The Seascape Cocktail

A seascape is an artist’s view of the sea - typically a beautiful scene either tranquil or menacing. What you don't generally see in a seascape is pollution. If we want this to be our reality we need to think about how we live – and how we drink.

We were invited to participate in Strawless Cocktail Week to raise awareness for the damage that is done to our waterways from plastic pollution. According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition over 500,000,000 plastic straws are used each day in the United States. People have come to expect plastic straws in drinks - an example of extreme waste being generated for minimal convenience. These short-lived tools are usually dropped into a garbage can with no further thought, instantly becoming a source of plastic pollution.

Let’s make a commitment to say "no" to plastic straws. We don’t use them in our cocktails. For drinks that require a straw there are options other than plastic (reusable metal straws or paper straws). So for our contribution to Strawless Cocktail Week we have created a version of one of our summertime favorites (the Whiskey Sour) and christened it the “Seascape”.

In our Seascape cocktail we replace the bourbon in the Whiskey Sour with Dark Rum and add a bit of Ginger Liqueur and some Tiki Bitters. We just stumbled across the Tiki Bitters from Modern Bar Cart’s Embitterment Bitters and they made the perfect finishing touch to this cocktail. For the rum, we chose Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva – which is an excellent sipping rum with sweet caramel notes. With this particular rum, there is no need to add any extra sweetness to the cocktail other than the bit of ginger liqueur (we used The King’s Ginger). Fresh squeezed juice is a must (no bottled juice here!). The final combination is a nice balance between a Tiki drink and a sour.

We think this is a perfect cocktail for sipping seaside or poolside, or while admiring the watercolor seascapes painted by The Cocktail Artist. Just remember to avoid the plastic straw, and you can feel good knowing that you are doing your small part to keep the seas clean from plastic pollution.

Cheers!

Seascape Cocktail

2 ounces Dark Rum (Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva)

1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

½ ounce Ginger Liqueur (The King's Ginger)

dash of Typhoon Tiki Bitters (DC Embitterment by Modern Bar Cart)

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Pour into an old-fashioned glass with a large ice cube and garnish with an orange peel and a cocktail cherry.