats on top)

    Grenadine represents Blackbeard being shot, stabbed, and beheaded Nov. 22, 1718 at Ockacoke River in North Carolina. Blackstrap represents him drinking gun powder. As Michael would make your drink, he'd tell the story with great enthusiasm....

    Michael Campbell is a legend in my home. I hope we can make something happen with this cocktail...it's fabulous!

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    1. Gary! Thanks so much for the history, the recipe, and the support! As I start to gear this blog up again after a long hiatus, I will absolutely revisit this drink with more ingredients, proper accreditation, and my thanks to you!

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  6. I was hoping to get another one of these made by the master. We met Michael on a cruise stop as well. Does Michael serve BBR at any place on St. Thomas? Would like to stop on my nexttrip.

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  7. Hotel 1829 is reopening this year...and Blackbeards Revenge will be on the menu

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