Carta Switchel Cocktail Recipe

Carta Switchel
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Ingredients:
1 oz	Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
1 oz	Bacardi Gold rum
1 oz	Pink grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₂ oz	Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
¹⁄₆ oz	Fernet Branca liqueur
0.08 oz	Apple cider vinegar

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Garnish: Mint sprig bouquet & grapefruit zest twist

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain into glass filled with crushed ice.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

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Review:

Complex and very refreshing. Rum is the predominant flavour but is brilliantly accentuated with grapefruit, fernet and vinegar.

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History:

Adapted from the British Bacardí Legacy 2016 winning cocktail created by Iain Griffiths at Dandelyan, London> Originally based on Bacardí Carta Blanca rum and Bacardí Carta Oro .

The Carta Switchel is based on a 17th Century recipe known as a Switchel, which was first developed by the sugarcane field workers of the Caribbean and gave birth to what the world now knows as the Rum Swizzle; the key difference being the recipe specifically called for vinegar. Bacardí Carta Blanca & Carta Oro are used to create a more balanced and well-rounded flavour, a technique that has been used in rum cocktails since the 1950s Tiki era.
Iain Griffiths, 2016

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Nutrition:

One serving of Carta Switchel contains 201 calories

Alcohol content:

1.4 standard drinks
16.96% alc./vol. (16.96° proof)
19.1 grams of pure alcohol

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.

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Showing 8 comments for Carta Switchel.
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Simon Sedgley

25th August 2024 at 06:01

Well, I learned not a thing from the video. But never mind, it was only 1:55 that my life will never get back.

Frederic D.

14th March 2024 at 22:42

I have to agree with Bob Cook below that the fernet (and vinegar) get lost in the background. Maybe it's due to my grapefruit juice, but what I mostly got was lightly bitter grapefruit rum. I think next time I might drop the juice by 1/4 Oz and see where that takes me.

James Buckman

23rd December 2022 at 06:55

I love this drink. Critical to enjoying it though, is that whiff of mint while sipping. It's a drink that is not worth making without the garnish.

John Hinojos

14th September 2022 at 01:47

Wonderful cocktail. The hint of herbal and mint from the Fernet is perfect. The vinegar gives an interesting tartness, but is not overpowering. This is a cocktail that does better as it sits a bit and the ice melts a bit more.

Bob Cook

17th May 2022 at 00:31

I made this drink according to this recipe (even duplicating the garnish), and it's a nice rum punch. The fernet is totally in the background and doesn't overwhelm the drink, so this might be good for someone who is fernet shy. I've made a note to amp the fernet up to 7.5 ml and the apple cider vinegar up to 3.75 ml the next time I make it, but I can't guarantee that will be an improvement.

Sally Morgan

17th April 2021 at 20:26

I dialled back the grapefruit juice a bit (25 ml) and the sugar syrup and i think its a winner

j m

20th January 2021 at 21:55

I didn't have Fernet Branca, so I thought "why not?" and substituted Campari for it, reducing the sugar syrup to the tiniest amount (to taste really). It was actually great!

Adrien Gobs

4th January 2021 at 19:49

Tried that recipe while dining, IMO grapefruit is not enough discernable in terms of tasting, maybe 2,5 oz of juice and 3/4 of each rums would be more satisfying, but what a lovely drink !

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