Drunken Hummingbird Cocktail

When Blue Chair Bay Rum invited me to be a part of their Blogtender Nation by joining them in celebrating the first-ever International Pineapple Day, visions of serene sandy beaches danced in my head. And I said yes...obviously! Me, fresh pineapples, and rum? We go hand-in-hand.

Let's talk about Blue Chair Bay Rum first. Created by singer Kenny Chesney, BCB just celebrated it's 1-year birthday! They offer three flavors - White, Coconut, and Spiced Coconut. I was able to pick one flavor to sample and create a cocktail with; it was a hard decision, but I went with Coconut. After the long, brutal winter we're still trying to shake here in the Midwest, I needed a little tropical getaway.

So, first impressions are important, right? It's true. Blue Chair Bay made a helluva first impression. The bottle is gorgeous. It's made of a smoky-blue matte glass that fades into clear and makes me want to rub my hands up an down it. A wooden-topped stopper accented with a thin, rustic sort of nautical seal bearing the words "nowhere to go, nowhere to be" complete the package.

How's it go down? Smoothly. Far too smoothly for my own good. When you remove the stopper, the coconut aroma instantly transports you to the beach. One sip from the bottle conjures up the warmth of sunshine on your cheeks and warm sand between your toes. And I promise, I am not referencing the effects of the alcohol, but rather the spirit it imparts. Okay, pun sort of intended.

My next step was deciding how to bring the Coconut Rum together with fresh pineapple. There's always the obvious, a piña colada. I toyed with making a caramelized pineapple version. I didn't, but that's still gonna happen. I thought about making a boozy tropical shake. Maybe I'd combine them with ginger beer and spice to really accent that island feel. But then something came to mind that was a pure stroke of genius.

Sometimes tooting your own horn is totally justified.

While thinking about flavors that I associate with the tropics, the beach, the Caribbean; bananas were an obvious conclusion. So I thought, what has pineapple and bananas and coconut in it? Well, the answer that came to mind was a very traditional Southern cake inspired by the tropics, a Hummingbird Cake.

Hummingbird cakes contain bananas, crushed pineapple, and pecans. Some recipes call for coconut, some don't. There is also some spice added to many versions, so using Blue Chair Bay Spiced Coconut Rum would work here, too. Boozy cake that you can drink. Does it get any better than that?

Only if you garnish them with a pineapple trumpet flower...

Drunken Hummingbird cocktail

The flavors of the classic Southern Hummingbird Cake in the form of a cocktail.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: blender beverage soy-free vegetarian Southern

Ingredients (4 cocktails)

for the cocktails:

• 6 ounces fresh pineapple
• 4 ounces Blue Chair Bay Coconut or Coconut Spiced Rum
• 4 ounces light Coconut Milk
• 2 ounces Pecan (or Praline) Liqueur
• 2 ounces heavy cream
• 2 frozen bananas
• splash pure vanilla extract

to finish:

• ice
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted
• 4 pinepple trumpet flowers (instructions follow)
• 12 pecan halves

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients for the cocktail into the jar of a blender, put on the lid. Blend until smooth.

Upend 4 glasses into the heavy cream to coat the rims. Dip the coated rims into the toasted coconut, pressing a bit with your fingers if needed. Place 2-3 ice cubes into each glass, then pour in the cocktail. Add a pineapple flower or wedge and three pecan halves per cocktail to each glass.

Enjoy!

notes:

You could also grind some pecans until fine, and then use those on the rim in place of the toasted coconut - or dip half of the glass in each.

to make Pineapple Trumpet Flowers:

Cut the peel from a pineapple, then slice circles as thin as you can get them. Line them (not touching) on a silpat-covered baking sheet (the silpat is essential or they will stick...I know this from experience). Bake them in an oven that has been preheated to 225° F for 45-60 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Remove the flowers when they are still slightly sticky and moist (so that they will droop and resemble trumpet flowers that hummingbirds love. Use a thin sharp paring knife to cup a slit halfway up the pineapple, and slide it over the rim of the glass.

For stiff flowers, leave in the oven (or use a dehydrator) longer.

Find more inspiration from Blue Chair Bay Premium Rum on Facebook!

GIVEAWAY - THIS GIVEAWAY IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING ENTRIES

Are you eager to try a bottle of Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum? Now's your chance to win a bottle. Simply leave a comment on this post answering the question: What is your favorite rum cocktail?

Once you've answered that question in the comments section, be sure to verify it in the rafflecopter widget, which will then open more optional entries!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to residents of the USA who are 21 years or older (by entering this contest, you certify that you are at least 21 years of age). Submissions close at 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, April 10, 2014. A winner will be chosen from qualifying entries via random draw, and notified via email within 48 hours of the close of this contest. The winner will have 24 hours from the time the email is sent to respond to me with their complete name, mailing address, and phone number. If no response is received within 24 hours, a new winner will be chosen.


I received a free bottle of Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum for sampling and recipe testing purposes. Blue Chair Bay will also be providing the bottle of rum to the contest winner. All opinions stated in this post are my own.