Name: Queen's Park Swizzle
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 8 fresh Mint leaves; 60 ml Light gold rum 1-3yo; 22.5 ml Lime juice; 15 ml Brown sugar syrup; 2 dash Aromatic bitters

Queen's Park Swizzle
Jump to

Serve in a Collins glass

Ingredients:
8 fresh	Mint leaves
2 oz	Light gold rum (1-3 year old molasses column)
³⁄₄ oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₂ oz	Demerara/Muscovado/brown sugar syrup (2 sugar to 1 water)
2 dash	Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Collins glass.
Prepare garnish of lime wedge and mint sprigs.
Lightly MUDDLE mint in base of shaker (just to bruise).
Use a bar spoon to raise the bruised mint up and around the inside of the glass to coat with fragrant mint oils.
Add other ingredients.
Two-thirds fill glass with crushed ice and SWIZZLE.
Fill glass with more crushed ice and briefly CHURN.
Garnish with lime wedge and mint sprigs bouquet.
Serve with a straw.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

This close relation to the Mojito is drier, more complex and tad less minty than its sibling. Some like to finish this cocktail with a hefty dose of bitters to colour the crushed ice atop the cocktail but as Martin Cate says in his 2016 book Smuggler's Cove, "even though the bitters look pretty when floated on top, the drink tastes much better when they are swizzled with the rest of the ingredients." Two dashes integrated with the other ingredients is plenty.

View readers' comments

History:

Created at the Queen's Park Hotel, Port of Spain, Trinidad. The hotel opened on the 15th of January 1895 and it is likely that this cocktail emanated soon after. This luxury hotel was a fashionable stop for Hollywood types and well-heeled vacationers who spread the legend of its tall swizzled signature cocktail. The hotel was also famed for its Queen's Park Hotel Super Cocktail.

In this 1946, Trader Vics Book of Food and Drink, Victor Bergeron describes the Queen Park Swizzle as "the most delightful form of anesthesia given out today." A year later he also includes this swizzle in his Bartender's Guide By Trader Vic, adding, in the 1972 revised edition, "If you like to make and drink a real doozer of a rum drink that really is a rum drink, try this. It's from the Queen's Park Hotel in Trinidad."

QUEEN'S PARK SWIZZLE
½ large lime
Mint leaves
3 oz. 86-proof Demerara rum
2 dashes Angostura bitters
½ oz. simple syrup
Squeeze lime and drop shells with mint leaves into 14-oz glass; fill with shaved ice; add rest of ingredients and swizzle until glass frosts. Garnish with sprigs of mint.
Victor Bergeron, Bartender's Guide By Trader Vic, 1947

QUEEN'S PARK SWIZZLE
½ lime
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash rock candy syrup
1 ounce light Puerto Rican rum
1 ounce dark Jamaica rum
1 ounce 151-proof Demerara rum
Squeeze lime juice in 14-ounce chimney glass filled with shaved ice; save shell. Add remaining ingredients. Swizzle until uniform. Add spent lime shell, fresh mint, and a swizzle stick or stirrer
Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, 1972

More Citrusy cocktails
More Elevenses/afternoon cocktails
More Hall of Fame & must know/try cocktails
More Long drinks & highballs cocktails
More Summer cocktails

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

Join the discussion

Showing 8 comments for Queen's Park Swizzle.
See discussion in the Forum

Please log in to make a comment

Calvin Grant

28th May at 01:44

Tremendously tasty made with a Mauritius Muscovado rich sugar syrup, 30ml Bacardi Gold, 15ml each Smith & Cross and Myers's, pepperminty wild mint, two strong "super" dashes Angostura aromatic right out of the bottle dasher, and a splash of Velvet Falernum. And frankly, I shook this and poured over ice chips from the bottom of the freezer ice bucket.
Just enough volatile funk from the S&C.

Caspian Berggren

24th April at 21:09

It's like a more complex Mojito. I'd really recommend trying out different rum mixes because they'll all be good yet different. I made it with 6cl Hampden's Gold, and even though it was slightly too funky it still tasted great and was balanced.

MiRiNaeJM

12th February at 11:50

Wow, this is really good!
I couldn't even bring myself to think that Demerara syrup and Angostura bitters could enhance a mojito’s flavor this much.
Also, with a recipe like this, it seems easy to make at home or order at a bar.

Avery Garnett

21st April 2024 at 17:38

Much better than I expected as I've never been a fan of mint in drinks. Made with a split of arrack and rhum barbancourt, but this is definitely a lovely long spiced rum drink with some mint.

Jose Cruz

30th December 2023 at 05:09

is good, but i wanted to make it great so i added 10ML falernum syrup ! next level now :D

Calvin Grant

28th May at 01:46

Do like the falernum here, thanks.

Russell Lee

11th November 2023 at 08:51

I’m definitely with Trader Vic when it comes to their 1972 recipe here. A 3-rum blend really gives this drink proper character (but I hold to 2 oz of rum total, so I don’t end up under the table). It definitely should consist of #1) a light/gold 1-3 year, #2) an overproof/navy-strength, and #3) a heavy Demerara. My personal preference is 1 oz Plantation Grande Reserve (or 3-Star), 1/2 oz Smith & Cross, and 1/2 oz El Dorado 12 year. And yes - I love to load it up unreasonably with Angostura!

Calvin Grant

28th May at 01:49

Big agree!

Jose Cruz

30th December 2023 at 05:12

great rums to mix, i would worry they lose their characters when broken down like this, might give it a shot.

Miguel Perales

3rd March 2023 at 00:07

As the description says, a less minty version of a Mojito (which I actually preferred) that has a nice balance between sweetness and citrus sour. Very nice.

William Lynch

3rd September 2022 at 22:08

Recipe is nearly spot on, but the drink pictured has lost the drama. The mint should remain in the bottom and the bitters should be dashed on top leaving a strong three-layered look. Also, most recipes call for 4-8 dashes of bitters.

See discussion in the Forum