Limited-edition rum
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

What to drink now… El Diablo

Warmer days call for long drinks with plenty of ice, and this devilish, fruity tequila cocktail fits the bill perfectly. The recipe is attributed to Victor Bergeron, aka Trader Vic, and first appeared in his 1946 book Trader Vic’s Book of Food & Drink as a Mexican El Diablo.

The name was shortened to El Diablo in his later 1968 book. A good alternative to a Margarita, it’s actually a twist on an earlier cocktail called the Rum Buck, with the rum replaced by tequila. Choose an aged tequila, such as AquaRiva Reposado.

El Diablo

Ingredients: 45ml tequila, 22.5ml fresh lime juice, 15ml crème de cassis, 60ml ginger beer

Glass: Highball

Garnish: Lime wedge

Method: Put the tequila, lime juice and crème de cassis in a shaker with ice. Shake until your hands are cold, then strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with ginger beer then garnish.

Kraken launches limited-edition rum in tie-up with PADI Aware

The Kraken Rum has launched a second bottle in its limited-edition Unknown Deep series. Kraken Black Spiced Rum Limited Edition Deep Sea Bioluminescence (Alc 40%) boasts an eye-catching deep blue pearlescent coating on its embossed label and is presented in a black metal ‘diver’s cage’, complete with ‘scratch marks’. Inside the bottle you’ll find a sweet and velvety Caribbean rum with a hit of balancing spice. Layers of toffee, black treacle, Garibaldi biscuits, dried fruit – sultanas, raisins – plus fresher citrus notes and lots of dark spice on the long finish.

Kraken has pledged £1 from every sale of the new bottle to marine conservation charity PADI Aware, which empowers scuba divers to remove marine debris from the sea floor and report on the types, quantities and locations of materials collected. ‘Kraken Rum has a rich history of supporting marine life, so we’re proud to be working together once again to save and protect the ocean,’ said Ian Amos, operations coordinator for Asia Pacific at PADI Aware. ‘Every single bottle sold will help us continue our vital work of removing ocean debris, as well as training new volunteers to help us make an even bigger splash in 2022.’ Available through Amazon UK

What is… arrack?

Meaning ‘distilled spirit’, arrack (not to be confused with the anise-flavoured spirit ‘arak’) is a word of Arabic origin that was used in various forms (araq, araki, rakia) across the Arabic world and in Asia from the 13th century onwards. Originally describing a huge variety of distilled drinks, the term arrack came to be associated with two types of spirit. Batavia arrack is a pungent drink made from sugarcane and rice in Indonesia. More widespread is Ceylon or coconut arrack, distilled from palm sap and made throughout the tropics, though Sri Lanka is the main producer today. Made using both column and pot stills, the distillate is aged in large teak vats for anything from six months to seven years. The taste is commonly described as a cross between whisky and rum.

Julie Sheppard
Julie Sheppard
Regional Editor for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa & Spirits Editor

Julie Sheppard joined the Decanter team in 2018 and is Regional Editor for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa & Spirits Editor.

Before Decanter, she worked for a range of drinks and food titles, including as managing editor of both Imbibe and Square Meal, associate publisher of The Drinks Business, senior editor of the Octopus Publishing Group and Supplements editor of Harpers Wine & Spirit. As a contributor, she has over 20 years’ experience writing about food, drink and travel for a wide range of publications, including Condé Nast Traveller, Delicious, Waitrose Kitchen, Waitrose Drinks, Time Out and national newspapers including The Telegraph and The Sunday Times.

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