Bar on hold: B.V.D. and the K.O.

New base, new possibilities. Our current bar has plenty ingredients to offer, so here’s some cocktails that are possible right away.

Since it’s hard for me to let go of the gin, we’ll kick off with some cocktails which use both gin and rum.

And vermouth.

Okay, so they both use gin, rum and dry vermouth and nothing else. So it’s actually the same drink, right?

Well… no.

B.V.D.

An abbreviation that stands for Bacardi, Vermouth and Dry gin. Using Bacardi rum is an option, but there are plenty of other rums out there of course.

Some sources note that the original B.V.D. was actually made with Brandy, Vermouth and Dubonnet. That might be, but both The Savoy Cocktail Book and the Café Royal Cocktail Book already have this supposedly ‘modern’ version. So this new-fangled version is classic enough for me.

1 part light rum

1 part gin

1 part dry vermouth

glass:  cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into the glass.

A martini with a rum touch.

This recipe just begs for some experimentation with bitters, although colour is an aspect to consider here. Tainting this extremely clear cocktail would be a waste, but subtle bitters such as orange bitters would work fine.

In this case I put these two bottles to good use that were both a gift: Dutch gin (Dutch Courage) and Dutch rum (Flying Dutchman), both of the Zuidam distillery. A very fine combination.

K.O.

Same basic idea, but by using Jamaican rum this cocktails gets some extra punch. Invented by Heini Schmidt and found in the Café Royal Cocktail Book.

2 parts gin

1 part dark Jamaican rum

1 part dry vermouth

glass:  cocktail

Stir with ice and strain into the glass.

Yes, this is certainly different. Switching gins is a subtle business, but switching rums can be enormously effective in changing the character.

To really hit home, I used Myers’s rum here. According to Ted Haigh it’s the strongest-flavoured Jamaican rum on the market.