Commodore – Recipe from David Embury’s ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’

1 part Sugar Syrup 

2 parts Lemon Juice 

8 parts Gold Label Rum 

2 dashes Grenadine or Raspberry Syrup to each drink and 1 Egg White to each 2 drinks 

Shake. Decorate with a cherry. 

Another version of the Commodore calls for whisky instead of rum, omits the egg white, and uses orange bitters in place of the grenadine. Obviously, the two Commodores command two different fleets.

I like to think of the two Commodores as being Schley and Samson (26^th May), Schley would be the rum version and Samson the whisky. What’s simply a Daiquiri with a dash of colour and egg white turns out to be damn good, better even than expected. The body from the egg white works beautifully, I’m amazed I haven’t tried this before, and the grenadine adds a touch of colour, and maybe some fruitiness. Other sources are split down the middle regarding which of the above is the commodore, the Old Waldorf agrees with Embury, and this sounds the better of the two drinks, with some of the whisky versions adding a touch of crème de cacao. Well worth a try.