 THE RECIPE For one 8oz. hot cocoa 2oz. 504Bananas Foster Rum For a crowd ½ gallon hot cocoa ½ bottle 504Bananas Foster Rum Combine ingredients in pot on low heat, stirring frequently. Serve hot. Garnish with marshmallows and a peppermint stick. THE STORY
Our cofounders Mark and Meagen have a toddler with a Christmas birthday. While he's little before he realizes what a grave injustice this is to his inventory of new toys and deserved birthday attention, his birthday party has been the one time of year that they gather family and friends for a big shindig. Last year, Meagen prepared a stellar platter of sweets with everything from peppermints to marshmallows to cookies. It was the perfect compliment to the mega-sized cheeseburger we cut into pieces like a cake. There's no party this year, but there is boozy hot cocoa with all the fun fixin's. All you need is the base of your favorite hot cocoa with the caramelized, cozy spiced notes of 504Bananas Foster. (Just take the booze out for the kids.) To treat yourself in 2020, go crazy with the fun stuff - marshmallows, peppermint, cookies, whipped cream, even caramels.
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 THE RECIPE For one 2oz. 504Bananas Foster 8oz. eggnog For a crowd ½ gallon eggnog ½ bottle 504Bananas Foster Rum Combine ingredients in pot on low heat, stirring frequently. Serve hot. THE STORY
Our good friend, the owner and pastry chef behind the macaron pop-up Violet Sprinkles, takes all the credit for introducing this to our tasting room. We had considered eggnog to be a natural mixer for our 504Bananas Foster, but she really brought it to life. And it pairs perfectly with a specialty wreath-shaped chocolate mint macaron. Whether store-bought or homemade eggnog, this is a sure hit for any eggnog lover.
THE STORY
This fall, Happy Raptor Distilling fulfilled a long-term goal and finally started our own rain garden on the distillery's patio. We have plenty more to do, but we're especially proud of the herbs, citrus, and pepper plants that provide regular ingredients for our bartenders - especially when we're in a pinch! Our habanero plant inspired a whole range of spicy cocktail specials this season, and the holidays are no exception. This delightful, ruby-colored cocktail is a fun addition to any socially-distanced Zoom holiday mixer, adding exactly the spicy kick you want to feel like you're not actually in your living room in leggings and slippers.  THE RECIPE For one 8oz. apple juice 2 large pinches mulling spices 2oz. 504Bananas Foster Rum For a crowd ½ gallon apple juice ½ carton mulling spices ½ bottle 504Bananas Foster Rum Combine ingredients in pot on low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve spices. Serve hot once all solids are dissolved. THE STORY
We first thought of this simple combination over the summer when we were taste-testing batches of 504Bananas Foster before its official release. It's safe to say we've been waiting a long time to unveil this simple but absolutely wonderful holiday cocktail treat. We quietly and casually introduced this in our tasting room, and it's quickly become the bestselling holiday special on our menu. While it may sound like a risky combo at first, the notes of vanilla, cinnamon, and caramelized banana in our 504Bananas Foster, combined with the apple and cozy spices of the cider, make it exceptionally suited for chilly winter happy hours.  THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Silver 1oz. lime juice 1oz. cranberry simple syrup Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into glass. Garnish with a couple of real cranberries and even a sprig of rosemary if you're extra fancy. Serves 1. To make the cranberry simple syrup: Heat equal parts cranberry juice and sugar in a small pot over a warm stove. Stir occasionally until dissolved. Cool and store. THE STORY
Our cofounder Meagen takes all the credit for this super simple burst of holiday goodness. One of her favorite holiday flavors, cranberry is such a fun reminder of the season. 504Silver and the sugars from the simple syrup cut through any overly tart notes from the cranberry juice, while the lime uplifts the whole cocktail in a wonderful way.  Every single 504Rum holiday cocktail special of the season is here. If we can make it in our tasting room, you can make it at home! If you're bartender this year, don't forget to stock up on any 504Rum products in our tasting room or in stores. In case you'd rather someone else handle that thank you, we can pre-batch anything to go. All you have to do is pick the cocktail up from our tasting room in 2-serving, 4-serving, or even gallon containers and call it done.
Click now to see all the cocktails we've crafted to celebrate the holidays so far this year.  THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Bananas Foster 1oz. caramel banana simple syrup 1oz. half and half 1 dash of chocolate bitters Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously until very cold and difficult to hold. Pour into a rocks glass or a martini glass. Garnish with cinnamon. To make the caramel simple syrup: Mix caramel Sunday sauce (like the kind you loved as a kid) with regular simple syrup and add 1/4 teaspoon pure banana extract. Don't buy the artificial banana extract unless you love that flavor. Spring for the good stuff. THE STORY Where do we even begin with this gorgeous baby angel of an autumn cocktail? We discovered this recipe in the early summer and it was the official cocktail of our family's Tennessee mountain vacation. We brought it home to share with our favorite people (our tasting room guests) and promptly learned that all of you wise souls with good sense did not care to indulge in a milk-based cocktail in 100 degree weather. Fair. Enough. At the time of writing this little post, it is September. The weather has mercifully cooled off, the holidays are upon us and it is the Dirty Banana's TIME TO SHINE. Simple, festive, nostalgic, and all around cozy and chilled at the same time, the Dirty Banana is pretty much everything we need right now.
 THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Bananas Foster 1oz. banana simple syrup 1oz. lime juice Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake vigorously until the shaker is very cold and difficult to hold. Strain into a glass. Serves 1. To make the banana simple syrup: Combine 16oz. sugar and 16oz. water, then add 1/4 tsp pure banana extract while cooking. Stir occasionally until dissolved. Cool and store. Don't use artificial banana flavoring unless you really love that flavor. Get the good stuff. THE STORY Traditional daiquiris are - in our very humble opinion - the best way to experience a new rum. Our Head Distiller Mark's favorite drink order at a bar with a nice rum selection: "Make me a traditional daiquiri with something interesting." Just like any other new rum, we turned to a daiquiri with the 504Bananas Foster and without great expectations. This is gonna be weird, right? Guys, we were wrong. Just the right balance of sweetness from the simple syrup, and sharp citrus that cuts through any overly banana-y flavor from the lime. It's an unexpected balance and a fast favorite. We can't wait for you all to try this one.
 THE RECIPE 1oz. 504Bananas Foster 1oz. 504Gold 1/2 oz. banana muscovado simple syrup 5 dashes angostura bitters Combine ingredients in a rocks glass. Add ice. Stir. Enjoy. Serves 1. To make the banana muscovado simple syrup: Combine 16oz muscovado sugar and 16oz water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 tsp pure banana extract. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Cool and store. (Don't use the weird artificial banana extract. Unless you love that flavor. You do you.) THE STORY Confession time. Our cofounder Meagen doesn't care for an old-fashioned. Our 504Gold Rum Old-Fashioned has long been a standing favorite in our tasting room, but her precious dainty palette simply prefers the florals and tropical notes of a 504Hibiscus daiquiri, or the minty, lemony deliciousness of the Sister Suffragette, or the fun nostalgia of the Dirty Shirley. Old-Fashioneds just aren't her thing. Cut to now.
Recipe testing cocktails for a brand launch is - no surprise - a very fun process. We try several different new ideas and variations of old cocktail favorites, looking for that perfect balance of fancy-but-not-too-fancy, special-but-not-unapproachable. It's important to us that any cocktail we make in our tasting room, you can also make at home. This 504Bananas Foster Old-Fashioned is all of these things and more. A little sweeter than our traditional 504Gold Old-Fashioned and perfect for the oncoming fall season, we've been making this at home and even that old dry-spirit curmudgeon Meagen is loving it. We hope you do, too. |
