It’s been a minute since we professed our love for the wide world of Caribbean cocktails. We know you’ve missed them, too, so we’re devoting this Happy Hour to a recipe that captures just some of our favorite tropical flavors, courtesy of Lukasz Rafacz, head bartender at Yotam Ottolenghi’s perennially popular London brasserie, NOPI. Ottolenghi featured this cocktail, which is based on layering several iterations of warming cardamom flavor, in his James Beard Award–winning cookbook inspired by the restaurant.
To start, Rafacz muddles two banana slices and a small handful of cardamom pods in a shaker until the seeds break open and release their intoxicating aroma. Then, he adds white rum, lime and apple juice, unmistakably tropical Velvet Falernum liqueur, and a homemade cardamom honey. Finally, Rafacz drops in a bit of Bob’s Cardamom Bitters (a favorite of especially particular bartenders) before shaking the drink up and double-straining it over ice. Garnished with banana leaves and a few extra cardamom pods, it’s the perfect way to celebrate some crave-worthy Caribbean flavors. Get the recipe.
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Frank Guerriero is the media assistant at the Beard Foundation. Find him on Instagram.
