Where have I been?   Well, honestly, I’ve been right here. I’ve just been without an oven, and most of my kitchen appliances have, one by one, stopped working. You can just imagine how frustrated I’ve been. Even the outdoor grill has been on it’s last leg, so I couldn’t do much cooking there. Now the next two weeks, I’ll be without a kitchen all together, as these all need to be replaced, which of course led to a larger project.

What to do? Drink! YES!

I’ve been very interested lately in all these fancy drink menus at bars and restaurants. Some of them look as complicated as a fancy French recipe might be. They are a little bit daunting to me. But as luck would have it, a wonderful rum drink recipe, just perfect for summertime, was given to me in a most usual place.

Every Tuesday morning, you can find me, and several other fellow writers, gathered around a table, at a writer’s workshop. We go around the table, sharing our work, one at a time, and giving each other feedback.   A fellow writer has been sharing her story about how her family started a rum business in St. Kitts. The story is absolutely fascinating, and she always pulls a bottle of their rum out of her bag, and we share a taste as she reads. It really sets the mood for her tale….or so we tell ourselves, as we sip away on these delicious flavored rums at 11:00 in the morning! This is my kind of writing class!!

Along with the sipping, Mary Ann usually shares a recipe or two for some fabulous rum drinks, which you can find on their website, www.brinleygoldshipwreck.com.   However, the one that I’m in love with right now is not on the website, and I think it’s a perfect drink for a lazy, summer afternoon. Let me warn you. They go down easy. My trick is to add a little sparkling water or seltzer to my second (or maybe third), and reduce the rum amount.

For the remainder of my time without a kitchen, I’ll be trying out the recipes on their website, one by one. Life’s really not that bad without a kitchen. It’s opened up a whole new world or recipes to me, and I’m happy. Who wouldn’t be?!

Salute!

RECIPE:  makes 1 drink  (don’t kid yourself, you’ll have more than 1)

Brinley Gold Shipwreck Mango Rum ( 1 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup ruby red grapefruit juice

plenty of ice

fresh mint leaves

Fill a shaker with ice.  Add the rum and the ruby red grapefruit juice.  Shake vigorously.  Pour the contents of the shaker into a glass.  Add the mint.

•  When you make your second drink ( and you will), add a little club soda or sparkling water to the shaker as well.
• For a party, you can make pitcher of this in advance (minus the ice because you don’t want it to melt).  Then just shake them up one at a time, or simply pour over ice.  Don’t forget the mint.  It makes a difference.