COCKTAIL: The Sea Serpent

This cocktail originally appeared in the October 21, 2022 edition of The Action Cookbook Newsletter.

One of the best drinks I’ve ever featured here happened to come in the same 2020 post as the perfected KHL—a drink introduced to me by longtime reader, Friend of the Program and Michigan Man Blanx, who recalled an item off the cocktail menu at now-closed Ann Arbor restaurant Cafe Felix: the Jules Verne.

It’s the perfect oh-no-fall-is-actually-getting-cold-now cocktail, a dark, beguiling mix of Kraken black spiced rum, ruby port, Aperol and chocolate bitters that hits all the hygge notes.

As I noted in 2020:

This is drink to sip on the dark nights ahead. This is a drink to be consumed in a high-backed chair near a roaring fireplace, before tossing your correspondence into the flames. This is a drink to swirl in your mouth as you consider the ruination of your enemies. This drink is time itself, merciless, cruel and wonderful. This drink is dark, complex, brooding, and rich; it’s a Michigan Man to its black-hearted core.

Well, this weekend—now, in fact, as I should be on a southbound plane around the time this email hits your inbox—I’m headed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to attend the LSU-Ole Miss game with my friend Zach Rau, who’s also invited me to sous-chef at his longstanding tailgate.

The recipes will be all Zach—per my request, as I want to learn about Cajun cuisine from an expert—gumbo, crawfish etouffee and sauce piquant. My contribution? A cocktail for a crowd. I decided to remix the Jules Verne into a punch.

The backbone will be the same—rum, port, Aperol and chocolate bitters—but I’ve added a few things to smooth it out, bump up the sweetness and add some effervescence.

In honor of a Jules Verne title, I’m calling it The Sea Serpent.

The Sea Serpent (Punch Size)

• (1) 750 mL bottle Kraken black spiced rum
• (1) 750 mL bottle ruby or tawny port
• 2-1/2 cups Aperol (3/4 of a bottle, that is)
• 3/4 cup Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
• 1/2 ounce Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1-1/2 liter sparkling water (Topo Chico preferred, as always)
• orange slices, for winners

The Sea Serpent (Cocktail Size)

• 1 ounce Kraken black spiced rum
• 1 ounce ruby or tawny port
• 3/4 ounce Aperol
• 1/4 ounce Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
• 2 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange juice
• 2 ounces sparkling water
• orange slice (you’re a winner)

If you’re making a punch-sized portion, mix the Kraken, port, Aperol, dry Curaçao, bitters, sugar, and orange juice in a pitcher, stir well, and chill overnight.

If you’re making a glass, add the sugar and orange juice to the bottom of an empty cocktail shaker, and stir to combine. Pour in the rum, port, Aperol, dry Curaçao and bitters, and add ice. Stir vigorously; don’t shake. (You’re not James Bond.)

Strain into a rocks glass (or Solo cup) with a large ice cube, top with sparkling water, and garnish with a fresh orange slice.

It was already a great cocktail. It’s just even better now.

—Scott Hines (@actioncookbook)