Blackbeard’s Ghost.

Worth walking the plank for.

Blackbeard’s Ghost.

I was perusing the stats for this here blog the other day and it came to my attention that by far the most read article so far was my recipe for shelf stable falernum. Given this, it occurs to me that I should hit you all with a few more uses for this most magical ingredient. True, we had the Corn ‘n’ Oil but, while superb in its own bonkers way, it’s not a drink for everyone. I think we need a more accessible cocktail to highlight the wonders of that Bajan brew. Enter the Blackbeard’s Ghost, a recipe from Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s indispensable Tiki bible Remixed (I might have mentioned it before). Like so many of the recipes therein this one has been resurrected by The Bum from a now defunct Tiki restaurant by the name of Blackbeard’s Galley. While many Tiki recipes call for a panoply of esoteric ingredients the Blackbeard’s Ghost leans heavily on falernum as its sole measure of exotica. And we can make that ourselves. Right? The Ghost is one of my favourite tropical drinks that’s not part of the canon of Tiki classics and it makes a great entry point for exploring the genre. It’s a citrus forward drink that still manages to remain well balanced while letting the falernum work its magic. Apricot brandy is an interesting choice of sweetener not often used in Tiki but fairly common in old school cocktails. Made of apricot stones, rather than fruit, it tastes and smells more of almond than apricot and it makes a useful addition to the cocktail cabinet. If you really can’t find any you could try replacing it with triple sec and a couple of drops of almond extract. Beyond the falernum, no syrups are needed and no blender or crushed ice required. Even the rums are standard issue. We’re as close to household ingredients here as Tiki is ever going to allow us to get. So let’s go!