Mixology Monday: Cape Cod Swizzle

I dropped the ball on the last couple of installments of Mixology Monday, but I'm happy to be back for April's theme of Swizzles, hosted by Fred Yarm of Cocktail Virgin Slut. I was particularly happy about this theme, because I've never made a swizzle before. I've had the well-known Queen's Park Swizzle a couple of times, but I've never made one at home. I was excited to learn more about them and come up with a recipe of my own.

A swizzle is a cocktail that is made with crushed ice that is then mixed using a unique "swizzle stick." We tend to call anything you stick into a cocktail a swizzle stick, but the real thing looks like this. It's inserted into the cocktail, which is served in a tall glass filled with crushed ice, and twirled by rubbing it between your palms ("as if you were a boy scout making a fire," as David Wondrich aptly puts it). This process originated in the Caribbean, where mixtures of spirits, sweeteners, and citrus were swizzled to frosty perfection as early as the late 1800's.

Since it's the first time I've made a swizzle, I didn't want to make my recipe too unusual. I decided to use the Queen's Park Swizzle as a base recipe and add a dash of thoroughly New England flavor: GrandTen's Craneberry cranberry liqueur. My husband and I went on their distillery tour a few weeks ago and were so impressed by it that we had to buy a bottle. If you don't live near Massachusetts, it might be tough to get your hands on, in which case you could also try and make your own. But if you have the opportunity, you've got to try the Craneberry. It uses a base of white rum infused with cranberries and aged in used Cabernet Sauvignon casks. The name refers to what early Massachusetts settlers called cranberries due to the crane-like shape of the cranberry flowers. It's intensely, deliciously tart, and I love what it does for the swizzle.

It's the technique and construction that really makes a swizzle a swizzle, and mine was admittedly quite cobbled together; lacking a Lewis bag and mallet to properly crush my ice, I used a clean dishtowel and an ice cream scoop. I don't have an authentic swizzle stick, so my barspoon had to suffice. But I was still very impressed by how wonderfully frosty the outside of the glass became as I swizzled away, and how the incorporation of the tiny pieces of ice into the drink made it into a cold, delicious, utterly drinkable cocktail. It's exactly what I'd like to be drinking on Cape Cod during the summertime.

Check back here for a link to the Mixology Monday roundup with lots more refreshing swizzle recipes!

Cape Cod Swizzle

2 oz. white rum
1/4 oz. Craneberry or other cranberry liqueur
1 oz. lime juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
10-12 mint leaves
4 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine mint leaves, simple syrup, and lime juice in the bottom of a glass and muddle well. Add rum and swirl to combine. Fill glass with crushed ice. Gently drizzle Craneberry and Angostura on top. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

After you've finished admiring the lovely layers, insert a swizzle stick or other stirring device into the cocktail. Like a good boy scout, rub it between your palms to stir the cocktail and melt the little shards of crushed ice into the drink. The outside of the glass should become frosty and the whole cocktail should turn a pleasing shade of pink. Add a straw and enjoy.