Baker Horse Collar
Yes, I’m doing another hot cocktail this week. But unlike last week, today’s cocktail doesn’t have beer. As I’ve said in the past I’m not a big beer fan. So, after two weeks of hot beer drinks, I’ve decided to get back to the hard stuff, and I found a drink that doesn’t have an ounce of beer in it. Instead it has three ounces of rum, and I love rum.
Rum isn’t the only ingredient though. There’s also orange peel, brown sugar, cloves and the pièce de résistance, a nice big pad of butter. All these ingredients make for one awesome cocktail. The silky elixir feels wonderful going down your throat and warms the body from the tongue all the way to the toes.
Now if this drink sounds familiar, it’s probably because it bears a very close resemblance to the Hot Toddy. But as I said, instead of bourbon, this drink uses rum. And instead of lemon, it uses an orange. Yes, the cocktail’s still hot, but these changes make for an entirely different drink. A drink that’s every bit as delicious as the Toddy, but with a distinct tropical feel.
Baker came up with the idea for the Horse Collar by accident in 1935. He was on a 56-foot ship heading into a “snoring nor’easter… It was November and cold as hades… and all hands screamed for hot rum”. But there were no lemons anywhere on board. They did have oranges though, and all the sailors remembered how superb orange peel roasted with wild duck can be. So, they decided to flambé the orange peel with rum and the Horse Collar was born.
While this cocktail has that tropical bent I mentioned (I mean, it was created on a ship), it’s still great for a cold, rainy day or a sore throat. So if you’re not a bourbon fan, but love rum, this is the hot cocktail for you. I love bourbon and even I’m thinking about switching to the Horse Collar for my hot drink of choice.
Baker Horse Collar
Ingredients:
- 3 oz. rum
- a spiral of orange peel
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 6 oz. boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon butter (optional)
Directions:
- Dip the orange peel in rum, then line the cup with it. Sprinkle the peel with sugar and cloves.
- Add an ounce of rum and set aflame until the peel’s edges brown and the sugar caramelizes. (You’ll need to hold the match to the peel as the rum isn’t strong enough to burn on its own.)
- Pour the remaining rum into the glass and fill with water. Top with the pad of butter and serve.
