5 Colorado Cocktails From a Rocky Mountain Rum Distillery

These rum-tails are as bracing as the raw beauty that spawned them.

Rum typically evokes steamy locales like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Bermuda. The snow-capped Rocky Mountains of Colorado? Not so much. But Montanya Distillers, a Crested Butte craft rum distillery and bar nestled high up in the Rockies, is hoping to change that with a new book, Elevated Cocktails. Montanya co-founder Karen Hoskin serves up rum concoctions designed for apres ski or just, you know, whenever the hell you feel like drinking them. Get lifted with five of her top ‘tails:

Rum Old Fashioned

Stack in the bottom of an empty rocks glass:


1 slice fresh orange peel


1 cherry


Pinch of sugar


(Muddle together with a wooden cocktail muddler)

Add:


.25 oz. Simple Syrup 


3 oz. Rum


5 drops Citrus Bitters


King ice cube


Stir with a bar spoon (do not shake) until chilled.


Garnish with an additional cherry.

Mountain Daiquiri

In a shaker with ice:


1/2 fresh lime, juiced


2 oz. Montanya Platino Rum


1 oz. Montanya Oro Rum


.5 oz. Simple Syrup 


Shake and strain over ice into rocks glass or Champagne coupe.


Garnish with a lime twist, heavy lime peel, or lime wheel, and a combo


Kosher salt and sugar rim.

Dark Monk

In a shaker with ice:


3 blackberries (muddled)


2.5 oz. Rum


.75 oz. Honey Syrup 


1 fresh lemon, juiced


3 dashes Citrus Bitters 


Shake and strain over ice (if using a rocks glass) or into a coupe.


Garnish with a fresh blackberry.

Ruby Rose Salty Dog

In a shaker with ice:


2.5 oz. Rum


1/2 ruby red grapefruit, juiced


.25 oz. Simple Syrup 


Small sprig of fresh rosemary


Pinch of salt


Shake and strain into rocks glass over ice.


Garnish with rosemary sprig, Kosher salt, and


grapefruit zest rim.

Rio De Janeiro

In a shaker with ice:


3 oz. Rum


1 oz. fresh pineapple juice


1/4 cup Costamar Cream of Coconut


1.5 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice


Shake and strain into rocks glass over ice.


Drizzle with a dash of Grenadine. Sprinkle with nutmeg.


Garnish with a cherry.

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