AHOY MATEYS!

Are ye looking to wet your whistle with some of the finest grog in the seven seas, but have no vessel? You’re in luck, because just ’round the corner is a bar that’ll tickle your fancy! So hoist the mizzenmast, raise the gangplank, don’t forget your pieces ‘o eight and set sail for blissful intoxication with Boneta’s ode to the wit of Winston Churchill, the Galleon.

Much like every cocktail created at Boneta, the Galleon is put together with attention to the finer details. Strained over “bricks” of ice (love the proper huge ice cubes; none of this cheap bar ice),the presentation is kept simple: while the original British sailors drinking Goslings rum back in the 1860s were required to bring their own glass, Boneta has kindly provided you with one of their own: an old-fashioned glass, garnished with an orange zest (for scurvy prevention, naturally), which is squeezed for its mist.

Yet, the unassuming appearance of this drink masks a surprisingly complex combination of flavours: the sweet, caramel taste of the rum is complimented by the fig syrup, while notes of Amaro Montenegro (an Italian Bitter made with herbs and spices, comparable in taste to the more mainstream Jagermeister) give the whole thing a spicy kick that takes the edge off of what could have been a sickly sweetness (not to mention, it certainly clears the sinuses). The bitters augment the dryness given off by the zest, and also play a role in the seasoning of the cocktail, adding to the Galleon’s already delightful picante profile.

Rum-based drinks have been in existence since at least the 17th century, when rum itself was first distilled from molasses by plantation slaves in the Caribbean. And the association between rum and the high seas goes back nearly as far, as sailors in the British Royal Navy were given a daily ration of the spirit until the early 1970s. In fact, so infamous is the connection between rum and the navy, that there is a long-standing tale of, after the Battle of Trafalgar, British sailors tapping the coffin of Admiral Horatio Nelson, to drink the rum that was intended to preserve his body (truth unverified, but in the process coining the term “Tapping the Admiral”). Goslings Rum is Bermuda’s oldest surviving company, and the distinctive taste of the this 80-proof alcohol, originally intended for climates far warmer than our paltry 22 degrees, is a perfect compliment to rising summer temperatures.

All in all, this drink be the finest to navigate the treacherous waters of Gastown. So, if you, like Churchill, are desperately in the mood for “rum, sodomy, and the lash”, do yourself a favour and voyage on down to one of Vancouver’s cocktail Meccas, don’t forget to shiver your timbers, and draw anchor!

‘Til next time, drink up, Vancouver!

Cheers!