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Cocktail History
The Rum & Raisin Flip is a holiday cocktail that was created by author Jassy Davis and was first published in her book Winter Warmers: 60 Cosy Cocktails for Autumn & Winter. It uses the classic flip template that calls for a spirit shaken with egg yolk and egg white; this version, however, uses a split base of spicy aged rum and sherry and pairs them with cream and maple syrup, resulting in a true dessert drink fit for after Christmas dinner.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane and spices that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. We used Bumbu Rum Company Original Dark Rum because it has a unique spicy flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the rum.
Manzanilla Sherry: This is the base spirit. It is a dry white wine made in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain with palomino grapes and aged under a layer of yeasts. We used Lustau Solera Reserva Light Manzanilla Sherry. For a mocktail version of this drink, try non-alcoholic sherry flavoring in place of the sherry.
Heavy Cream: This is a thick, high-fat milk product. We prefer to use half & half instead of heavy cream because it’s lower in calories.
Maple Syrup: This is a syrup made with the sap from maple trees. We used a local maple syrup.
Egg White & Yolk: This is both the clear liquid and yellow portion in an egg. We used fresh egg white and yolk because they add a rich, silky smooth texture.
Grated Nutmeg: This is a spice made from the seed of a nutmeg tree. We used whole nutmeg from the bulk section at our local grocery store.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Grater: This is used to grate spices or citrus peel. We used the OXO Good Grips Grater.
Tasting Notes
The Rum & Raisin Flip starts with aromas of nutmeg and cream that is followed by a rich, thick, creamy taste that highlights rum’s sweeter side along with a slight stone fruit note from the sherry, and it ends with a sweet maple finish.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Even with the tweaks, Kendall just wasn’t a fan of this cocktail mostly because she doesn’t care all that much for sherry and found it too prominent. On the other hand, this cocktail’s complexity and sweetness was a hit with Alex; he mentioned wanting to try the Rum & Raisin Flip again with different types of sherry and maybe even some bitters to see what kinds of flavor profiles he could create.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“We tried two versions this drink, the first one being a more classic version that featured equal parts rum and sherry along with cream and egg. The lack of a sweetener didn’t do it any favors, and I felt the recipe was lacking in character in a lot of ways. This version from YouTube by bartender Grant Murray raises the bar by adding a bit of syrup, tweaking the ingredients, and using a lot less cream, and it all works to great effect. This drink has a lot of character, and though it borders on being too sweet for my palate, it does offer a good variety of flavors and lives up to its name.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐
“The recipe we found in the book for this drink just wasn’t very tasty when we tried it, and by that I mean, it kind of tasted like nothing, at least to me. It was very, very bland and almost had me thinking I might’ve lost my sense of taste. A few sips later, Alex agreed and said we should just find another version, with which I absolutely agreed. This variation he found online is much better than the original, but to be honest, I still didn’t love it. It mostly tastes like thick, milky sherry with a hint of rum spice and nutmeg. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the flavor combination; there are just a lot of other cream-based drinks I like much more than this one.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Warmers: 60 Cosy Cocktails for Autumn & Winter by Jassy Davis.
Add rum, sherry, heavy cream, maple syrup, egg white, egg yolk, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a goblet or cocktail glass.
Garnish with grated nutmeg.
Ingredients
Directions
Add rum, sherry, heavy cream, maple syrup, egg white, egg yolk, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a goblet or cocktail glass.
Garnish with grated nutmeg.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the rum and non-alcoholic sherry flavoring in place of the sherry to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Christmas Cocktails
If you like this Christmas-inspired cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that are similar that you may enjoy:
Kohler Mint Cocoa: A chocolate mint brandy cocktail made with milk, white peppermint schnapps, dark crème de cacao, cocoa powder, whipped cream, and grated chocolate
Winter Berry Gin Fizz: A gin cocktail made with lime juice, cranberry syrup, raspberry liqueur, soda water, cranberries, and rosemary
Candy Cane Martini: A vodka cocktail made with white crème de cacao, white crème de menthe, simple syrup, and crushed candy cane
Cranberry Cobbler: A sherry cocktail made with cranberry syrup, orange slices, an orange wedge, mint, and cranberries
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