Alright y’all, I’ve got a really delicious drink today that’s a bit more on the adventurous side. Shocking, I know. Me be adventurous? Perish the thought!

Let’s shoop right in.

The inspiration for this drink came from wanting to use the first three ingredients pictured here in a stirred cocktail: Yaguara Cachaça + Batavia-Arrack + Giffard Banane.

Why put these three together? Well…

1. Yaguara Cachaça = Bananas, Coconut, Strawberries, Tropical Fruits, pot still funk, Grass. It’s farily viscous, smooth and really had me wanting some…
2. Giffard Banane = more Banana. So I was really going for Banana, but like multiple versions of Banana. Giffard Banane is more like Banana Bread. Baking spices galore.
3. Batavia-Arrack = I love this stuff. It’s obtuse as hell. It’s super complex. It’s from Indonesia. It’s kind of hard to describe but I’ll say this: sort of like Rhum Agricole Blanc with a rice overtone, coconut undertone, astringency (like some Scotches), and just feels really tropical.

So essentially we’ve got a tropical-banana paradise as the base, but as a stirred drink. I added Amontillado Sherry to compliment the Giffard Banane spice-wise, the Dolin Dry to dry the drink out, Pernod Pastis to better marry the flavors, and the Nutmeg cause what garnish could be better?!

It’s like Nutmeg was made for this drink. Or this drink was made for Nutmeg. Or whatever, y’all get the picture.

The name of this drink is my attempt at being cheeky considering the Cocktail as we know it, is deeply rooted in colonialism. Arrack (or Arak, or Rak) was actually the first Spirit used in Punch recipes back during the Colonial Era and the first spirit the Europeans went nuts over. Like Arrack, Cachaça is also made from Sugar Cane making it just as much of a Colonial Era Cash Crop. Lastly, sweet, glorious Nutmeg. Wars were fought over Nutmeg because Nutmeg is the best spice on earth.

Colonial Cash Crop

• 1 1/4 oz Yaguara Cachaça
• 1/2 oz Batavia-Arrack van Oosten
• 1/2 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
• 1/2 oz Dolin Dry
• 1/4 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
• Garnish: Pernod Pastis rinse, freshly grated Nutmeg

Rinse a rocks glass with Pernod and chill. Combine ingredients over ice and stirrrrrrrrrr til you’re feeling great. Remember, stirring is the ultimate zen. Strain into rocks glass over ice. Garnish with freshly grated Nutmeg.

The funny thing is, Colonial Cash Crop doesn’t actually come out tasting like BANANA. It’s more like Cachaça-Banana throughout, Arrack wide and present, and the other flavors sort of do a slow roller coaster. It’s pretty intense but sooooo good.

May all your cocktail adventures be as rewarding as this one was for me! Cheers!