Two Agricole Rhum Drinks to Celebrate Our 60th Year

I recently had the pleasure to meet with Angel Cervantes, a well-known bartender at the Rye Bar located inside Capella Hotel. Our mission: to create a special cocktail using Agricole Rhum products in honor of our 60th anniversary. True to his name, Cervantes is not only a seasoned bartender, but a creative mixologist and a spice flavor expert. His creative origins go back many years. He’s worked in some of the industry’s top places including Michel Richard’s Citronelle and Red Sage. Agricole rhum is of French origins, produced in Martinique and imported by Nikolai Konick, who sponsored our celebration. It differs from regular rum in that it is squeezed from sugar cane juice instead of molasses. Nikolai lent his hand to our cocktail experiment.

At first, I wanted to celebrate our anniversary with one light-colored cocktail and one dark-colored drink. Trained by tradition, I had my mind set on vodka for the light but was less sure about the dark cocktail. So, a friend and I tried one of Cervantes’ agricole rhum drinks. We were immediately impressed (and craved more of the delicious liquor). The drink we concocted is served in a tumbler with an oversized ice cube and an aromatic shaving of fresh ginger. Simply put, it’s the best version of the classic dark and stormy I have ever had.

Then, the white rhum martini arrived. The drink took our breath away, and the concoction even impressed Nikolai, who was astounded by the delicacy. The sophisticated, mature rhum met its match with the sweetness of the martini’s lavender infused simple syrup, and a splash of champagne.

Here are our two celebratory recipes, which I will treasure for years to come.

The Roffman
1 1/2 ounces of Clement Rhum Vieux Agricole Select Barrel
Dash of bitters
1/2 ounce fresh ginger shavings
Serve with over-sized ice cube

Amy’s Agricole Martini
1 1/2 ounces of Clement Premiere Canne Rhum
½ ounce of fresh lemon juice
½ ounce lavender infused simple syrup
½ ounce of Campari
Splash of Champagne
Serve ice cold