I haven’t posted any of my cocktail recipes in awhile, so what the heck–here’s one I’ve been working on. It’s inspired by a drink I had earlier this week at Wood called the Rough Rider. I’m in the midst of a love affair with Amrut Old Port rum, a delicious spirit from India (!) that smells exactly like Werther’s Originals but tastes dark, creamy and a little funky on the palate.  I wanted to use it as the base for a cocktail, and also play around with the grapefruit/spice flavor note that I find so bewitching. Plus, it’s high time I named a cocktail in honor of Astrud Gilberto.

ASTRUD’S MOOD

2 oz. Amrut Old Port rum
.5 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
.5 oz. white grapefruit juice
.5 oz. demerara simple syrup
.25 oz. Batavia Arrack
.25 oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Combine ingredients with ice, shake, and strain into a small ice-filled tumbler. Float two dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters and sip it slowly while listening to “Gentle Rain.”