The Bamboo Screwdriver is a rum variant on the classic vodka cocktail. The addition of bitters tones it down from being too sweet or tart.
1.0 oz Dark Rum
1.0 oz Orange Juice
1.0 oz Orange Liqueur
0.25 oz Lime Juice
4 dashes Angostura bitters
Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a glass over ice.
Let’s face it. Blue Curacao is used for adding blue color to drinks, because Windex isn’t safe to drink! In the DeKuyper bottling, there may be some fake orange flavor and a sweet component. But, it’s blue!
I have seen reviews of other brands that might be a little truer to an orange curacao, and less focused on the blue coloring.
Proof: 30 (15% ABV)
Paid: $ for 750ml
Buy again: Probably (I have blue drinks to make!)
After trying Cointreau and the realization that sometimes you just don’t like a cocktail and end up pouring it out, I decided to go lower down the shelf for orange liqueurs for experimental cocktails. This time, I left online research behind. I walked into the ABC store and asked the clerk what triple sec was a big seller. The response: Bols Triple Sec. It was a third of the price of Cointreau at $7.95. Without hesitation, I grabbed a bottle and headed for the register,
Back at the Lair, I unscrewed the top and poured a small amount into a shot glass. I did the same with a bit of Cointreau. The Bols had more of an artificial, or candy, orange aroma. Tasting the two side-by-side surprised me at how sweet they both were. A tiny taste told a similar story, but as always, the alcohol blew away anything else.
I made a scaled down version of a cocktail from each (it could have been a Margarita, it was two years ago). Mixed in with some citrus or another, and with the primary spirit adding its burn, they were mostly identical to me.
It turns out that this would not always be the case, but for now I have learned that a cocktail did not always demand the more expensive ingredient.
Proof: 30 (15%ABV)
Paid: $8 for 750ml
Buy again: No
The Tipsy Nerd's Lair