Corn n Oil
Dark rum, falernum, lime and Angostura over crushed ice. The Barbados rum-shop drink — spiced, sour, strong, and named for the way the rum sits on the surface like oil.
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.
Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice.
Add the falernum, lime juice and bitters and stir.
Pour the rum over the top so it sits on the surface, then stir gently or let the drinker do it.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
A thoughtful finish
- Blackstrap rum is the modern standard and makes the drink: molasses-black, heavy, bitter-sweet. A Barbados dark rum is the island's choice and lighter.
- Three dashes of Angostura is the floor; the drink is spiced by design.
- A liqueur falernum (around 11%) or a syrup falernum both work; the syrup is sweeter, so reduce it slightly.
Common mistakes
- A light rum; the drink needs weight.
- Skipping the bitters.
- Cubed ice; the crushed ice is the dilution the strong rum needs.
A few good questions.
What is falernum?
A Barbadian liqueur or syrup of lime, almond, clove and ginger, used across Caribbean and tiki drinks. It is the Corn 'n' Oil's whole flavour.
Why 'Corn 'n' Oil'?
Either for the rum floating on the falernum like oil on water, or from a biblical phrase about abundance — 'corn and oil'. Nobody is sure.
Blackstrap or regular dark rum?
Blackstrap for the craft version — black, heavy, molasses; a Barbados dark rum for the rum-shop version. Both are correct.
How strong is it?
Around 25% ABV over crushed ice — two ounces of rum in a small glass. It is a sipping drink.
Variations
- Rum Old Fashioned — Aged rum, sugar and bitters.
- Dark and Stormy — Dark rum and ginger beer.
- Chartreuse Swizzle — Green Chartreuse, pineapple, lime and falernum.
- Zombie — Three rums, falernum and absinthe.
Where it comes from
c. 20th century · Barbados
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Corn ‘n’ Oil is the Bajan rum-shop drink: rum and falernum — the island’s own lime, almond, clove and ginger liqueur — with a squeeze of lime and a heavy hand of Angostura, over ice. The name is explained two ways: the dark rum floating on the paler falernum looks like oil on water, or it is a biblical phrase about plenty. The modern craft version uses blackstrap rum, which is black and heavy and makes the ‘oil’ literal; Barbadians use whatever rum is on the shelf. There is no inventor, only a habit, and the drink is a tiki-era favourite that never needed a tiki bar.
Sources
- Jeff Berry, Potions of the Caribbean, 2014 (book)
- Wayne Curtis, And a Bottle of Rum, 2006 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Corn 'n' Oil, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 1.49 US standard drinks at an estimated 25.2% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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