This one is a hard one to sell at the bar. Ears of corn and bottles of Quaker State generally don’t invoke impressions of delicious cocktails. What’s worse is that when promoting this Bajan cocktail I inevitably face the question, “Well, why is it called a Corn N’ Oil?” Without a valid response, the perceived association with some type of crazy biofuel and the consequential risk of escalating oil prices being controlled by a Houston bartender can be just too much for some. That’s too bad because this cocktail is awesome.
Frequently, the greatest cocktails are the most simple. This cocktail has three basic ingredients: rum, falernum, and Angostura bitters. The rum option of choice among enthusiasts who have written about this cocktail previously is Cruzan’s Black Strap, a very dark and deep rum. Cruzan’s darkest rum is made from Blackstrap molasses, which is produced from the third stage of boiling syrup yielding the darkest form of molasses. The rum has great flavor, but it isn’t the most versatile of options out there. It can be difficult to find cocktails to use this rum in, but rest assured, once you make yourself a Corn N’ Oil with the Black Strap, you’ll go through the bottle quick enough.
Unless you want to make your own, the Falernum options are basically confined to two brands: John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum and Fee Brother’s West Indian Style Falernum. Falernum is a liqueur traditionally flavored with clove and lime and, depending on your perspective, almond and/or ginger. This inconsistency may seem unusual when various brands and homemade recipes are compared side by side, but I love that the different types of falernum create distinct options for different cocktails. Of the commercial brands, the Fee Brother’s falernum has a very different, tangier character when compared to the Taylor brand. Generally, I tend to take the advice of Ted Haigh here and use the Taylor falernum with more traditional island cocktails and reserve the Fee for American tiki drinks.
Be aware however of the recipe for the Corn N’ Oil on the back of the John D. Taylor bottle. It suggests a 3 ½ parts falernum to one part rum ratio, which seems too sweet to be true. It is; trust me. You can stomach it if you really like falernum, but at this point, you’re having candy, not a cocktail. This is frequently the case with company recipes for spirit brands. Rarely do I find a cocktail supplied by a producer that uses the ingredient in a balanced manner. Quantity matters most, despite the fact that introducing people to well-constructed cocktails would likely increase sales in the long term. Here’s the ratio you should use in my opinion:
Corn N’ Oil
2 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
½ oz John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Shake and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a larger lime wedge, to be used, not just sit on the rim.
I find falernum difficult to work with for some reason. I really like it when I try it independently and always think it has endless potential, but for some reason, my attempts to use falernum in original cocktails always fall short. Perhaps, my inadequacies with falernum can be attributed to how much I like this drink. If the Corn N’ Oil is the standard for falernum cocktails, it is unlikely that anything else will measure up. No corn; no oil – just a tasty cocktail.
Its a pity i cannot find the Cruzan Blackstrap, i would really like to try it. I make my Corn n`oil with a blackstrap rum from Jamaica called “Black Jamaica”.
And neither can i find Velvet Falernum so i make my own.(which is not bad though)
So really, i haven`t yet tried a real Corn n`Oil..
But the one i can make is nice. I think the spiciness and the whisper of lime in the Falernum stands up nicely to the very dark molasses flavor of the rum. And the Ango is just what makes the whole thing complete.
Its not a cocktail i drink too often though, (like my killer Mai Tai) but its nice sometimes.
Cheers!
In the summer of 1985 I had a bad back attack on a trip to Barbados so spent most of the week laying on the sand at the beach and drinking Corn ‘n Oils to sooth the pain.
The bartender at that St James resort used large squeezes of lime with the rum and the falernum was more of an afterthought, so it was never too sweet, but it had all the spicy flavors that left a great after taste. I bought two bottles of falernum at the airport on our way out and took them all the way back to Tokyo. You could carry bottles on board back then…
Drank ‘em up and can”t find anymore anywhere this side of the Pacific.
Hoffster – You should try making your own; here is a link for directions on how:
http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2006/07/28/falernum-8/
I think this is a decent drink but I think I missing something. At the Zig Zag cafe in Seattle the drink is listed as it is listed here except they add coke to it without mentioning it on the menu. Should it have coke or not?
I don’t prefer coke in mine, but I must say that if Zig Zag is doing it. There must be something special working there. They definitely know what they are doing, but I don’t think that coke is an original ingredient.
Cruzan Black Strap: The pancake-topping of rums. Gosling’s 115.5 proof. Now there’s substance and bite to this. Equal parts 151 & 80. I use it in Dark ‘n’ Stormies. It regulates shit in this drink. If you want to see where Black Strap really shines, pair it w/ something very light and distinctly flavored like fresh coconut water. It can boost other flavors and float ‘em on its syrupy texture.