Cobra’s Fang

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Cocktail History

The Cobra’s Fang is a classic tiki cocktail that was originally created in the 1930s by Don the Beachcomber at his bar in Hollywood, California. This version by Patrick Gartner at Donna in New York City, New York streamlines the recipe by utilizing Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum in place of a blend of Demerara and Jamaican rums and opting for Swedish punsch, a Nordic rum liqueur, instead of aromatic bitters and velvet falernum liqueur. It then pairs these flavors with the classic template’s citrus juices, passion fruit flavor, grenadine, and, of course, its famous snake head garnish.

Cocktail Ingredients

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

Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with fermented sugarcane juice or molasses and yeast, which are distilled and then aged, often in charred barrels, to develop a full-bodied, caramelized flavor.

Orange Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe oranges that has a light, sweet citrus flavor and pale orange color.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe limes that has a zesty, sour flavor and light green color.

Passion Fruit Syrup: This is a sweetener made with passion fruit pulp, white sugar, and water, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a tropical, fruity flavor.

Swedish Punsch: This is a liqueur made with citrus, spices, arrack, and sugar, which are blended to develop a sweet, spiced flavor.

Grenadine: This is a sweetener made with pomegranate juice and white sugar, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a deep, sweet-tart flavor.

Absinthe: This is a spirit made by distilling a neutral alcohol with wormwood, anise, fennel, and other botanicals to develop a strong, herbal flavor.

Pineapple Fronds: This the leaf of a pineapple.

Snake Orange Peel: This is the peel of an orange that has been cut into a snake shape and had cloves added to resemble the snake’s eyes.

Bartending Tools

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

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

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I 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. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut citrus into slices or wheels. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. I used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Brown-ish orange color

• Aroma: Citrus and rum

• Taste: Deliciously fruity flavor of sweet orange juice and passion fruit that evolves into spices

• Finish: Noticeable anise and more rum spices

Kendall’s Take: “Yowza, this is one serious tiki drink! You likely wouldn’t expect it to be from its cheeky snake-shaped garnish, but this is a cocktail not to be trifled with thanks to its high alcohol content and explosion of flavors. This was my first time trying Smith & Cross Rum in a recipe, and it has an incredibly unique rum funk and a twinge of sourness. I wouldn’t rank the Cobra’s Fang in my top three favorite tiki drinks, but it’s definitely in the top ten. Worth trying, for sure.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was found in the book Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.