Post #770759 by CosmoReverb on Thu, Dec 1, 2016 11:13 AM

I was driving home from a trip to Phoenix last weekend and hit some major traffic 'round about Indio. It was around lunchtime so me and my gal decided to pit stop in Palm Springs and so we popped in to the Tonga Hut. It was early so the place was pretty quiet and we struck up a bit of a convo with the bartender. He was a total sweetheart and indulged me in discussing all sorts of cocktail geekery. Turns out that we both make our own falernum and so we swapped ideas and stories about that and I asked if the Tonga Hut makes their own and he said that indeed they did, I went on to ask if they also make their own pimento dram and he said "No, we use the Hamilton."

"The what-now?" I asked.

I had of course heard that Hamilton was going to be coming out with a pimento dram in the near future, but I was completely oblivious to the fact that it had already came out.

So, if you, like me, were not hip to the news that the Hamilton Pimento Dram had come out, consider yourself informed! As soon as I could, I stopped in at Hi-Time I bought a bottle. At $26.99 for a 750ml bottle, it was priced a bit lower than the Bitter Truth ($31.99 per 750ml) and much less than the St. Elizabeth ($23.99 per 375ml.) It's made with pot still rum and it is around 30% abv.

I thought that it was really good. It's much less syrupy than the St. Elizabeth and very full-flavored. The flavor has a roundness and robustness that I haven't been able to get with any of my home-brewed recipes, but without a lot of the zesty heat that, while I personally like, tends to be too pervasive and overpowers many cocktails.

I really like it and will most likely be using it as my "go to." I recommend you at least give it a try. Availability-wise I would imagine that any local retailer that carries Hamilton rums should have it or at least be able to order it for you. Here's the Hi-Time link if you can't find it locally: https://www.hitimewine.net/hamilton-pimento-dram-750ml-189750 (Not shilling for them, it's just where I bought mine and I know that they ship to most places.)