Knickerbocker

How to Make the
Knickerbocker dark rum cocktail

Which rum is best for a Knickerbocker ?

In “The Bon-Vivant’s Companion,” the rum specifically mentioned is a Santa Cruz rum, which according to historical records, is intended to be more of a gold style of rum. In contrast to Jamaican rum, which was the other common rum style listed, Santa Cruz was lighter in body. Dos Maderas 5+3 is the perfect choice for a contemporary version of the Knickerbocker.
dos-maderas-5-3-bottle-cocktail

About Dos Maderas 5+3 Rum

Dos Maderas 5+3 Rum blends the lighter Baja Rum with the richer Guyana style and ages for 5 years in the Caribbean followed by 3 years in Jerez, Spain in Palo Cortado casks. The smooth character of the 5+3 is awash with pleasant vanilla, hazelnut, coconut and subtle maple.

dos-maderas-5-3-bottle-cocktail-mobile

About Dos Maderas 5+3 Rum

Dos Maderas 5+3 Rum blends the lighter Baja Rum with the richer Guyana style and ages for 5 years in the Caribbean followed by 3 years in Jerez, Spain in Palo Cortado casks. The smooth character of the 5+3 is awash with pleasant vanilla, hazelnut, coconut and subtle maple. 

Ingredients to make a Knickerbocker cocktail - Rum cocktail

2 oz. Dos Maderas 5+3 Rum

.5 oz. Cointreau

.75 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 oz .(2:1) Raspberry Syrup

Knickerbocker cocktail Recipe - Step by step how to prepare a rum cocktail

1.

Prepare your Raspberry Cane Syrup by dissolving 2 parts sugar into 1 part boiling water. Add 1 part muddled raspberries. Let macerate and cool for an hour. Then strain out the solids.

2.

Cut a lime in half and juice. Keep the shell.

3.

Chill a Highball glass.

4.

Add all ingredients to your shaker.

5.

Fill the shaker with cracked ice.

6.

Shake vigorously for 5 seconds.

7.

Double-strain, using a fine mesh strainer to remove excess pulp and ice shards, into your chilled glass.

8.

Fill with crushed ice.

9.

Garnish with your half lime shell filled with fresh raspberries and serve with a reusable straw.

Origins of the Knickerbocker cocktail

The Knickerbocker cocktail is a delightfully 19th century vintage raspberry cocktail with rum. To make one, you’ll need raspberries, sugar, lime or lemon, Cointreau or Dry Curaçao, Dos Maderas 5+3 and crushed ice. For our version, we’ll use lime and Cointreau. It’s one of the earliest rum cocktails documented as it is listed in Jerry Thomas’s “How to Mix Drinks or the Bon-Vivant’s Companion” published in 1862. For all intents and purposes, Thomas goes down in history as having authored the very first Bartender Guide and his compiled recipes span from his extensive experience in bars ranging from New Haven, Cuba, San Francisco, Charleston, New Orleans, Iowa, St. Louis, Chicago, Nevada, Denver and of course New York, the Knickerbocker city. When referring to Knickerbocker history, one absolutely must conjure the Dutch style pants perhaps better known as knickers,which, being a loose fitted style that gathers at the knee, offers comfort for all sorts of movement befitting an active lifestyle. Early uniforms for baseball, golfers, jockeys? All Knickers. Care to guess where the New York Knicks basketball team gets its name from? To know where it all began, sometimes one just has to name a cocktail or a large sports franchise after one’s roots. Yes, the Dutch were the first to colonize the state of New York and in fact the city used to be called New Amsterdam before it was seized by the British and soon after renamed.

Knickerbocker dark rum cocktail Variations and types

Following Jerry Thomas’ 1862 recipe, other variations pop up including sweeter blends using lemon or orange as well as the addition of pineapple as a garnish. Some versions also call for a Jamaican rum like in Tarlington’s 1869 “Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks.” Thomas & Tarlington also both mention a cocktail called the White Lion which has more sugar and less raspberries. Difford’s has a more contemporary version of the recipe.
Here the zest and peel of the lime is mixed in to add more aromatics and character to a sweeter version of a Knickerbocker.
The framework of the recipe, as it turns out, is also well suited to subbing in bourbon or other aged spirits like tequila or brandy. If you have a predilection, feel free to experiment.

FAQ

The ideal glass for a Knickerbocker is one that can hold the volume achieved when adding crushed ice to your liquid ingredients. A highball, Collins or a wine glass should work well.
The best raspberry juice is the one that you freshly prepare. Raspberries are super easy to crush and or macerate and they retain their naturally nutrient rich character when muddled or added to a simple syrup. All else fails, however, you can substitute Chambord or other Framboise liqueur.
The exact date for the Knickerbocker’s invention can only be deduced to somewhere in the mid-1800’s. Its first documentation came by way of 1862 in the then most famous bartender’s guide: “The Bon-Vivant’s Companion.”
New York City. The exact bar or club is a mystery but definitely New York City sometime before 1862.

Cocktails with Dos Maderas 5+3

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