Pieces of Eight

Another awesome tart summer cocktail. I hadn't really tried passion fruit syrup before this, thinking it was a tasteless sugary mess. I'm now totally converted!

 Ingredients:

• 1.5oz (45ml) light rum
• 1.5oz (45ml) lemon juice
• 0.5oz (15ml) lime juice
• 1.5oz (45ml) passion fruit syrup*
• Shake - crushed ice
• Glass - collins
• Serve - crushed ice 
• Garnish - lemon wheel

Passion Fruit Syrup
Usually I would advocate that fresh is always best, but for the passion fruit syrup I didn't have a huge amount of luck making it from scratch. The fresh syrup just didn't have the depth of flavor the off the shelf stuff did, so I just go with that. It was suggested by a guest that the type of fruit I had may not be the right type, so I encourage you to give it a go if you have passion fruit coming out of your ears.

That aside, I highly recommend Tasti Passion Fruit Syrup. Pak'n'Save and Countdown both carry it in Christchurch at least, for NZ folks. Just strain the seeds and you're good to go. The typical yield is 150ml of syrup per 230g bottle.

Instructions: 

1. Add all of the ingredients to the tin and shake with crushed ice 
2. Pour unstrained into serving glass 
3. Garnish with a lemon wheel or something else fun.

Tips
This drink has a LOT of citrus (2oz!) plus the syrup, so the dilution from the crushed ice really comes into play here. I have in the past taken a shortcut by shaking over regular ice and serving on crushed ice, but I think it really benefits from doing it right.

The trick with drinks where you pour it unstrained is to make sure that you have the perfect amount of liquid and ice to fill your glass after shaking. I do this by filling the serving glass 3/4 full with ice. That becomes the ices measure, so you just pour that into your shaker full of drink, shake, and pour the whole lot into your glass. 3/4 full should be about the right amount. Fresh crushed ice packs together tightly meaning there's less room in the glass for the drink. It'll also dilute faster than regular ice, meaning you'll have a larger amount of liquid at the end of the shake than most drinks. Adjust the starting amount of ice if you find you still have a bunch of room left in your glass, or top it up at the end.

If making a lot of these in one night I just fill a serving glass 3/4 full of ice, pour it into a clear plastic cup, shake it on a table to get it level, and mark a line with permanent marker.  There you go - instant easy ice measure. Is is a great trick for any 'pour unstrained' style drink.

Notes
What a great drink! It tastes great, it looks great, it's sweet, it's tart, it's tasty. A lower-alcohol crowd-pleaser. Be sure to do the right thing with the crushed ice and you'll have winner.
Like all crushed ice drinks, this one changes a bunch over time with the quick dilution. I recommend leaving it for 30 seconds or so to melt a little before diving in. Often crushed ice is used because there is a really strong element (citrus in this case) that is mellowed into balance with the extra dilution. Try it out by having a quick sip when it's first made and then leaving it for 30/60 sec. You should be able to taste the difference.

Source: Summit Sips
Photo: Jason Atkinson