I recently learned about and tried Sailor Jerry rum. I do love a spot of rum (particularly in a cocktail) and this one has a great story.
‘Sailor Jerry’ was born Norman Collins, and came of age in the 1920’s when tattooing was an expression that belonged to an emerging American counterculture. He left home as a teenager and travelled the US by hitchhiking and train hopping and it was along this way that he learned how to tattoo, working primitively with only a needle and black ink, doing designs freehand. He ended up in Chicago where he worked with local tattoo legend Gib Thomas who taught him how to use a proper tattoo machine. He then joined the Navy and developed a lifelong love of ships.
After the Navy he settled in Honolulu and at the height of World War Two, he was regularly tattooing many of the 12 million Americans serving in the military who were on shore leave in Hawaii. This is where he created his legacy. I also had no idea that in the seventies, he invited future tattoo legends Ed Hardy, Mike Malone and Kazuo Oguri to apprentice with him and apparently when he sadly suffered a heart attack and passed away, he left his shop and art to his new protégés with the instruction that if it didn’t end up in their hands, they should burn everything!
I’ve been trying this spiced rum recently and have really been enjoying it, both on its own and in cocktails. I was recently given an idea by the team at Sailor Jerry to create an Easter cocktail and thought why not – a great way to incorporate some Easter chocolate and delicious rum!
Simple Hard Shake
Recipe:
2 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
2 parts milk
1 large scoop of chocolate ice cream
Your favourite bar of choice (e.g. Mini Eggs or Reece’s pieces)
You can’t go wrong – I included a little Maltesers bunny with his ears sticking out the top, and lots of mini eggs that sink to the bottom and you can see all of the different colours swirling around.
If you’re keen to learn more about Sailor Jerry, you can visit the website here.
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I was given a bottle of Sailor Jerry for review purposes but did not receive any payment. All views are my own.
