Best known as Bermuda’s national drink, the Rum Swizzle cocktail has its secrets and a history that confronts locals over their best and true recipe for the island’s cocktail.
History of Rum Swizzle Cocktail
According to Jay Correia, owner of the Swizzle Inn, the original recipe is prepared in this bar. Correia says that the date of creation of this cocktail dates back to 1932 when the Outerbridge family opened the Swizzle Inn in Bailey’s Bay around 1600. At that time, they created the cocktail with everything they had at their reach: local “Gosling’s Rum” rum mixed with Barbados rum, orange and pineapple juices, lemon juice and falernum, a syrupy liqueur containing ginger, lemon, almond and spices. They then created the cocktail by stirring it with a cocktail stick -swizzle- shaking the drink and making it foamy.
The Swizzle Inn preserves the tradition by creating this cocktail the way history tells it. Many people on the island add their special touch, like adding grenadine. However, it remains a flexible cocktail that can be personalized, unlike the emblematic rum-based cocktail Dark n’ Stormy.
If you want to discover Swizzle Inn’s suggested recipe for the Rum Swizzle cocktail, visit the SmithsonianMag
Don’t drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.