Courtesy of Ray Pearson and the Montanya Rum Distillery, Silverton, CO

In all the time Ray Pearson has been contributing to intotheSoup.com and into the Soup radio, I’ve secretly been waiting for a giant box of knick-knacks, magnets, and key chains to arrive in my mailbox from his extensive travels. At last, my heart is content because in place of knick-knacks and silly things, Ray sent me some lovely cocktail recipes to share! Here’s my favorite because, well, I really like Steinbeck, and I really, really like rum.

 Ingredients 

  • ½ fresh squeezed lemon
  • 1 oz rosemary simple syrup
  • 2 oz Platino rum
  • 3 muddled basil leaves
  • 1/3 cup grapes

1.) Muddle grapes and basil in a cocktail glass

2.) Add lemon juice, simple syrup, and rum to a cocktail shaker and shake well

3.) Pour contents of shaker over muddled grapes and basil

4.) Top off with soda water and give the cocktail a good stir. Enjoy!