 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.
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 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. If you're an entrepreneur, then you know the special hell that is trying to name and trademark your new brand. It's one of those "should-be-fun-but-is-actually-pretty-hard" traps of getting started. When we were in that phase circa 2017, our son was still an infant. A loud, sort of screechy, but very sweet infant that didn't sleep. We often said he sounded like a velociraptor from Jurassic Park. After weeks or more of brainstorming and trademark database verifying, we had nothin' but a bunch of weird words smushed together. One evening, Peter made a comment that our son sounded like a velociraptor, but a happy one. (Not the door-opening, escape from the paddock, life finds a way raptor.) A Happy Raptor. Lightbulb. Perfect. Today, our son is almost four and the name still embodies his bright energy and our mission to create premium infused rum inspired by our culture, our community, and the things that bring us joy. The best surprise has been relating to other parents who come into the tasting room. On many an occasion, we've seen a mom or dad's face light up when we tell the story and exclaim, "My daughter sounded like a pterodactyl!" or "My kid was a T-Rex!". It's a reassuring connection that unexpectedly brings out the same nostalgia and joy in our guests as it does for us. As for our son, he only knows the company as "my raptor". Through Sat, September 19th, we're assisting University of Holy Cross to collect donations for members of our Louisiana community impacted by Hurricane Laura. Happy Raptor is happy to say thank you with a free 16oz. Hibiscus Hurricane every time you donate!
ITEMS NEEDED Reports from Lake Charles have stated that first responders are in great need of wash clothes and bath towels. · Cases of Bottled Water, Powerade, Gatorade [VERY IMPORTANT - They have no running water right now] · Contractor Trash Bags · Tarps · Work Gloves · Latex Gloves · Masks · Hand Sanitizer · Cases of Bleach, Lysol, Clorox Wipes, etc. · Rakes, Mops, Brooms, Buckets, Shovels, etc. · Utility Knives (for removing sheetrock) · Cases of Paper Towels, Toilet Paper, Kleenex, etc. · Flashlights & Batteries · Non-perishable dry goods and canned goods · Easily prepared non-perishable food (remember - no electricity and no tap water) · Baby Items (Diapers, Wipes, Formula, Food, Bottles, Powder, etc.) · Plastic storage bins · Soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, razors, floss, feminine products, deodorant, etc. · Boxes & Packing Tape · Duct Tape · Dog and Cat Food · Giftcards (Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) NOTE: We are NOT ACCEPTING clothes  THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Gold 1oz. raw sugar simple syrup 4 slices lemon 8 or 9 large mint leaves Put lemon and mint in shaker. Add simple syrup and muddle together. Add rum and ice to your shaker. Shake vigorously and double strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with lemon. Serves 1. THE STORY The Sister Suffragette was a tasting room special that we released in that month-long period between coronavirus closures in honor of our 3rd of July Drop-In. This quickly became a top 5 favorite of our co-founder Meagen and a bestseller at the bar with our guests. Since this recipe requires muddling lemons and mint, it's harder to adapt as one of our 32oz. cocktails for pick up. We're working on a version that can be pre-batched, but in the meantime these are fun and easy to make at home. The zip from the lemon and light, cool refreshment of the mint, not to mention the richness of the 504Gold, make it on of our favorite drinks of the summer. As a reminder, Happy Raptor is honoring every "I Voted" sticker or selfie outside your polling station this election season with a FREE boozy freeze pop. #GeauxVote! **A note from our co-founder Meagen because it's important: Mary Poppins is clearly a masterpiece and one of my favorite movies of all time. This little musical number inspired the name of our dainty yet punchy cocktail and it's all very charming. HOWEVER, the suffragette movement (while extremely important) also left behind - and set a precedent that continues to leave behind - women of color. As for us, delicious rum cocktails should never leave anyone behind even if they do have a cute name. If you're reading a bunch of disruptive and interesting books about our society while waiting for covid to pass (me too), check out White Feminism by my friend Koa Beck upcoming this Spring (!!).**  THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Gold 4oz. Pineapple Juice 1oz. Orange Juice 1oz. Cream of Coconut Dash of nutmeg Fill your shaker with ice. Shake until icy cold and strain into a Collins glass over ice. Garnish with a cherry. (We like maraschino cherries for a little tiki fun.) Serves 1. THE STORY It was our pleasure to partner with the wonderful, artful Krewe of Krampus to release this old tiki favorite, the Painkiller. This is a recipe that our CEO and Head Distiller loves and has experimented with for years. He makes them at home and forces everyone to try the new recipe. Hard life, right? Until his wife says, "Oh no. Not another painkiller". Well, on July 25th at 7PM the Krewe of Krampus will celebrate their annual German Luau - and it's the perfect opportunity to debut this gorgeous cocktail. A traditional tiki drink with the light, beachy familiarity of pineapple, orange, and coconut, we call it the Schmerzmittel in honor of the event. That's German for "painkiller". According to wordreference.com. Because we don't speak German.
Don't feel like making one yourself? We get it. They're available for pick up in our tasting room through Saturday, and we'll be hosting a short cocktail demo during the luau! See you there!  THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Silver 1.5 oz. pineapple simple syrup 1oz. lime juice* Add ice to your shaker and shake vigorously. Strain and pour into a glass. Top with a maraschino cherry for fun. Serves 1. *Do this to taste. Quantities may vary depending on how sweet your pineapple simple syrup turns out, and your personal preference. To make the pineapple simple syrup: Combine equal parts pineapple juice and sugar in a pot. (So, for example, 1 cup of each.) Heat in the pot until all the sugar has dissolved. THE STORY Before our company ever opened, we thought, "Wouldn't it be fun to have simple syrups made in-house?" It seems like a trivial idea, but simple syrups mean creativity, fresh ingredients, and fun. Unlike breweries who have the freedom to create new flavors all the time, it's a monumental effort to create a new product in the world of distilling. Federal red tape, ingredients, expensive labels, TTB approvals...it can take a long time and it's a big deal. Cocktails open doors to fun and creativity in a whole new way and for our Head Distiller and Co-Founder Mark Taliancich, that outlet for new ingredients and new experiments means a lot. When the doors opened, our "what ifs" became reality, and the pineapple simple syrup was the very first flavor we made in-house. After several months and a pandemic, it's already a customer favorite.
A note on traditional daiquiris like this one: They can seem a little more advanced if you're a two-ingredient and done thank you very much kind of at-home bartender (see Hibiscus Lemonade) but they really are easy. If you're a foodie who loves to try new recipes but hasn't really done much with spirits yet, start here. It's the very best way to taste a good rum, and once you learn it you've opened yourself up to a world of new cocktail and flavor possibilities. 
THE RECIPE
2oz, 504Gold 5 dashes of angostura bitters 5 dashes of orange bitters 1/2 spoonful of cherry juice Add ice to your rocks glass. Stir. Top with a cherry (we prefer Luxardo cherries at home #fancy). Serves 1.
THE STORY
This is the only cocktail in our tasting room that people get oddly mad about before they try it. Faithful old-fashioned drinkers are used to the more familiar bourbon or whiskey, of course. Some die-hard guests don't believe it's a true old-fashioned without orange juice, to which our staff imagines them suddenly donning a top hot like the dad in Peter Pan and exclaiming "Poppycock! Pish Tosh! But there must be orange juice, old boy!".
Here's the thing, y'all. It's delicious. Our 504Gold rum makes all the difference and offers a really lovely and welcome alternative to the super floral notes of the (equally wonderful) 504Hibiscus. Aged for only two weeks on oak chips, the 504Gold captures the essence of a rum that has been barrel-aged for much longer, and brings in the familiar, warming notes of a drier spirit like whiskey, but with that noted depth and slight sweetness of handcrafted Louisiana rum to round out the flavor. If you love an old-fashioned, you will love this. We promise.
Want to know more? Here's a video on how to make it:  THE RECIPE 504Hibiscus Lemonade of your choice (Seriously, that's it.) Having a party? Mix 1 bottle of 504Hibiscus with 1 gallon of lemonade. Just for you? Put ice in a glass. Add 2 ounces of 504Hibiscus. Fill the rest with lemonade. Stir. Drink. Want it sparkling? Top off the cocktail with sparkling water! This is our co-founder Peter's favorite. In the tasting room, we use Key Lime flavored La Croix, but lime and lemon are nice, too. Making boozy freeze pops? Make the cocktail as usual. Grab a freezy pop mold of your choice. Fill it up. Freeze and serve. THE STORY Our 504Hibiscus Lemonade is tart, floral, refreshing, and gorgeous in the summer. It can be served flat or sparkling, appeals to a wide audience, and fits fancy parties, porches, and casual picnics alike. Want to know a secret? It is far and away the simplest thing we make in our tasting room and we sell more of these than any other cocktail. Friends, we LOVE having guests in our tasting room, but you absolutely don't have to journey to Central City to make it. Pick up a bottle of 504Hibiscus in your local store, grab a gallon of your favorite lemonade, and that's seriously it. We do like to class it up in the tasting room when we can. During Mardi Gras 2020, for example, we teamed up with our friends at Rockin' Lemonade, a Baton Rouge-based, woman-owned, butt kicking company who crafted a special blend of lemonade from fresh-squeezed local lemons just for us. Rockin' specializes in flavored lemonades with real ingredients - and it's seriously worth a try if you're not in love already.  Rockin' Lemonade founder Courtney Celestine and Happy Raptor Co-Founder Meagen Moreland-Taliancich at the Yelp Krewe de Vieux 2020 Tailgate. Photo: Yelp New Orleans Want to know another secret? The boozy freeze pops we sell in our tasting room... You can make those at home, too. Every freeze pop in our tasting room is simply 504Hibiscus Lemonade in a cute fancy package. But beware, they are strong. Every freeze pop contains the same alcohol content as a can of beer. *Best consumed on the beach or at a pool party.* If you don't want to freeze these yourself, you can always come pick up a whole bunch from our tasting room. We've got you covered.   Throughout the month of July, Happy Raptor Distilling will partner with our friends at Angel's Place to collect gift cards and school supplies for members of our community in need. Angel's Place provides ongoing support services to children with life threatening illnesses and their families. Every individual (21 years or older) making a donation in the Happy Raptor tasting room gets one free freeze pop. GIFT CARDS Preferred locations include Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, and Visa/Mastercard. Preferred amounts include $25 and $50, but any amount is appreciated. SCHOOL SUPPLIES Here's the list of needed supplies: Spiral Notebooks: 3 subject, 5 subject. College ruled Binders - 1/2", 1", 2" Scientific calculators T-84 graphing calculators EXPO markers - black (most needed) RED ink pens Plastic folders with pockets - all colors Plastic folders with pockets & prong fasteners - all colors Binder dividers - tabbed, 5,8,12 packs Construction paper - small packs Markers - washable - in packs of 8 or 10 Highlighters - yellow (most needed) Staplers Erasers - pink rectangles, individual pencil tops Tape - rolls of Scotch tape in plastic dispenser Scissors - pointy for older students USB thumb drives Headphones or earbuds Index cards - Lined, white Ruled handwriting tablet for K, 1st gr. Watercolor paints - Crayola 6 or 8 set Colored pencils Loose leaf - wide ruled, college ruled Wipes - sanitizing Paper towels Kleenex Tissues Plastic Ziplock bags - Gallon, Quart sizes Backpacks  |