Drink Like Our Forefathers this 4th of July
You've officially made it to the long holiday weekend, and now it's time to let off some steam. At the same time, we celebrate the Independence of the best damn nation on earth. We know you love America, so while you're making that last trip to the store to stock up on hot dogs and sparklers, why not go one step further? Put down the IPA and mix up a rum cocktail in honor of our forefathers. Bonus, these rum cocktails are a hit with the ladies and pack a punch (pun intended).
Here is a link to 25 of our favorite ways to turn 5 shots of rum into a good time. A few include the classic Strawberry Daiquiri, the notable Rum & Coke, the festive Shark Infested Waters, the #trending Tipsy Mermaid Punch, and refreshing Blackberry Mojito. Turn several of these into a fishbowl cocktail for your new friends, who seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Why 5 shots of rum exactly, you ask? We're glad you did...
On July 4, 1778, George Washington ordered a double ration of rum for American soldiers to celebrate the second anniversary of Independence day.
We started with this thought. How much was an army ration of rum in 1778, and how can we make that double?
It is said that an American army ration of rum closely matched the British army rations. Which in 1778 was "1 Jill of Rum Pr. Man each Day on Fatigue".
In American, this is 4 fluid ounces. That would mean George Washington ordered about 8 fluid ounces for every American soldier.
It is fair to conclude that drinking about 5 shots of rum is a very patriotic way to celebrate Independence day.
Drinks for everyone!
You may consider taking your patriotism a step further to make a drink with nearly the exact rum given to celebrating troops. Mount Gay distilleries located in the Caribbean produced most of the rum sold and exchanged during the 18th century. They likely produced the rum consumed on July 4, 1778.
In writing a blog purely about rum, it's challenging not to imagine Jack Sparrow's voice shouting, "The rum! Why is the rum gone?!"
In 2013, there was a rare opportunity to purchase Barbados distilled rum from 1780 when 28 bottles of dark rum and 31 bottles of light rum were discovered deep in the basement of a home in London. The sale of this rum made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records, though the side effects of drinking 233-year-old rum are not shared.
Now that we have the facts straight about how our forefathers partied like it was 1778, back to executing the perfect patriotic cocktail here in 2021.
We've all heard the classic Jimmy Buffet song "If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain(!!)." The number of exclamation points added depends on how many you had before reading that sentence.
Anyway, the following love story is nothing like that love story, but it does involve a very pricey Mai Tai.
This is a story from U.S. Elite's Creative Director. We asked her to share how far she went to make the perfect cocktail to celebrate her anniversary while her husband was deployed. Here's Mollie sharing her story.
Of the 17 years Paul and I have been married, about 40% have been spent apart. I found myself alone, again, on our 15th wedding anniversary. This felt like it should be a very momentous milestone, and I was determined to celebrate.
I remembered this incredibly zen vacation we took to Maui in 2018. While having an incredible day at the beach, I ordered a Monkey Pod Mai Tai.
I didn't know a Mai Tai could be so delicious. First, each one has three shots of rum. Second, they top the drink with a lilokai foam that takes your classic cliche mai tai and makes it a thing of legend. It’s flavor continues to live on in my memory.
It seemed like a simple idea to recreate this drink. So I started where anyone would, the liquor store. After picking out the 2 rums and fruit juice mixers needed, I was about $50 into what was about to become... a project.
I later learned one of the ingredients, almond orgeat, isn't exactly a grocery store staple. So, I ordered it from Amazon along with another unique bar item, a nitrous oxide infuser. This was needed to create the foamy part that sits on top of the MonkeyPod Mai Tai.
I don't know if most people know what passionfruit is, but they are not very easy to find at a regular grocery store. Turns out, they are small and expensive. I needed enough passionfruit to use their tiny pulps to make them into a nectar for the recipe. Needless to say, I bought a lot. $50 later...I had enough passion fruit to make the dream happen.
Finally, I had everything I needed for my MonkeyPod Mai Tai- all for just $150!
I didn't have to spend thousands on a ticket to Maui, so I suppose I made up some of the cost there. They were delicious, by the way, and I regret nothing.
You too can go down the rabbit hole in search of the perfect Mai Tai recipe right here. You have been warned.
If you made one of these delicious cocktails, feel free to tag us at #uselitegear
From all of us at the U.S. Elite team, we hope you have a refreshing and joyous 4th of July!