Blend

Rocket Fuel

August  5, 2022
4.7
3 Ratings
Photo by Food52
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • makes 3-4 drinks
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

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Rocket Fuel
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces Coco Lopez coconut cream
  • 6 ounces fresh pineapple juice
  • 4 ounces amaretto liqueur
  • 4 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 4.5 ounces 151 rum (split evenly over each drink)
  • Garnish: cocktail cherry (Luxardo) and an orange wedge, on a pick
Directions
  1. Combine coconut cream, pineapple juice, amaretto, and bitters in a blender with 6 cups of ice. Blend on high for 20 seconds, until smooth.
  2. Pour into tall glasses, topping each with 1.5 ounces of 151 rum. Garnish with the cherry and orange wedge.

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1 Review

Yze August 12, 2022
I love John so much!!!!