Thursday, August 9, 2012

Porch Crawler Cocktail

The name of this cocktail makes it sound more lethal than it really is. Porch Sitter might be a better title for it. It’s a fruity, zingy ice-cold drink for summer, and it’s a perfect excuse to sit down and put your feet up for a minute or two. I did some searching on the name Porch Crawler and learned it’s a common name for highly alcoholic drinks with some sweetness and fruit. This one just has a little rum, not a mix of different spirits, but it does have fruit. I had every intention of making this at some point last summer after cutting the page from the April 2011 issue of Food and Wine, but the weeks flew by and cherry season was over before I knew it. So this year, it had to happen. Fresh, pitted cherries are muddled with mint leaves and a halved serrano chile. When you taste it, you don’t really notice the chile at first since the fruit and mint get all the initial attention. Then, you realize there’s something else going on here. It’s just a hint of heat to make things interesting.

Stem and pit a handful of cherries, and place them in a cocktail shaker. Add a few mint leaves and a halved serrano chile. You can remove the seeds from the chile if you’d like to make it milder. Muddle those ingredients in the shaker, and then add some ice. Next, add rum, lemon juice, and simple syrup, and shake until cold. Strain the cocktail into a glass with ice, and top with club soda.

I suppose it’s possible you could end up needing to crawl if you consumed enough of these, but I’ll still argue it could use a better name. I wouldn’t change anything else about it though. And, I still have time to make a few more before cherries disappear for this year.


28 comments:

  1. This sounds wonderful even though I am not a big rum drinker. Love the color of it and that hint of heat from the chili.

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  2. omgosh! This is absolutely my kind of cocktail. And I actually have all the ingredients on hand (except, ironically, for ice...don't ask). Making this asap!

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  3. I've been known to porch crawl. What a beautiful drink. Even though I'm not a rum fan, the ingredients are really appealing. Pinned.

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  4. What a beautiful looking cocktail :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  5. That's a beautiful looking drink. I love the colour. And I think this would be fabulous at the end of a long hot day xx

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  6. Fabulous cocktail and what a great excuse for making more of it too :-)

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  7. This looks so beautiful that I, a non-cocktail drinker, even want one too!

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  8. I love the flavor combinations...the touch of chilie sounds interesting...I would definitely try making this one...

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  9. That looks so refreshing! Hope you have a great weekend!

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  10. Whatever you call it, Lisa, I'm luvin' it!!!

    Thanks for sharing...

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  11. Lisa, that name cracked me up! Porch crawler. That's classic.
    I bet the cherry, mint and serrano are so good together. Glad to hear that it's not too lethal;)
    Have a great weekend,
    E

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  12. Ha! I like porch sitter too. Love this. I'm a big fan of all the chili infused cocktails popping up this year.

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  13. Cherries, chili and mint, what a terrific pairing of flavors. I'd have to remove the serrano seeds for just a hint of spice. Adore the name, it's certainly an attention getter and would be fun to serve at a late summer bash!

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  14. ALOHA, Lisa!

    would love one of those right now as the sun is setting in Hawaii! ;-).

    gorgeous drink, great name!

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  15. What a great name! I hadn't heard of "crawlers" before - love the description. And this sounds like a wonderful cocktail. A nice summer sipper. Thanks for this.

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  16. Love the colour of this cocktail... while I'm not a fan of cocktails personally, my sister is, so I'm surprising her with this:)

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  17. what a gorgeous cocktail! sounds delicious!

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  18. Love the name of this cocktail . . . and I know that when I make it, I'll be crawling off the porch or floor after I drink a pitcher of this liquid refreshment!

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  19. The name of this drink is so cool! My friends would love this ;)

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  20. The name made me do a double take! I'm hopeless when it comes to strong cocktails so this sounds up my alley Lisa :)

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  21. Interesting! Cherries and chili in a cocktail. The heat no doubt hits after the first swallow. I suppose I could add a little more rum, right?
    I think the name is perfect!

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  22. Oh, this is my kind of cocktail! Definitely going on my to-make list!!

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  23. Perfect Lisa. Looks very refreshing :) I wish it was Friday so I could make one!

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  24. The name is so whimsically fun. Plus, who doesn't love anything with a cherry on top? ;)

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  25. I feel cooler just by looking at the pics - looks very refreshing for summer.

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  26. This sounds delicious! Now I'm sad that I just finished up the big container of cherries I bought last week :(

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  27. I could use a sip of this. Looks and sounds tasty.

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