Ancient Mariner

 I don't too often make this drink although I've had it several times.  I think the small amount of allspice is what scares me off. I usually go with an actual grog when I want a grog.... or I skim through recipes I've collected over the years that call for a greater amount of spice, all or otherwise.  Let the spice flow!

Ancient Mariner*

0.75 oz lime juice

0.50 oz grapefruit juice

0.50 oz simple syrup

0.25 oz allspice liqueur

1 oz dark Jamaican rum

1 oz Demerara rum

Maybe this drink isn't really about this spice after all?  Maybe it is more like a Mai Tai as Tiare put it all those years ago.  But back to the spice for now.  I've made my own allspice liqueur for years now.  Usually some take on the serious eats recipe or the Home Bar Basics recipe.  Within the last year I discovered Ward Series Spice № 1 from Spring Mill.  It's the only thing resembling allspice liqueur available in Ontario annnnnd it's completely free of sediment!  Despite my most fastidious straining there's always sediment in homemade.  I found it to be a lovely spice liqueur and worked well in many drink recipes. Once my store of Spice #1 dried up I decided to give the syrup from The Shameful Tiki Room a go.  It too is very tasty.  There's even a recipe on the back label for, wait for it, Ancient Mariner! There is a small change to the recipe however....

Instead of the liqueur and syrup the Shameful recipe calls for 0.75 oz of allspice syrup.  I found in this version the spice was much more notable but maybe that isn't really what this drink is meant to be.... There is a coded key at the top of each recipe page in Grog Log to let you know strength, recommended glassware, and mixing method. There is a note to the reader before the recipes that if there is no mixing tin or blender graphic you are to "stir vigorously" so that's exactly what I did.  In general I prefer this drink with more pronounced spice and spindle blended but as a Mai Tai alternative (in the realm of a Cuban Anole) is perhaps how one ought to mentally categorise this drink.  Who's to say?

Cheers!

*page 16 of Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's Grog Log