Let's have some rum, mon.

Mondays on the BottleBlog will feature a cocktail recipe that is sure to be just the thing to get you through the rest of the work week. Though we don't expect you'll bring in all the fixins into your place of employment, we hope you'll try our recipes responsibly at home! Today, Shannon Spare has her winter coat out, but her heart is in the tropics.

November 1st - all the candy has been given away, the jack-o-lanterns are either smashed or thrown, rotting, into the trash. Out come the rakes and the heavy coats, and we start thinking about turkeys and holidays.

And for me, personally, it's the time of year when I start perusing travel sites for great deals and sales to the Caribbean, because 7 months is a long time to wait for sunshine, beaches, pool parties, and refreshing drinks made with my favorite spirit - rum.

Rum is a versatile mixer, indeed, and isn't completely absent during the winter months - it can warm your blood mixed in Eggnog, Jamaican coffee, a Hot Buttered Rum or Hot Rum Toddy. But me? I like my rum cold and fruity. So crank up the heat, close your eyes and escape to your favorite tropical getaway. (I'll be in Negril, mon. Irie.) Here are some great rum recipes for you to enjoy.

Dirty Banana

-1 scoop vanilla ice cream
-1 oz. Tia Maria
-1 oz. banana liqueur
-1/4 cup pineapple juice
-1 Tablespoon chocolate syrup
-1/4 cup whipped cream
-1 banana, sliced

In a blender, combine ice cream, coffee liqueur, banana liqueur and pineapple juice. Blend until smooth. Drizzle chocolate syrup decoratively into a fluted glass. Pour blended mixture into glasses and garnish with whipped cream and a slice of banana.

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Yellow Bird

-1 oz. white rum
-1.5 oz. Cointreau
-1.5 oz. Galliano
-1.5 oz. lime juice

Pour all ingredients into a shaker, shake sharply, and strain into a glass. Garnish with a thin slice of orange and a spiral of lime on the rim of the glass.





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Caribbean Breeze

-1 1/2 measures dark rum
-1/2 measure creme de banana
-3 measures pineapple juice
-2 measures cranberry juice
- 1/2 measure lime cordial

Shake all the ingredients well with ice, and strain into a large wine goblet, generously filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a wedge of lime.