Located near the Southern Food & Beverage Museum on the quickly developing Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard corridor in Central City New Orleans, Primitivo is coming into its own. The restaurant by Adolfo Garcia and Chef Nick Martin has an inspired cocktail menu that includes barrel-aged cocktails, seasonal specials, and drinks like the Nuevo Tango, which use a house-made spiced rum.
Nuevo Tango
Yields: 1 serving
Courtesy of Primitivo, New Orleans
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Spiced Rum (recipe follows)
- ¾ ounce Ginger Syrup (recipe follows)
- ¾ ounce fresh lime juice
- Garnish: lime wedge, Amargo-Vallet bitter liqueur*
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine Spiced Rum, Ginger Syrup, and lime juice. Add ice; cover and shake until cold. Strain into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and 4 to 6 dashes Amargo-Vallet bitter liqueur, if desired.
*Angostura bitters may be substituted.
Spiced Rum
Yields: 4 cups
Ingredients
- black peppercorns
- 3 allspice berries
- 1 whole clove
- 1 teaspoon cocoa nibs
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 cardamom pod, split
- 2 (4x1-inch) pieces orange peel, pith removed
- 1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger
- 1 (1-liter) bottle Puerto Rican gold rum*
- 1 handful Jim Beam wood chips
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine peppercorns, allspice, clove, cocoa nibs cinnamon, and cardamom; heat over medium heat until fragrant. In a large glass jar, combine toasted spices, orange peel, ginger, rum, and wood chips; cover and let stand for 2 days.
- Strain through a double-layer of cheesecloth, discarding solids. Add vanilla. Store in a cool, dark place.
*We used Don Q Gold Rum.
Ginger Syrup
Instructions
- Peel and chop a 4- to 5-inch piece fresh ginger, and place in the work bowl of a food processor; process until smooth. Transfer ginger to a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze out 2 ounces of liquid, discarding solids. In a small saucepan, heat ¾ cup water and ¾ cup sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and let stand until cool. Add ginger juice, cover, and refrigerate until cold. Ginger Syrup will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
You can find more Louisiana inspired drinks in our newest issue of Louisiana Cookin’.
