Harlem Glory, a rum drink by Tonya Hopkins
Quick! What was America’s first spirit?
Of course, you already know the answer, as it’s right there in the title of this blog, but you still probably came close to responding, whiskey.
For sure, whiskey, specifically moonshine, bourbon, and rye, is America’s defining domestic spirit, but before whiskey there was rum.
That may seem surprising since rum is so strongly associated with the warm, sunny climates of the Caribbean and not at all with the cooler zones of colonial America, except, perhaps for the sailing set and their Dark and Stormy’s. It’s precisely rum’s association with the Caribbean, however, that links it to what is now the United States.
Our 13 colonies were not the only colonies that Britain possessed. The others were located in Canada and on various Caribbean islands. Not distinct countries before the late 18th century, these colonies traded amongst one another as part of one nation, Britain. One specific system of interconnected trade routes is commonly referred to as the Triangular Trade, an overly simplified model of the brutal supplying of enslaved Africans to the Caribbean and the 13 colonies from across the Atlantic to work the islands’ sugarcane plantations, which produced the molasses that was shipped up to New England to be distilled into rum, which then would be used to buy more slaves in Africa.
The northern colonies grew so rich and financially reliant upon the transatlantic trade of slaves, molasses, and rum and the other goods implicated in this system that they dared to fight for their independence from Britain, especially after the motherland passed the restrictive Molasses and Sugar Acts (1733 and 1764, respectively), which complicated the colonies’ profit earnings. Against the odds, we won. This victory and the resulting separation from Britain meant, however, that no more cheap molasses was sailing up from the Caribbean to the U.S. And that meant the reign of rum in the U.S. was over. Whiskey took over as our native spirit.
On July 4th, let’s remember our first spirit by mixing up a rum drink. A rum cocktail serves another purpose, to memorialize the backbreaking and deadly labor performed by enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and in the 13 colonies--work that brought great wealth to the founding fathers and that has gone uncompensated for centuries. Make a toast and recall these words from our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Need a suggestion for a rum drink? I recommend Harlem Glory, created by my friend and fellow drinks historian, Tonya Hopkins, aka The Food Griot. Every element of her cocktail represents an element of African American heritage: rum and sugar for the reasons explored in this blog; Cognac for its current popularity among African Americans; the red color for Juneteenth celebrations; and hibiscus for its original home of West Africa. It’s an easy drink to make because it’s composed of equal parts. And it’s so delicious to drink! A real taste of America and its history on July 4th.
Harlem Glory
Adapted from Tonya Hopkins
1 oz Strawberry-hibiscus syrup*
1 oz cup Dark Jamaican rum (if you must use white rum, make sure at least half of it is overproof for the added flavor)
1 oz Cognac
1 oz Fresh sour mix (half fresh lemon juice and fresh lime juice)
Garnish: Whole strawberry
Shake all ingredients except garnish over ice and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a strawberry on the rim of the glass.
* Strawberry-Hibiscus Syrup
¼ cup Water
Hibiscus tea bag (Tonya recommends Wild Hibiscus Flower Co. Tea)
¼ cup Sugar (preferably turbinado or demerara)
¼ cup Strawberries, hulled and then diced or mashed/muddled for more flavor extraction
Combine water and hibiscus tea bag in a small saucepan and brew over low heat until a deep red color is achieved (5-10 minutes). Add sugar and strawberries and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and maintain the simmer for 20 minutes (don’t boil). Remove the saucepan from heat and take out the tea bag. Strain the remaining strawberry mixture into a small, heat-proof container and let cool before using. Keep leftover strawberry-hibiscus syrup in the fridge.