Nelson’s Dockyard is the historical enclave that was the home of Admiral Horatio Nelson’s
royal navy in the 1700’s. The Antiguan government has gone to great lengths to
repurpose the buildings for modern use, while preserving their heritage and
history. The admiral himself occupied a
building that is now an upscale hotel known as the Admiral’s Inn, and after a
hot day exploring the island we sauntered in to its cherry-wood beamed tavern for a
late afternoon beverage. It was here that my perception of the cocktail was
forever altered.
I am not much of an imbiber, but as an aspiring chef I appreciate culinary artistry in any form,
and in this case the artistry graced mixology. As I sat at the bar awaiting
attention from the bartender, I noticed him creating some of the most meticulously
attended and beautifully crafted cocktails I had ever seen.
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| Reggie |
I could not help
but to offer commendation to this artist barkeep, and he, Reggie, graciously responded in his Antiguan-English lilt. “The art of the
cocktail” he instructed, “ is not just in combining contents, but in the manner
in which they are presented”. I inquired
about one particularly lovely libation that he set on the bar. “A rum punch”,
he announced, “ but made in the old fashioned manner”. The rum punch which I knew as familiar fare in these
tropical climes was artificially colored imitation fruit juice mixed with cheap rum and
a maraschino cherry. Not so under Reggie’s tutelage. His was a production,
involving hand pressed lime and layered rums, topped with bitters and nutmeg.
Not only was it a work of art, it was the most delicious cocktail I had ever
experienced. “Layering rum is vital to the proper rum drink”, Reggie explained.
“White is for power, dark is for flavor. Most people do not understand that
white rum has higher alcohol content and gives the drink its punch. It is the
quality of the dark rum that makes the drink flavorful, and as they have
different viscosities, they should be layered so that the customer may enjoy
the drink as it unfolds.” He replicated
this philosophy with another Caribbean classic, the Dark and Stormy. “People pour rum into ginger
ale and swirl it around like they are making chocolate milk. The proper Dark
and Stormy is cascading sheets of ginger beer rain descending from the storm clouds of dark
rum. The drink must give homage to its name”. So it was that Reggie the
barkeep at the Admiral’s Inn in Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbor Antigua has
entered the lore of my sailing life, assuming that after my second Old Fashioned,
I remember any of it accurately.
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| Old Fashioned Rum Punch and Dark and Stormy |
