The most celebrated drink to feature Gardenia Mix—an unusual amalgam, consisting of honey, butter and spiced syrups—the Pearl Diver is Donn Beach’s iced take on the Hot Buttered Rum. “The mouthfeel on that drink,” says Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, “is just unbelievable.”
Pearl Diver
Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, Latitude 29 | New Orleans
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 3/4 ounce Gardenia Mix (see Editor's Note)
- 3/4 ounce demerara rum, preferably Hamilton 86-proof or El Dorado 8-year
- 1 1/2 ounces gold Puerto Rican rum
- 1/2 ounce gold Jamaican rum
- 1 teaspoon falernum, preferably Latitude 29 Formula
- 6 ounces crushed ice
Garnish: geranium leaf
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender, starting with the Gardenia Mix and finishing with the ice.
- Blend at a high speed for 15 seconds.
- Strain through a medium-mesh wire sieve into a Pearl Diver glass, pressing gently on the solids to express all the liquid.
- Add crushed ice ice to fill the glass.
- Garnish with a geranium leaf.
Editor's Note
Gardenia Mix:
1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup orange blossom honey
1 ounce cinnamon syrup
1/2 ounce ounce allspice liqueur
1/2 ounce vanilla syrup
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk until melted and smooth.
Because this is an iced drink, prepare the mix a short time before using it. The mix must stay at room temperature; refrigerated it will become too sticky to blend.