Recipe: Hawaiian Itch

For July 4th, my friends wanted to do a Hawaiian themed potluck. Given how hot the day turned out, I'm glad I opted out of cooking duty. Instead of slaving over the hot stove making spam musubi and garlic shrimp (even the "no cook" poke sounds iffy, considering the prep work is done in that warm kitchen,) I opted to make tropical-ish cocktail instead.

Now, I'm not saying that this drink is anyway Hawaiian, but it combines a spiced rum with some fruits, spices and orgeat (a fragrant almondy syrup that is central to a Mai Tai) so I think this Hawaiian Itch evokes the spirit of an island vacation. It's got a few shortcuts as far as ingredients go, but the addition of fresh lime & nutmeg gives it a wonderful bright & aromatic note.

And from how fast it is downed by the party crowd (not sure if because of its coolness or deliciousness--I'd like to think it's the latter,) I think I've got a winning recipe to add to my repertoire.

Hawaiian Itch
Serves 1
Ingredients:

• 2 oz. spiced rum (I used Shellback)
• 3 oz. orange-pineapple juice (alternatively, 1.5 oz. of each)
• 2 oz. ginger beer
• 1/2 oz. orgeat (or almond syrup)
• Half a lime
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• whole nutmeg
• ice cubes

1. Add rum, orange-pineapple juice and orgeat in a 12 oz. tumbler.
2. Juice half a lime into the mixture, pat the peel dry and save the half-lime.
3. Stir to combine then add 2 oz. ginger beer.
4. Add enough ice cube to fill the cocktail glass.
5. Top with Angostura dashes and freshly grated nutmeg & lime. Serve & enjoy!