The Barack Obama Cocktail

Several years ago, I got hooked on shaking and pouring cocktails. Flash forward to January 2009 as the nation prepared for the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44^th president of the USA.  We knew we would want to celebrate on January 20, and what better way than with a Barack Obama theme Cocktail?  I did some fast research on Google and found some nice ones, but didn’t find quite what I was looking for, so I developed my own recipe (as you follow this blog, you will see that developing cocktail recipes is a dirty, but necessary, job that I’m always ready to volunteer for).  My long-suffering wife and I tested several variations of the BOC before settling on the one below.  I hope you’re not yet in “Barack overload” and that you can enjoy it for the next eight years…

When I develop a theme cocktail, I always try to make each of the ingredients relate back to the central theme.  For Barack Obama, I selected his rich racial heritage (didn’t you love seeing his extended family?) and his globe-trotting childhood as key aspects and found ingredients that link back to these factors.  For his racial heritage, I selected DeKuyper® Crème de Cacao and cocoa powder to evoke his brown skin, Kahlua® coffee liqueur to represent his black, Kenyan father, and cream to represent his white, American mother.  For geographical factors, I selected Malibu® Cocoanut Rum to evoke his Hawaiian birth (yeah, I know – cocoanut rum isn’t made in Hawaii) and McCormick® Ground Nutmeg for his childhood time in Indonesia. Note: although I specify the brands I’m using, feel free to substitute whatever brand you’re already pouring at home.

Last Saturday we had some old friends (and founding members of our drink-of-the-month club) over for dinner to celebrate the success of their new business.  Since the Barack Obama Cocktail is a sweet enough cocktail to have for dessert, we had decided to pour BOCs after dinner (we had already planned on having Kir Royales with appetizers).  Needless to say, our friends loved it.  As we finished the first round, I turned to my wife and asked if she thought we could handle another, and she said:

“Yes we can!”

 

The Barack Obama Cocktail

1 ½ oz Malibu® Cocoanut Rum

¾ oz DeKuyper® Crème de Cacao

¾ oz Kahlua®

½ oz Cream

Chocolate rimming sugar or sweetened cocoa

Whipped cream (optional)

McCormick® Ground Nutmeg

Combine ingredients with ice in cocktail shaker. Shake enthusiastically and strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with chocolate rimming sugar or sweetened cocoa.  Top with a dollop of whipped cream (optional, but better presentation – and it tastes good!) and sprinkle with a little ground nutmeg.