Rocket Fuel

Author Notes

I didn’t always love my blender. Years ago, my esteem for blender drinks was so low that an early draft of my book, Drink What You Want, contained a disclaimer that the book wouldn't even discuss them. I thought that drinks made in this way—with tons of ice and a relatively high proportion of sweetness (and fun)—weren’t serious enough for a cocktail book written by a decade-long veteran of NYC’s craft cocktail scene.

Well, I was wrong. I first started to come around to the wonders of the blender when I needed to quickly make syrups without turning on my stovetop. And then I dove into making full-fledged blender drinks. As a professional bartender, I had access to equipment that allowed a great variety of drink textures, from pebble ice machines to slushie makers; and one of the best ways to recreate these drinks at home is with a blender.

I was recently assigned an investigation into the Rocket Fuel, a cocktail originated in Fire Island. During the trip I was able to deduce the key qualities of a delicious rendition of this local delicacy of coconut, pineapple amaretto, and high-strength rum. The key thing you must remember with blender drinks is that you have to switch up your proportions; you can’t just take, say, a regular daiquiri recipe and expect it to work: The sweetness must be increased to give body and texture while the alcohol content lowered to preserve the ice. For the Rocket Fuel we accomplish this with a generous application of Coco Lopez, a coconut cream, and amaretto liqueur, while saving the high-strength rum as a finishing touch after blending. This recipe is pretty faithful to the original with one addition: Angostura bitters. I find this gives the drink a bit more complexity, but if you’re a purist feel free to leave them out. —John deBary