Ingredients

2 ozdemerara rum
60 ml
1 ozfresh lime juice
30 ml
¾ ozrich demerara syrup
22 ml
6-8 leavesfresh mint leaves
6-8 leaves
2 dashesangostura bitters
2 dashes

Instructions

Place mint leaves in a Collins glass and gently press to release oils. Add demerara rum, fresh lime juice, and rich demerara syrup. Fill the glass with crushed ice and swizzle vigorously using a barspoon or swizzle stick until the glass frosts on the outside. Top with more crushed ice and dash Angostura bitters over the top so they cascade through the ice. Garnish with a mint bouquet.

Sips & Tips

Technique

Swizzling is the key technique — spin a barspoon or traditional swizzle stick rapidly between your palms to mix and aerate the drink simultaneously. The glass should frost on the outside when properly swizzled. The Angostura bitters are dashed on top at the end, creating a beautiful red cascade through the crushed ice.

Balance

Use a rich demerara rum like El Dorado 8, Hamilton 86, or Lemon Hart. The demerara syrup (2:1 ratio) adds a molasses richness that complements the rum. Fresh mint is essential — use spearmint for the most aromatic result. The bitters on top add a spice note that hits your nose before each sip.

History

The Queen's Park Swizzle originated at the Queen's Park Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in the 1920s. It's considered one of the finest rum drinks ever created — a perfect balance of rich demerara rum, fresh citrus, mint, and bitters. Charles H. Baker Jr. called it 'the most delightful form of anesthesia given out today.'

The Queen's Park Swizzle is the pinnacle of rum drinks — rich, minty, and impossibly refreshing. Once you master the swizzle technique, you'll never want to make it any other way. Cheers.

Variations

Queen's Park Swizzle with Aged Rum

Use a well-aged rum like Appleton Estate 12 or El Dorado 12 for a more refined, sipping-style version. The aged rum adds oak and vanilla notes that complement the mint and bitters beautifully.