Old Recipes

The Underhills’ Guide To Circle Hook Rum

Since founding Circle Hook Distilling, we have taken full advantage of our unfettered access to rum. Our experiments with essential rum standards, with substituting rum into traditional non-rum cocktails, and with creation of some entirely new concoctions, have yielded some wonderful results. We want all Circle Hook lovers to be able to enjoy these recipes and hopefully be inspired to devise some of their own. So, time to become your own cocktail craftsman—please give some of these a try, and if you get creative, please share your favorite newly concocted recipes with us!

For the Purist

The Captain’s Choice

  • 3 ounces (depending on the day) Circle Hook Agricole-Style Rum
  • Ice

Really, why add anything to this rum? After what it took to produce (Eli will tell you the story over a glass), and what a wonderful flavor it developed, we prefer to savor it on its own over ice. We only produced 25 cases for the first batch, so bottles are scarce. If you manage to find one, we’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Truth be told, it does make a great cocktail, but until batch #2 arrives, we’re conserving ours!

The Ponderosa

  • 3 ounces (again, depending on the day) Circle Hook Original Rum
  • Ice
  • Water to taste

As with the agricole, our favorite way to enjoy Circle Hook Original is to let its flavors shine on their own. We add ice and, perhaps, a little water. The water opens it up a little, revealing additional notes to the palette. Somedays, though, require full strength! The name is in honor of Boyd Letcher who dubbed our farm ‘The Ponderosa.’ He was a Circle Hook supporter from the outset, switching from his long-time standard martini to our Original Rum over ice.

Satsuma Sling

  • 3 ounces Circle Hook Rum
  • Juice of one satsuma
  • Simple syrup to taste (depending on the satsuma’s ripeness may not be needed)
  • Ice

Who can resist a sweet satsuma straight off the tree? We have a prolific tree just a few feet from our bar, and come November, the Ponderosa gets an extra ingredient. Fresh citrus really sets off the many flavors in the rum. You can get fancy with a shaker and a satsuma peel garnish, but we usually squeeze the satsuma straight into the glass so we can get right to the drinking.

Our Favorite Traditional Daquiri

  • 2 ounces Circles Hook Silver Rum
  • Juice of one lime
  • ½ – ¾ ounce simple syrup

We needed a cocktail for a Cuban themed dinner, and in our search, educated ourselves on the history of an incredible drink known as the daiquiri. Who knew it wasn’t frozen at all? Simply add these three ingredients to a shaker, shake well, strain into a coupe glass (or similar), add garnish of your choice (traditionally lime, we went with rum-soaked cherries), and enjoy.

For the Subversive

( For the Subversive (or those who have an easy supply of rum . . . )

  1. Circle Hook Old Fashioned
  2. Rum Julep (Mint Rumlep?)
  3. Pomegranate Rum-tini

For a Pick-me-up

Grand Dame

2 ounces Circle Hook Original Rum

Gigi’s Hot Toddy

  • 2 ounces Circle Hook Original Rum
  • 2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Hot water

Soon after our first distillation, Gigi realized her traditional hot toddy was much better tasting (and of course more therapeutic) if one replaced the bourbon with Circle Hook Original Rum. Any time one of us has a cold, or an itchy throat, or a vague feeling of unease on a chilly day, we put the kettle on to boil and make a toddy (for medicinal purposes only, of course).

Circle Hook Cherry Coke

  • 2 ounces cherry-infused Circle Hook Rum
  • 2 ounces Coca Cola
  • Rum-soaked cherry garnish

When you give the White Pillars bartending staff a

For Sitting in the Sunshine

(or when you wish you were)

  1. Circle Hook Sunset (Rumrunner)
  2. Cuba Libre
  3. Mojito

Mrs. Simmons’ Frozen Daiquiri

For a pitcher . . .

  • 6 ounces Circle Hook Rum (can be made with Original, Silver, or a combination)
  • 2 ½ cups local strawberries, frozen
  • Fresh strawberries for blending
  • Simple syrup to taste, depending on sweetness of the berries (you may not need any)
  • Juice of 1 lime

When you have a distillery party, a blender, some peak-of-ripeness Louisiana strawberries, an amazing rum, and a blender, great things will happen even when the recipe isn’t 100% planned (at least Kay Simmons, thought so). Our first year with the distillery, a New Year’s Eve party manifested, and Mrs. Simmons is still talking about Eli’s sublime daiquiri. Combine all ingredients and blend away. The rum should enable smooth blending, but if it needs a little help, add some fresh strawberries and/or a little water.

For the Holidays

  1. Circle Hook Pomegranate Punch
  2. Circle Hook Cranberry Mojito

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