Palmetto recipe
A rum Manhattan with sweet vermouth and bitters: restrained, dark, and built for an aged rum that can carry itself.
Method: Stir ·
Glass: Coupe glass ·
Time: 3 min ·
Difficulty: Intermediate ·
Family: The Martini Family
Ingredients
- 2 oz Aged Rum
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
How to make a Palmetto
- Chill a coupe glass.
- Add aged rum, sweet vermouth, and bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir for 25 seconds until cold and silky.
- Strain into the chilled coupe.
- Express orange peel over the drink or garnish with a cherry.
Garnish
Orange peel or brandied cherry.
Pro tip
Use a dry, barrel-aged rum rather than a sugary flavored rum. The Palmetto should drink like a Manhattan, not a tiki drink.
History of the Palmetto
The Palmetto appeared in early twentieth-century cocktail books and is essentially a rum Manhattan. It is named for the palmetto tree, an emblem of the Caribbean and the American South.
Flavour profile
Molasses, Herbal, Oak, Spice
Variations
- Dry Palmetto — Use dry vermouth and a lemon twist.
- Jamaican Palmetto — Use an aged Jamaican rum for more tropical funk.
- Palmetto Old Fashioned — Skip vermouth and use 1 tsp demerara syrup instead.
Practise making the Palmetto in the free Virtual Bar game.