Grapefruit Swizzle

A while back my brother-in-law gave us some Jamaican overproof rum and I’ve been trying to decide what to do with it ever since. Overproof rum isn’t something I normally buy, and I couldn’t find a lot of drinks that called for it. This past weekend I was moved by the spirit of the islands and the ridiculously hot weather to make a grapefruit swizzle. Most rum swizzle recipes are made with a combination of fruit juices including orange, pineapple, and lime, but I decided to keep it pretty simple and just use fresh grapefruit juices, with a touch of grenadine for added sweetness. Traditionally, a woody stem is used to mix a swizzle, but as I didn't have any woody stems handy, I used a long bar spoon instead.

Grapefruit Swizzle

Ingredients:

Several sprigs of mint
1 ounce overproof rum, such as Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum
1 ounce spiced rum
2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce brown sugar simple syrup (1 cup brown sugar dissolved in 1 cup simmering water, cooled)
1/8 ounce grenadine
A few dashes of lime bitters
Crushed ice

Directions:

In a tall glass, muddle a few mint leaves in the rum and simple syrup. Add the grapefruit juice, grenadine, and bitters. Mix by spinning a swizzle or long bar spoon between your palms while moving it up and down in the drink. Top with crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprigs and grapefruit wedges.

These go down really easy, but with the overproof rum you probably won’t need to drink too many before you’ll be swizzling yourself. If you don't have or want to use overproof, regular white rum works too.