Rum Runner

Rum Runner by John Elber

The Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans is famous for the novelty of how the entire bar actually rotates, like a carousel. Which seems like a fun idea, until maybe you’ve had a few drinks. The bar is also famous as the birthplace of the New Orleans classic Vieux Carre cocktail, and for another signature drink, the Fleur de Lis. Carousel’s version features gin, St. Germain, lime, and cucumber, all topped with ginger ale. It’s delicious, and would be an excellent drink to pairing with this puzzle.

getting the run around

However I took a bit of phonetic liberty with the toast to the Fleur-de-Keys puzzle, because the name kept turning into the Florida Keys in my mind! Of course the most well known cocktail associated with the Florida Keys is the Rum Runner, a tropical delight full of rum and sweet fruit juices. It was reportedly the brainchild of “Tiki John” Elber, manager of the Tiki Bar at Holiday Isle in the Keys, who came up with the idea in the early seventies as a way to offload excess bar stock. The name was a nod to the real rum runners of the 1920s, who illegally transported booze from the Caribbean via the waters off the Keys during Prohibition. The drink is a signature experience when visiting the southernmost islands of Florida, and you’ll find a different variation at every bar. Cheers!

Flower Power

Rum Runner adapted from John Elber c. 1970

1 oz white rum

1 oz dark rum

1 oz pineapple

1 oz lime

1 oz banana liqueur

¾ oz blackberry liqueur

½ oz grenadine

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into an ice filled glass. Tropical garnish.

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