Ancient Mariner
Ancient Mariner is made with aged and dark rums, allspice dram, lime and grapefruit over crushed ice, served cold.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a tiki mug and prepare the garnish before mixing.
Add all measured ingredients to a shaker.
Add ice, seal the shaker and shake until the tin feels thoroughly cold.
Strain into the prepared tiki mug over crushed ice.
Set a fresh lime wedge on the rim. Place fresh mint at the surface for its aroma.
A thoughtful finish
- Measure the allspice dram carefully so the citrus remains bright around the spice.
- The selected syrup is rich, two parts sugar to one part water; use that concentration for the listed measure.
- Chill the serving glass as well as the mixture so the first sip stays cold.
Common mistakes
- Pouring a full liqueur-sized measure of allspice dram can overwhelm the two rums.
- Using a thin 1:1 syrup at the same volume supplies less sugar and changes the sour balance.
- A warm serving glass quickly undoes the chilling achieved during mixing.
A few good questions.
What is in a Ancient Mariner?
Ancient Mariner is made with aged and dark rums, allspice dram, lime and grapefruit over crushed ice.
Can I scale a Ancient Mariner for more servings?
Multiply every measured ingredient by the same serving count. Prepare the measured still ingredients ahead if useful, but chill, shake or stir each serving as directed; add any carbonated finish at service.
What kind of simple syrup should I use?
Use rich 2:1 sugar syrup for this selected build. A 1:1 syrup is less concentrated and should not be silently substituted at the same measure.
Who created the Ancient Mariner?
The cited source credits Jeff “Beachbum” Berry in 1994. The recipe-version note identifies any later adaptation.
Variations
- Another bottle of the base — Editorial bottle variation: use another producer of the same aged rum style at the listed measure; record the bottle rather than assuming identical sweetness or strength.
- Alternate citrus peel — Editorial presentation variation: try a different fresh citrus peel for the surface aroma while keeping the liquid formula unchanged; identify it as a garnish change.
Where it comes from
1994 · Los Angeles, California, USA · Jeff “Beachbum” Berry
Ancient Mariner is made with aged and dark rums, allspice dram, lime and grapefruit over crushed ice, served cold.
Sources
- Difford’s Guide — Ancient Mariner Cocktail Recipe (reference) link
Strength. About 1.5 US standard drinks at an estimated 17.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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