Jet Pilot

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (45 ratings)
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    Jet Pilot

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Jet Pilot image

Photographed in a Libbey DOF 14.25oz

Ingredients:
1 oz Jamaican-style overproof aged pot still rum
3⁄4 oz Overproof aged rum (not Jamaican style)
3⁄4 oz Light gold rum (1-3 year old molasses column)
1⁄2 oz Difford's Falernum liqueur
1⁄4 oz Monin Cinnamon Syrup
1⁄2 oz Pink grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
1⁄2 oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
2 dash La Fée Parisienne absinthe
1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
1⁄4 barspoon Xanthan gum (E415) optional
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Double old-fashioned glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.
  3. DRY BLEND (without ice) first 9 ingredients (all but Xanthan gum) on a slow setting and then gradually add Xanthan while continuing to blend.
  4. Add 7oz scoop of crushed ice and BLEND some more.
  5. POUR into chilled glass.
  6. Garnish with skewered cherry.
  7. Serve with a straw.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 7/10
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

A lightly spicy blend of three characterful rums with citrus mellowed by blending with crushed ice.

View readers' comments

Variant:

The Test Pilot

History:

Created circa 1958 by socialite, Steven Crane at his Polynesian-themed Luau Restaurant in Hollywood, USA. The Jet Piolet is a riff of Donn Beach's 1941 The Test Pilot cocktail. The two recipes are very similar but the Jet Pilot benefits from the addition of grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup.

Alcohol content:

  • 2.8 standard drinks
  • 30.98% alc./vol. (30.98° proof)
  • 39.8 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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Jose Cruz’s Avatar Jose Cruz
10th April at 03:34
is a great tiki drink on its own right, that being said i say the zombie is better, whats not better with 30 ml pineaple anyways ? :P After blending i added 15ml grenadine to mine (mines is high juice) and squeezed the rest of the lime to total lime 22.5ml, a even better cocktail to my taste , if im ever craving a zombie without pineapple id revisit this comment xD
1
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G. M. Genovese’s Avatar G. M. Genovese
22nd March 2024 at 17:17
I had this for the first time 3 weeks ago as my opening drink at False Idol. Made me want to stay for a few.
2
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Sameer Saxena’s Avatar Sameer Saxena
16th November 2023 at 00:26
I really enjoy this spec which for me the rum split is 1oz smith and cross 3/4oz plantation oftd and 3/4oz Bacardi ocho. I also really enjoy 1oz plantation 5, 3/4 oz plantation oftd or Hamilton 151, 3/4oz lemon hart 1804. I did make your previous spec with 1 2/3oz smith and cross and 3/4oz plantation 3 star and was very happy with. The jet pilot is just such a classic recipe which allows a creative mixer room to truly experience rum
2
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Evan Miller’s Avatar Evan Miller
4th November 2023 at 21:58
This says it’s supposed to have three rums but only two are listed in the recipe.
1
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Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
5th November 2023 at 10:15
Thanks for bringing to my attention. The first two runs were combined in the recipe, but I've now separated them.
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John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
18th January 2023 at 02:46
This is outstanding. Sort of a Mai Tai and Zombie with cinnamon. We drink a lot of rum (have over 20 different rums) and we would definitely make this again. Very strong, but easy to drink. Flavours blended well together.
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John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
18th January 2023 at 02:48
The think I liked about this from a Zombie, is that you can taste the alcohol more. None of the pineapple juice and grenadine. Flavours of the rum come through more.
2
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Sam Standen’s Avatar Sam Standen
27th December 2022 at 13:14
This is basically just a Zombie rip off. Don't cheap out and make the real thing.
-1
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