Little Devil Cocktail
I wait for October all year, then as soon as the calendar hits October 1st, the decorations are out! I know some people start decorating for Halloween in the middle of September, but that never felt right to me. Kind of like Christmas decorations in October. Christmas decorations should never be seen before at least November 1st! And I feel the same way about Halloween. But we don’t just decorate the Kitchy house. Halloween extends to our food and drink, too!
I love coming up with cool and creepy Halloween recipes. I’ve made ghost cookies out of meringue, pudding from leftover Halloween candy, and plenty of Halloween themed cocktails. But since my cocktails tend to be from a bygone era, finding drinks that fit the creepy theme are becoming more and more difficult. Luckily, my love of history and research have uncovered a few more. Last week I did a Devil’s Cocktail, so to keep with the evil theme, today I’m doing a Little Devil.
No, it’s not a smaller version of the Devil. It’s not even a shot. It’s totally different. It doesn’t even use the same liquor. Last week was a low ABV drink that mixed port with dry vermouth. But this week, we’re packing a punch. This week’s cocktail has not one, but two high proof liquors in it. Maybe that’s why it’s called a Little Devil, because although it’s served in a small cocktail glass, it packs one hell of a punch.
Appearing in a nondescript cocktail book from the 1930’s, this drink uses both gin and rum in its mixture. And it’s not just a splash of either liquor. Both are 2 ounces, which when combined gives you four whopping ounces of hard alcohol. Sure there’s a little Cointreau and lemon juice in it to round the drink out, but by the end of the shake, you’re left with a 6 ounce cocktail, three-quarters of which is high proof liquor. Little Devil indeed! This thing is vicious!
The original recipe calls for a dry gin and Bacardi. But after tasting it, (and making it again with a darker, aged rum) the aged rum is definitely the way to go. The Bacardi is much harsher, whereas the aged rum mellows the cocktail out and actually makes it sweeter; something this drink needs thanks to the ounce of lemon juice. Overall it’s a lovely little tipple that seems perfect for the ghoulish holiday next week.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces dry gin
- 2 ounces rum
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce Cointreau
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and serve.
