Lucky Peach: A Strong Rum Cocktail

It’s no secret that I think of Creme de Peche as a bit of a secret weapon ingredient.

It’s one of those ingredients you can add to all kinds of drinks that, well, just makes it better.

You can make a Peach Old Fashioned.

Or a wonderful punch.

Or you could add it to a margarita or daiquiri to add a fun spin.

Banane du Brasil and Apricot Liqueur are similar “secret weapon” ingredients.

Note: I talk a lot more about these in my Ultimate Guide to Building a Home Bar

But recently two things happened that caused me to want to revisit making a peach drink.

The first was after a trip to the phenomenal Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland, Oregon.

They had a drink called Smoke & Rye that among other things had a green chartreuse rinse, and a little bit of creme de peche.

Two ingredients that worked great together, but that were a bit unexpected. (Here are some more unexpected drink combos).

The second is due to the fact I’ve just finished reading David Chang’s memoir “Eat a Peach.”

I didn’t realize he had a magazine back in the day called “Lucky Peach,” but I like the name, and it served as the inspiration for the cocktail I’m sharing with you today.

What is the Lucky Peach Rum Cocktail?

When I’m making drinks at home, I often fall into the routine of just doing a simple riff on a negroni or a daiquiri.

I wanted a funky, unique, strong flavor.

So what did I turn to?

Martinique Rhum.

If you’re not familiar with rhum, it’s a sugarcane style of rum that tastes very similar to Brazilian cacacha.

It’s bold, intense, and one of the most unique and polarizing styles of rum out there (I know a lot of people who aren’t a fan.)

For this particular drink, I started with ratios similar to an old fashioned, but added a few different tweaks to make for a unique drink that might sound light and refreshing, but is actually a strong cocktail worthy of sipping slowly.

It was good, but it needed something bitter. So I tweaked it a little more, and added just a hint of Campari to give it a subtle bitter aftertaste.

So what’s is in it?

• 1 ounce of an aged rum (I use Appleton Estate 8 year),
• 3/4 ounce of Martinique Rhum
• 1/2 ounce of Creme de Peche,
• 1/4 ounce Campari
• 1/4 of demerara syrup
• 1 dash tiki bitters
• 10 sprays of green chartreuse to coat the glass

The sweetness of the rum plays great with the peach, and the tiki bitters add a bit of a tropical vibe to a cocktail that drinks more like a boozy old fashioned than a summery tiki drink.

The peach also works well with the green chartreuse (as I learned from my Multnomah Whiskey Library experience), to add one more unexpected element to the cocktail.

But what if you don’t have some of these ingredients? No problem, it still works without the green chartreuese. It also works without the Campari, just use a full ounce of the Martinique rhum.

As for glasses, I like this cocktail straight up in a coupe or nick and nora glass. But I’ve also done it over a big cube, and it works great like that as well.

So if you’re looking for a tasty rum drink, that has some funk and unexpected flavors – I highly recommend you give this one a shot.