Plum Swizzle

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Cocktail History

The Plum Swizzle is a tiki cocktail that was created by Alex Sukopp, former bartender of Sips From Scripts, for a Christmas cocktail challenge. Inspired by a bartender from Romania named Puiu Alexandru, the recipe starts with a base of plum brandy, the most popular native creation of Romania. It then adds in a mixture of go-to tiki ingredients including rum, orgeat syrup, citrus juice, violet liqueur, and absinthe to create a strong but flavorful tropical drink with unique floral notes.

Cocktail Ingredients

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

Plum Brandy: This is a type of brandy made with plums and distilled wine. I couldn’t find plum brandy, so I used plum wine from Door Peninsula Winery.

Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. I used Appleton Estate Special Gold Rum.

Orange Juice: This is the liquid juice of an orange. I used freshly squeezed orange juice.

Overproof Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged and contains over 50% alcohol content. I used J. Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum.

Cognac: This is a type of brandy made in Cognac, France with distilled white wine. I used Courvoisier VSOP Cognac.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. I used freshly squeezed lime juice.

Orgeat Syrup: This is a sweetener made with roasted almonds, orange blossom, sugar, and water. I used Liber & Co. Almond Orgeat Syrup.

Crème De Violette: This is a liqueur made with violets, sugar, and alcohol. I used Rothman & Winter Crème De Violette Liqueur.

Absinthe: This is a spirit made with anise, wormwood, fennel, botanicals, and alcohol. I used Great Lakes Distillery Amerique 1912 Absinthe Verte.

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

Orange Twist: This is the peel of an orange that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.

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 ingredients. 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.

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Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Red-orange color

• Aroma: Absinthe and mint

• Taste: Sweet orange-forward flavor accented with rum spiciness, brandy burn, and tart lime

• Finish: Fruity plum and floral notes

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: “This was an incredibly unique tiki drink! Although I couldn’t find plum brandy, I think using the plum wine still did the recipe justice. The fruit adds a delicious tartness and depth to the tiki template, and it’s made me want to explore plum more in recipes now. The Plum Swizzle is definitely worth a reshake if you like tropical drinks!”

Recipe