Dining & Nightlife | Drinkology

The Rum Runner

Rum is a distilled spirit made from substances taken from sugarcane, either molasses or sugarcane juice. Sugarcane is a tropical crop and rum producers straddle the equator worldwide, but the most desirable rums are produced in the Caribbean, where it was created in the 17th century. The name became notorious when Prohibition-era booze smuggling became known as “rum running.” Freeport, Montauk, Greenport, Fire Island and Shelter Island were centers of “Rum Row,” destinations of William “the real” McCoy, his boat packed with high-quality hooch from Canada. Claudio’s in Greenport is a unique example of an LI speakeasy, its stilt foundation allowing booze-laden boats to sail under the French eatery. Two decades after the repeal of Prohibition, the lingo was revived in the Florida Keys with the invention of a rum-centered cocktail:

Ingredients:
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1 oz blackberry liqueur
1 oz banana liqueur
1 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum or aged rum
Splash grenadine

Optional: one ounce of Bacardi 151 to float on top
Orange slice (optional)

Recipe courtesy of florida-keys-guide.com.