This is a bitter take on the Mai Tai. The drink combines three key ingredients for balance: Cynar, an artichoke-based Italian amaro, funky overproof Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, and bartender’s ketchup (aka St-Germain) to make a very balanced bittersweet version of the classic.
I’ve enjoyed trying a variety of rums in this cocktail. My first take split the base between a blended white rum and an overproof Jamaican white. I eventually settled on a version using Smith & Cross “Navy Strength” rum, so-called because its alcohol content is so high, gunpowder could still ignite if a barrel of rum happens to spill in the hold. This rum is full of funk or “hogo,” a term that stems from the French “haut gout,” which refers to slightly tainted meat or another strong yet desirable flavor.
Oh, this brings me back to my college days in metro Boston. The Top-Notch Volcano is a single-serving version of the (in)famous Scorpion Bowl. There’s nary a drink less suited for quarantine than a bowl of hooch, so proceed with caution! I had more than a few of these at the tongue-in-cheek Peking Tom’s near Prudential Tower, as well as the Hong Kong Restaurant in Harvard Square. My version uses Demerara pineapple syrup.
