Iron Ranger

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Cocktail History

The Iron Ranger is a modern cocktail that was created by Erick Castro at Raised by Wolves in San Diego, California. It uses a fairly classic tiki formula but substitutes a punchy bourbon in place of the typical rum and pairs it with pineapple, citrus, velvet falernum, and bitters. This variation also adds cinnamon flavor into the mix via a homemade syrup for additional spice.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Bourbon: This is a type of whiskey made in the United States with at least 51% corn, grains, malted barley, and water. We used Wild Turkey 101 Straight Bourbon Whiskey because it has a deep oaky whiskey flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the whiskey. 

Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. We used fresh pineapple juice.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Velvet Falernum Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with ginger, lime, almond, cloves, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try BG Reynolds Falernum Bar Syrup in place of the velvet falernum liqueur.

Cinnamon Syrup: This is a sweetener made with cinnamon sticks, white sugar, gum Arabic powder, saline solution, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.

Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Angostura Aromatic Bitters. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters.

Mint Sprig: This is an herb. We used Mojito mint.

Cinnamon Stick: This is a spice. We used cinnamon sticks from the bulk section at our local grocery store.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices for the garnish. We used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.

Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple before it’s juiced. We used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer for the lemon and the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.

Tasting Notes

The Iron Ranger features strong aromas of cinnamon and mint and a fairly pineapple-forward flavor with a lingering spicy finish, as the slight bourbon burn combines with the spices.

Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: While fairly strong, the Iron Ranger is very crushable and perfect for a hot day when you’re feeling tropical but want something a bit different from the classic rum-and-citrus combination in most tiki drinks. It’s also a great alternative for those like Kendall who may not normally prefer bourbon.

Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Since the repertoire of bourbon-based tiki cocktails isn’t massive, this one has an easy time standing out, though I would argue that even with a ton of competition it would rise above the rest. The combination of a strong, high-rye bourbon and pineapple juice is unexpectedly good; meanwhile, the lemon stands by to balance and the exotic spices from the syrup and falernum give it an extra kick of flavor. We found that giving our cinnamon stick a brief torch helped to release some of the aromas and allowed the eventual spiciness of cinnamon to come forward just a bit. I thoroughly love this as a tiki drink, and I will never hesitate to whip this one out in the absence of rum.”

Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Bourbon and cinnamon are already a match made in cocktail heaven, but when you turn them tiki, you get this untraditional yet surprisingly delicious drink. I didn’t expect to love a bourbon base in a tropical recipe quite as much as I did, but the Iron Ranger is next-level. Add it to your rotation pronto!”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.

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More Tiki Cocktails

If you like this tiki-inspired cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy: