If you’ve never had Sailor Jerry’s rum before, it’s a delicious spiced rum that’s sweet and aromatic and surprisingly smooth despite being generous with it’s alcohol content. I am currently drinking it as I type, mixed with some orange juice. Rum is quite the diverse spirit though. I chose to mix it with OJ because that’s all I have on hand. I was sent some new cocktail recipes that I surely would have made if I had access to the ingredients. The recipes are as follows:

Hunter’s Punch
1.5 part SJ
2 part pom juice
.5 part lemon
.5 part champagne
Bottom of punch bowl add pom juice and lemon juice. Stir slowly with ice. Add rum and stir some more. Slowly add champagne while stirring. Keep punch cool with minimal ice. Serve chilled in desired glass.

Etcetera
1.5 part Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
.75 part fresh lime juice
.25 part homemade cinnamon allspice syrup
1 part pineapple juice
Add ingredients to rocks filled mixing glass. Shake. Strain into old fashioned glass.
Serve down in glass. Pineapple juice shaken should give cocktail a nice froth.

Both of these recipes were inspired by the new film The Rum Diary, starring Johnny Depp and based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson. The marriage of Sailor Jerry’s and this film could not have been more perfect. Thompson was a writer who never let anyone tell him what to do and basically invented a new kind of journalism. It’s no surprise that Sailor Jerry’s, a company known for embracing individuality and creativity, saw Thompson as one of their own. The original Sailor Jerry was an iconoclastic tattoo artist who pioneered standards in sterilization and is largely responsible for popularizing nautical tattoos. The company continues their nod toward people of Sailor Jerry’s ilk by regularly presenting concerts featuring bold, up-and-coming rock bands. A movie with “rum” in the title was bound to have tie-in campaigns but Sailor Jerry’s is undoubtedly the company that embodies the spirit of the movie and it’s source material. If you want to try those cocktails for yourself, they are being served at Mother’s Ruin (18 Spring Street). You can always just drink Sailor Jerry’s straight though and it’s just as good.