Blessing of the Sugar Canes - Monday 8th September

Flemingovia

Flemingovia

TNPer
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Now the asshattery about Flemingovianism seems to have calmed down a little, we can get on with enjoying stuff in the Temple.

The North Pacific Legal Code states:

7.3.17. Holidays of the Flemingovian religion shall be observed regionally, and all nations shall have the right to take a day off work, unpaid, on those holidays. Government officials are excluded from the effects of this clause.
Click to expand...

The first such holiday will take place on Monday 8th September. This festival will be the Blessing of the Sugar Canes, a celebration of our regional sugar cane crop and the prime derivative of that crop - our Regional drink of Rum.

there are several ways you can celebrate:

1. Join in the religious blessing of the Sugar Canes, presided over by yours truly.

2. Listen to the keynote address, given by our special honoured guest, that doyenne of TNP Rum, Great Bight's Mum.

3. If you are in teh NPA, enjoy a tot of rum, courtesy of the Temple of Flemingovia (check your inbox on 8th September.

4. display and use the brand new emoticon, uploaded for the festival: Colon - Rum - Colon

:rum:

5. Change your avatar to something appropriate to the occasion, honouring sugar cane or Rum.

6. Between now and 8th September I will try to post, in this thread, one new song about sugar or rum every single day. Not sure if I can do it, but it will be fun to try. Check here every day!

7. Come up with your own way of celebrating THE BLESSING OF THE SUGAR CANES.

Enjoy, folks.
 
First song:

Remember, folks, this is a vitally important festival. without the blessing of God, our sugar cane crop may fail.

No sugar = no rum, then this would be our regional song, whatever the polls say:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JImcvtJzIK8[/video]
 
today's video just had to appear at some point. I may be using it on the 8th September.

This video is a classic, too:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9nE2spOw_o[/video]
 
In preparation for this auspicious holiday I shall acquire myself several varieties of rum, and all the accoutrements to make top-notch drinks.

:rum:
 
SillyString:
In preparation for this auspicious holiday I shall acquire myself several varieties of rum, and all the accoutrements to make top-notch drinks.

:rum:
Click to expand...
That is a crackin' idea! Rum all round! :rum:
 
time for a bit of good ol' boys country music:

The Brothers Osbourne "Rum Song" is our song for today:

"Let's put our hearts together
Two parts love and a pinch of good weather
And top it all off with the sun,
and mix it with rum, --- mm, mm, mm, mm"

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzEZWHVNV0w[/video]
 
in honour of the fact that our Region's spirit was forged repelling an attack by pirates, and in honour of Great Bight's Mum, today's song about rum is an old pirate song, given here in the most original version I could find online:

The lyrics are a bit gore-fest.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzcv5TJkJBA[/video]
 
our honoured delegate suggested that, as well as posting songs about rum, I should post recipes for rum cocktails.

O Delegate, your wish is my command.

In the Flemingovia household, Mojito nights are famous.* The music is an important as the alcohol: I have a CD of Cuban Timba music which is on permanent repeat. We also have some orange-bulbed side lights that give the living room a warm glow.

For the cocktail is is worth hunting out proper sugar cane juice. You can use refined sugar with a little soda, but it is not the same. Foca brand sugar cane juice is the best.

For the Mojito:
Chill a highball glass in the freezer.
Soak mint leaves in the sugar cane jiuce for at least 10 minutes, until you get a minty infusion.
place the mint infusion into the highball glass, about halfway. Add two shots lime jiuce (freshly squeezed is best) and three shots white rum. Add ice. Top with soda water if desired.

That's it - the sharpness of lime, the raw sweetness of sugar cane, the kick of white rum and the sounds of cuba.

what could be better?

*real life, this is true. I have had the hangovers to prove it.
 
The songs today and tomorrow contain salutary warnings about the potential dangers of over-consumption of rum.

This song is dedicated to McMasterdonia the Cooler, and the contribution of Australia to the Rum industry.

*** warning - parental advisory lyrics ****

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHmw0u2G9kw[/video]
 
I will get on to the daiquiri in a while.

Today's cocktail however, is a Zombie.

This is one of the more complicated cocktails, with a subtle layering of flavour. It is also one of the strongest cocktails (hence the name). It is very deceptive. I once made a series of zombies for the wife of a friend who "did not like alcohol", but enjoyed the fruity taste. She slept for nearly thirty hours.

I use gold rum in my house. This is not easy to find (in the UK) but for me gold rum is the best of the rums, combining the sweetness of light rum and the flavours of dark rum. If you see a bottle, buy it, as you may not often find it.

I also use Superproof Rum (such as Bacardi 151). Handle this one with care.

For a zombie:

in a shaker mix
ice
one part apricot brandy
one part dark rum
one part gold rum
one part light rum
one part pineapple juice
one part orange juice
A dash of sugar cane juice

Shake and pour.

On top of the cocktail float* 1 part superproof rum.

Garnish with a cocktail cherry. this makes it one of your five-a-day.

See? I said it was strong.



* lay a spoon, face down, over the drink and pour the superproof rum over the back of the spook and onto the surface of the drink.
 
Today's cocktail is a simple classic: Rum and Coke.

Basically simple: Highball glass, rum, coke to taste.

But I have had a number of bad rum and cokes over the years. So here are some simple dos and don'ts

Do use decent dark Rum. I like Captain Morgan's, but Demerara works well (not the O.V.D.) as does lambs. You need a rum with a strong taste to cut through the coke. I was once given a Rum and Coke made with Red Heart Rum, which was awesome - but i have never seen that rum on sale in the UK.

Do use Coke, not Pepsi. Pepsi is an OK drink, but it does not really work for a rum and coke.

Do serve really cold. Chill the glass, keep the coke in the fridge, use drink chilling cubes (I think ice dilutes the drink too much).

Don't drown the rum with coke. R&C has a reputation as a kiddie/girlie drink because it is often made too weak.

Do experiment with colas. I think the best alternative to coca cola in teh UK is "Fentimans Cola", which is good and old fashioned, with a syruppy sweet taste.

Don't use cheap value supermarket cola. Why spoil good rum?


*** bonus tip. captain Morgan's make a light, spiced rum variety. Everything about it says that it should be awful in a rum and coke, but strangely ... it works. It is different, but it works. Try it, if you get the chance. ***
 
I don't like rum and coke very much, in fact I generally dislike mixing coke with alcohol. It makes drinks way too sweet for my taste.

Still, great series. :rum:
 
Today I am moving out of my comfort zone to a cocktail i have only made three times: a Canadian drink called Moose Milk

The recipe is quite simple:

1 Litre good vanilla ice cream, softened.
1 Litre milk
250ml spiced rum
250 ml Kahlua
250 ml vodka (or white rum)
(optional: small can of condensed milk)
quarter nutmeg, grated and/or grated chocolate.

Whisk together the main ingredients until frothy, then leave in a very very cold fridge for an hour before serving. Top with nutmeg.

the first time i made this I used the condensed milk, as the recipe said. For my taste, this made it too sickly - when i left out the condensed milk it tasted a lot better.

This is a traditional drink in the Canadian Navy. Perhaps other Canadians on this board have their own versions of the drink?
 
Goodness, the last couple of songs were bleak, weren't they? This one is a lot more upbeat: Beenie Man's "Rum and Red Bull"

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0UEVUbLpRA[/video]
 
Today's song gets to the heart of the festival: it is the Sugar Cane song by Shaggy

there is no sexual innuendo at all in this song:

"We bought some fruits from the fruit stand
Roots from the roots man
Coconut water well we get it from the jelly man
She had a piece of my sugarcane
From then she hasn't been the same"

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHi3Z1rnUKI[/video]
 
today's cocktail is another classic: A pina Colada.

I know two versions of this drink, and I will be posting both of them in this thread at some point. This version is not the traditional you will get at bars - it is shaken in a cocktail shaker.

I post it first because it is so simple.

into a cocktail shaker put equal parts of:
- Light Rum
- coconut cream (it's thicker and sweeter than coconut milk)
- Good quality pineapple juice.

Shake together, then pour into a highball glass over ice. Serve with a maraschino cherry.

If you cannot get cream of coconut, then pour coconut milk into a jug and leave it overnight. it will slightly separate, and if you spoon of the top layer it will be thick enough to use in a pinch. But it is not nearly as good as proper coconut cream.

In the cocktail bar I used to work in they sometimes cheated by using condensed milk and coconut pulp. Only try this when your guests are already drunk.

This cocktail comes with its own video:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsj2wdFDmLk[/video]
 
When I worked in a cocktail bar in the 80s the owner hit on a great idea to boost sales in the afternoon and early evening, during the winter.

He sold hot cocktails and punches.

the spiced punch and toddys sold reasonably well, but i cannot remember serving a single hot cocktail to a paying customer. I think the great British public were not ready for hot cocktails in the 80s.

But here is one for the winter which was on our menu: buttered rum

in a toddy glass (or irish coffee mug) place the following ingredients:

1 knob of butter
1 teaspoon brown sugar (or honey works well)
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon ground mulling spices (mix of allspice, cloves and nutmeg)
2 shots of dark rum

Fill with boiling water, stir and serve.

Mixing butter into alcohol is a very old technique. hot buttered cider is still made in some countries at Christmas.
 
Crank up the volume.

today's song is one of my son's favourites (he is going through a Metal phase)

Def Leppard: Pour some sugar on me

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UIB9Y4OFPs[/video]
 
I make a French Chocolate Mousse with rum. It is so rich, just a small serving is satisfying. You need only 3 ingredients:

1 cup (6oz package) Semi-sweet chocolate chips - I recommend Nestle's or Ghiradelli. Quality counts.
4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon Bacardi light rum

With this recipe, the technique is everything. You can't have interruptions, stop in the middle then return to it, or anything like that. Make sure everything you need is set up before you begin. It has to be performed like a dance. It also has to be prepared well ahead of serving time.

In a small bowl, melt chocolate in microwave, stirring every 60 seconds until smooth. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale and lemon-colored. Slowly stir in the chocolate and blend well.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the whites to the chocolate mixture. Add the rum and mix well. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon into individual serving dishes or a serving bowl. Cover and chill overnight, or at least 8 hours before serving.

I like to serve with a bit of whipped cream. A note on whipped cream - making the real thing is easy, and once you've had it, you will forever give up on the canned stuff and the gross tubs of "whipped topping." Just dump heavy cream in a mixer and turn it on. once it's whipped, mix in a couple of tablespoons of powdered sugar to taste. Fresh, simple and fabulous!
 
Mum, I will never understand people who have tried real whipped cream and still maintain they don't like it. They should be shunned, or better yet, locked away where they won't infect others with their nonsense ideas.

I have made mousse very similar to your recipe, but it also has whipped cream folded in on top of the egg whites.
 
Today's video is a Johnny Cash song: "Sugartime"

My dad used to sing this to me when I was a toddler. It was years later that I discovered who recorded it.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YocsxFL5IYM[/video]
 
Today's cocktail is a classic: between the sheets

in the bar where i worked they called this cocktail "all the ones", because the ingredient list is all one part...."

one part white rum
one part brandy
one part triple sec or cointreau
one part lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
one teaspoon sugar syrup.

Place in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and serve in a martini glass.
 
Today's cocktail is a variant on the classic screwdriver, which is made with Vodka.

it is simple

one part rum
two parts orange juice
serve over ice.

(some recipes use a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio; but you may have noticed i like my cocktails strong.)

I know this as a "Cuban Screw", but i have heard it called a "medic" in some bars - I have no idea why.

You can use white or dark rum for this.

The classic screwdriver was once the traditional drink of the US Air force. I was once told that the origin of the name came from the fact that engineers would mix the drink in the aircraft hangers, stirring the cocktail with the nearest tool to hand. I have no idea if this is true.
 
You may note i have started using proportions in these recipes, since it was pointed out that "a shot" varies from nation to nation.

I am a great fan of Galliano. To me the spices and herbs of this liqueur are pure decadence. Sniff and you can smell vanilla, star anise, ginger and juniper. I am immediately transported back to fin de siecle Europe.

Galliano adds flavour to a lot of cocktails, but in 1960 Hitchcock released "Psycho" and a number of bartenders immediately invented cocktails with the same name.

Some versions of the Psycho use ingredients like the german Eiswein, but I like this version, which is the one i mix.

By the way, in the London clubs they sometimes serve an abomination called a "Raving Psycho" which is vodka, 7-up, Triple Sec (or orange juice if they are cheapskates). Don't go there. this is far better.

Warning: It's as much a killer as Norman Bates.

THE PSYCHO

2 parts White Rum
1 Part Galliano
4 Parts Orange Juice
4 Parts Pineapple Juice
1 Part Grenadine

Shake with crushed ice, strain and serve in a martini glass.
 
Today's song is a real classic: "Rum and Coca Cola" by the Andrews Sisters.

Perfect thing to listen to while drinking a Between the Sheets, above.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxL2uNr7bk[/video]
 
interesting how the Andrews Sisters cleaned up the original song which I think was about prostitution:

When the Yankees first came to trinidad
Some of the young girls were very glad
Say they treat them really nice
And they given them a better price



[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMWUF3LYd88[/video]
 
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