18 Jul Quarter Deck

Posted at 12:46h in Cocktails, Dos Maderas 5+5 by

How to Make a
Quarter Deck dark rum cocktail

Which rum is best for a Quarter Deck cocktail?

The best rum for the Quarter Deck cocktail is a richer rum like Dos Maderas 5+5. Without the addition of sugar, the recipe runs on the drier side so a rum with more natural glycerine and texture will balance better with the acidity of the citrus as well as the sherry. The 5+5 spends its last 2 years of maturation in old PX sherry casks which marry perfectly with the ingredients.

About Dos Maderas 5+5

Dos Maderas 5+5 is a triple cask aged blended rum that spends five years in the Carribean followed by 5 years in Jerez. The time in Jerez aging is split 60/40 between Williams & Humbert Palo Cortado botas and PX botas. The result is a rich confectionary scented rum with plenty of natural baking spices, vanilla, maple, fig and chocolate notes.

See rum info

About Dos Maderas 5+5

Dos Maderas 5+5 is a triple cask aged blended rum that spends five years in the Carribean followed by 5 years in Jerez. The time in Jerez aging is split 60/40 between Williams & Humbert Palo Cortado botas and PX botas. The result is a rich confectionary scented rum with plenty of natural baking spices, vanilla, maple, fig and chocolate notes.

See rum info

Ingredients to make a Quarter Deck cocktail

2 oz Dos Maderas 5+5 Rum

1 oz Williams & Humbert Canasta Cream Sherry

.25 oz. fresh lime juice

Quarter Deck cocktail Recipe - Step by step how to prepare a rum cocktail

1.

Chill a Coupe

2.

Cut a lime in half and juice

3.

Add all ingredients to your shaker

4.

Fill shaker with cracked ice

5.

Shake for 10 seconds

6.

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

7.

Optional garnish: orange peel or some freshly grated nutmeg

Origins of the Quarter Deck dark rum cocktail

Given rum’s seafaring heritage in history and lore, it should be no surprise that several vintage recipes allude to sailing and other maritime themes: The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, the Navy Grog, etc. The Quarter Deck rum cocktail, while not well known, certainly fits into this family of nautically oriented rum recipes. It’s a fairly strong dark rum and sherry cocktail named for the raised deck at the rear of a ship, an area typically reserved for captains, officers and for holding court. In its simplest form, it shares a kinship with a Classic Daiquiri elevated with the incorporation of sherry, an ingredient of the upper classes for most of the 18th & 19th centuries and through Prohibition. As a simple dark rum cocktail, Quarter Deck riffs abound in various cocktail tomes beginning in the 1920’s and 1930’s with variations ranging from using lemon to lime and even incorporating Scotch in addition to Rum. Our version here is a shaken recipe to both mix the citrus but also aerate and open up the sherry aromas.

Quarter Deck cocktail Variations and types

Quarter Deck var. 1

This version via Difford’s is listed in “Boothby’s World Drinks and How to Mix Them” circa 1934. This recipe, among others of the time period, uses lemon juice in lieu of lime juice.

Quarter Deck var. 2

A more modern version adapted by Mr. Boston’s Guides, lessens the sherry and ups the citrus, aligning the portions closer to that of a Daiquiri

Quarter Deck var. 3

Also documented in sources from the 1930’s and 1940’s are several versions that include Scotch and omit citrus for orange bitters. The 1947 “Bartender’s Guide by Trader Vic” lists 3 different versions, one with lemon, one with lime while another version is a 2:1:1 Rum, Sherry & Scotch cocktail shaken with orange bitters and a splash of simple syrup.

FAQ

The ideal glass is a chilled Coupe.

The best sherry for a Quarter Deck cocktail is an oxidative one with some sweetness that you enjoy sipping as well. Try subbing the Canasta Cream with Don Zoilo Oloroso for a drier version or the Don Zoilo PX for something a bit sweeter.

Using a white rum in a Quarter Deck cocktail will likely diminish the character as oxidative sherry shares greater affinity with more aged rums. The Dos Maderas 5+3 and 5+5 both are finished in sherry casks and are much better options than a white rum.

Depending on the type of rum and sherry, the calories will range from 150-200 in a serving.

Cocktails with Dos Maderas 5+5

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